Hornwort causing the nitrite / nitrate jump?

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Meghanbridget33

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 4, 2016
140
18
18
37
New Hampshire
I decided to switch too live plants, i purchased a hornwort, pond penny, and too others one is purple,that is all I know.

My levels were perfect(even ammonia), then after the switch, my nitrites and nitrates skyrocketed, killing a tetra, my full grown dalmatian and Creamsicle mollies, and a cherry barb. What confuses me is my three keyhole cichlids, my elec blue ram, and four angels are fine.

I decided to take the hornwort out and put it in my quarantine tank, because I felt the little leaves that fell off were the contributing factor, because it was everywhere!!! Huge globs of it in my filter, so it was gone, and it tripled in size in two weeks.

Anyone have any other advice?
 
I don't see how it would RAISE nitrates, if anything they should feed off the ammonia and nitrates and lower them. Decaying plant matter produces ammonia, so prune and trim frequently, but I think it's might be more of a coincidence than anything. Try taking the plants out for a few days and test chemistry again
 
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