How effective are plants at removing nitrates.

[Nyghtfire]

Ok well here's the thing i've been quite busy and have neglected a water change on my 50 gallon planted, i realised it'd been nearly 10 days since it's last water change (on normal it's 5 days) i can not read any nitrates, nitrites or amonia with a chemical testing kit.
so i decided to experiment with it...
it's been 5 weeks, since i did a water change now with daily testing, i'm now reading a very very light reading of nitrates.
tank is stocked with 6 x britlenose (3x of witch are under 2cm's) a vast multitude of cherry shrimp.
2x Purple Spotted Gudgeons (which amazingly have hunted nothing to my knowledge.
2 x Bolivian Butterflys.
1x Gold Ram
5 x lemon tetra
11x Corydoras.
filtered by 2x Aqua one Aquis 1000 (cannisters)
although one is only on there to get bacteria into the filter before moving into another tank
but 5 weeks before i got a measurable reading of nitrates.
(also this tank has been set up for the last 3 months, and i measured a cycle 2.5 months ago)

and is very heavily planted.
the amount plants can help filter is amazing.

 

[Sab_Fan]

plants seem to do an excellent job in controlling nitrates (and ammonia as well) ... I cannot put a scientific evaluation to it (tho' someone might), but my observed experience is that my planted tanks typically have nitrates well below 20ppm (sometimes near zero)

while I don't skip W/Cs, I am able to do smaller ones than I otherwise might, and I don't worry too much if I have to go out of town for a week ...

 

[m1ste2tea]

it takes a lot of plants to keep up with most fish. thats why you see a lot of finely tuned planted tanks with tiny fish such as neon tetras