More filtration to help nitrates?

[Shane templar]

Hi everyone
Had my tank running for about 20 months now and everything was fine parameter wise (ammonia and nitrite at 0 nitrates about 10-20) but about 6-7 months ago I bought 7 silver dollar and they ate all the plants in there which was a problem as I knew this would happen so bought silk/fake plants! Lately my nitrates have been reading 60-80 on water change day (always change 50% every 4-5 days) also my fake plants have like a fine brown algae on them which I’m guessing is down to my high nitrates (am I right in thinking high nitrates would feed algae?) I’ve got a new all ponds solutions/sunsun filter with the booster thing on that I’ve never used would this help with nitrates? Would you put just mechanical filteration in there or mech and bio media? I’ll still be doing my 50% water changes every 4-5 days!
sorry for long post
Shaner

 

[kno4te]

Gotta reduce ur feeding amount and frequency if able. Water changes will be only way to remove the nitrates w/o keeping plants (silver dollar prob) or a scrubber in your tank it seems.

 

[Gourami Swami]

You are right that high nitrates and other nutrients from fish waste would feed algaes. The brown algae you are seeing is probably diatoms.
Adding filtration is not a bad idea but probably will not solve your nitrate problem, reason being that nitrates are the end product of successful filtration. The beneficial bacterias in the filter convert the ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate. Adding more filtration will give more room for these good bacterias, and for mechanical mech to keep particles out of the water in the display. The more likely problem is overstocking or overfeeding. In most reasonably stocked setups, I would think your water change schedule would be more than adequate. What is your tank size and what all lives in it?

 

[deeda]

I'd also like to add that you need to clean the filter more frequently as it accumulates waste which will contribute to higher nitrate level.

 

[Shane templar]

Thanks for the replies everyone
It’s 6x2x2 and have 2 oscars 7 silver dollars a bichir and a royal plec!
I think you’re maybe right about cleaning the filters as I don’t do it that often! Also I cut down on the feeding!
do you think having the blue light on throughout the night would contribute to the algae/diatoms
Thanks again

 

[esoxlucius]

A 50% water change every 4-5 days, with that stock, is no longer adequate. Your gradual nitrate increase over the past few months clearly spells this out. And, as already stated, extra filtration won't get rid of your nitrate.

Cleaning your filter a little more may help a little, yes, and cutting back on the amount and/or frequency of feeding will also help. But to really put you on the right track I think you need to put a new water change schedule in place to compensate for the bio load your growing stock is putting out.

 

[Shane templar]

Sorry forgot to add that’s it’s filtered by 2 aquamanta etx 600
Think they’re only available in the uk

 

[Shane templar]

Thanks eso I’ll try that maybe every 3-4 days now too! ??

 

[duanes]

Normal filtration does not reduce nitrate.
In fact gunk buildup in filters promotes nitrate.
Cleaning gunk from media often, will help, water changes are the best source of reducing nitrate, and if aquatic plants are eaten by the SDs, you could try growing terrestrial plants either rooted in the tank, in a HOB baster space, or in a refugium/sump.
Beside my daily 20% water changes, and aquatic plants, I grow terrestrials in the tank, and sump.


above papyrus (umbrella palm) growing in the sump.
Below, the tanks surface area.


My nitrates normally read 0-5 ppm on the API test.

 

[neutrino]

There's a few ways to deal with nitrates, some are pretty simple like water changes and plants, some are a little more technical. Keeping filters cleaner can help, simply by removing collected solid waste. Media and filter setup can make a difference. Some media has more potential for denitrifying bacteria-- this can work but it doesn't work for everyone, so you get skeptics, some who have tried it themselves and didn't get results and some who have seen their reviews. It takes time for the process to develop, so some people jump the gun coming to a conclusion, and it can be sensitive to meds, certain other media types, and other factors-- so it won't work for everyone.

This guy has done video reviews of a lot of different filters, along with his ideas on optimizing them. The basics are useful imo, even if you use different bio media, (some are better than others for nitrates, a whole other subject) or a different ratio of media types, which imo might depend on your tank setup, local water, what you want to accomplish with a particular filter, etc. Is this the filter you mentioned?