Are there any plants that are extremely efficient at removing nitrates from the water. I am thinking of adding a section to a DIY wet dry for plants but wanted to use plants that are really good nitrate removers. Plants that are find-able also not super rare hard to get ones.. My girlfriend works at a LFS so I have access to more than average... Thanks everyone.
Nitrate Consuming Plants?
- Thread starter unknownuza13
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Most plants don't consume much Nitrate. They consume mainly Ammonia and Nitrite, before it can be broken down into Nitrate. I have a veggie refugium, and I use a mixture of potted swords on the bottom, with a large floating grass such as hornwart or frill. The slow growth plents should still get enough light at the bottom, and the hornwart will grow like crazy. You will have to harvest it out. The more lighting the better, I use a 220w on a 75g tank.
So the only way to get rid of the final product in the "tank cycle" is through water changes... I remember reading on another site under the information section.. Tank cycling a tutorial... Fish produce waste and the leftover food they don't eat in turn creates amonia.. Amonia eating bacteria are formed and eat the amonia, which in they then give off Nitrite.. Then naturally occuring bacteria that eat nitrite do their job.. The final by-product they then give off is Nitrate. Which they say plants will remove parts of this but we accomplish the rest through water changes... So do they 100% not remove any of the nitrate?
Water lettuce and water hyacinth will pull nitrites and ammonia from the water quite well and help prevent nitrates from forming, that said you need to remember that this is a temporary solution and as the plant dies it will release nitrogen products into the water so you need to discard the older plants and encourage new growth. A shallow tub containing these also will harbor a fair sized population of nitrogen fixing bacteria on the root structures of the plants and be agreat place to raise guppies or platys/mollies as feeders.
"A shallow tub containing these also will harbor a fair sized population of nitrogen fixing bacteria on the root structures of the plants and be agreat place to raise guppies or platys/mollies as feeders"
Awesome man thanks a lot I think I'll give it a shot
Awesome man thanks a lot I think I'll give it a shot
be carefull with the lighting for hyacinth and water lettice too little will kill them and too much will burn them