Water Changes

[Juxtaroberto]

Here, I found the article: http://www.aquabotanic.com/plants_and_biological_filtration.htm

 

[douahe]

Thanks for the link. That is a great article!

 

[taksan]

taksan,

, the nitrate test registers at 0.

If its reading 0 its a faulty test ... a cycled tank cannot have Zero nitrates its not chemically possible. Now you have a large very lightly stocked tank that is planted with deep fine substrate I wouldn't be surprised if the combination of plants and anaerobic activity within the deep substrate did in fact result in you having extremely low nitrate readings but it wouldn't be zero ppm. There would be a reading but its possibly your test kit couldn't identify it. Lots of them can't see anything under 15ppm.

 

[taksan]

Actually, you know a tank is cycled when the nitrates GO to 0. That means that the beneficial bacteria has grown and is doing its job by removing these things caused by poop and food.

Errrrr no your are completely incorrect ... you know a tank in Cycled when it shows Nitrate but no Ammonia or Nitrite.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

If its reading 0 its a faulty test ... a cycled tank cannot have Zero nitrates its not chemically possible.

You're right... but it's very possible that a well planted tank isn't cycled. There isn't any beneficial bacteria simply because the plants outcompete the bacteria.

 

[taksan]

You're right... but it's very possible that a well planted tank isn't cycled. There isn't any beneficial bacteria simply because the plants outcompete the bacteria.

Errrr Not quite ....... plants don't consume Ammonia or Nitrite they consume Nitrate production of which of course requites a tank to be cycled. What can occur is the production of Nitrate and consumption of Nitrate by the plants reach a equilibrium. Or which I suspect is the case here excess Nitrate is produced in enough quantity to be eaten by anaerobic bacteria lying in the oxygen depleted deeper layers of substrate.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

Errrr Not quite ....... plants don't consume Ammonia or Nitrite they consume Nitrate production of which of course requites a tank to be cycled. What can occur is the production of Nitrate and consumption of Nitrate by the plants reach a equilibrium. Or which I suspect is the case here excess Nitrate is produced in enough quantity to be eaten by anaerobic bacteria lying in the oxygen depleted deeper layers of substrate.

Most aquatic plants prefer ammonia over nitrates. In the presence of ammonia, they will not uptake nitrate. They will only uptake nitrate when the ammonia runs out. Furthermore, it takes them longer to uptake nitrate than it does to uptake ammonia, of equal amounts.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/plants_and_biological_filtration.htm

 

[douahe]

If its reading 0 its a faulty test ... a cycled tank cannot have Zero nitrates its not chemically possible. Now you have a large very lightly stocked tank that is planted with deep fine substrate I wouldn't be surprised if the combination of plants and anaerobic activity within the deep substrate did in fact result in you having extremely low nitrate readings but it wouldn't be zero ppm. There would be a reading but its possibly your test kit couldn't identify it. Lots of them can't see anything under 15ppm.

This may well be true. I have a light bio load and a tank that isn't heavily planted only because it hasn't had time to grow out since everything moved from the 120. The test I have claims to be able to read as low as 5ppm.