what are some good ways to keep nitrates low ?

[jp80911]

if the plants added are aquatic plants that use CO2 dissolved in water you'll need to inject CO2, it'll be same as adding the plants in the display tank.
if adding plants that grow out of the water surface and consume CO2 in the air, that's a different story.
I haven't don't too much research on this yet since I just start thinking about it.

will Scindapsus aureus be a good plant ??

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Keep your nitrates under 20. 30-40 won't hurt any fish immediately, but who knows about the long term affects. No point risking it, especially if you have fish with long life spans ( my puffers can live 15 or so years ).

As for "stuffing more bio media" into your filters... That won't change nitrates at all. The bacteria on your filters and in your tank will only process the available waste and multiply accordingly. So, if they're already doing a good job ( 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia ) then you don't need extra media. Also, nitrates are the final step in the nitrogen cycle.... Water changes are the only way to eliminate them.

Do you got evidence? Theres tons of fish that live in very bad conditions and plenty of them live long. Just take a look at some of the people that don't know what they are doing and keeping oscars in yellow water. Some of those fish live like 5-8 years or even longer that way. The point is people freak out about nitrates when really a bunch of obsessive fish keepers made everyone paranoid to do 90% water changes every other day.

Nothing wrong with keeping your water clean, but don't need to obsess over 10-20 ppm of nitrates.

People talk about clean water and fish living long, but very few here have had fish they have kept alive for even 5+ years. And then you look at these fish noobs that keep 2 oscars in a 55 gallon for 10 years in yellow water. Makes you wonder.

 

[TheCanuck]

Do you got evidence? Theres tons of fish that live in very bad conditions and plenty of them live long. Just take a look at some of the people that don't know what they are doing and keeping oscars in yellow water. sSome of those fish live like 5-8 years or even longer that way. The point is poeple freak out about nitrates when really a bunch of obsessive fish keepers made everyone paranoid to do 90% water changes every other day.

Nothing wrong with keeping your water clean, but don't need to obsess over 10-20 pm of nitrates.

yet striving for the best is a good thing. Thats the problem these days with people, they only do what gets them by. Thats why the economy is **** and everyone is over weight. They only do what they have to and whats needed to get by, never whats best for them... This mentality sucks... i keep under 15ppm

Oscars can live up to 20 years plus, but they die all day on here at 5-8 and people are like he lived a good life! Pbass should reach almost 3ft!!! yet they die and everyone is like he had a good life, jesus people get a clue!


btw 10 years is not a good life span for an oscar.... lmao

 

[jcardona1]

24/7 drip system
auto water changer
algae scrubber
denitrator

these are the best ways to keep nitrates are near 0 levels. plants work, but you would most likely need a ton of plants to make a difference. adding some hardy floating plants to your sump with light would help. since theyre leaves are exposed, theyll get their co2 from the surrounding air

 

[Pyramid_Party]

yet striving for the best is a good thing. That the problem these days with people, they only do what gets them by. Thats why the economy is **** and everyone is over weight. They only do what they have to and whats needed to get by, never whats best for them... This mentality sucks... i keep under 15ppm

Never said its bad to strive for clean water. But it being 5 or 10 ppm extra isnt gonna kill your fish. Fish can live in MUCH worse water. There was some guy who kept a Jack dempsey in untreated tap water, no heater etc and it lived over 8 years. Better than a lot of people here. The point I am making is peopel dont need to obsess and do 90% water changes every other day so that they nitrates read 5 ppm.

 

[Danzig86]

floating duck weed and a butt ton of it!!!!!!

 

[Pyramid_Party]

People go way overboard on bio media and water changes. Why? Because a few obsessive fish keepers made everyone paranoid. And now you have people just as obsessive and paranoid as them, and some see it as a way to make them a better fish keeper, but actually in some ways it makes you worse.

 

[TheCanuck]

Never said its bad to strive for clean water. But it being 5 or 10 ppm extra isnt gonna kill your fish. Fish can live in MUCH worse water. There was some guy who kept a Jack dempsey in untreated tap water, no heater etc and it lived over 8 years. Better than a lot of people here. The point I am making is peopel dont need to obsess and do 90% water changes every other day so that they nitrates read 5 ppm.

Your quoting fish and their life span, yet your about 10 years off. They are dieing 10 years early due to poor water quality and bad feedings. Obviously your just proving the point here, fish die early due to nitrates. If they lived in pure water and where fed angel clouds they would live forever..

A healthy oscar should live AT LEAST 15 years before you can say he had a good life. They can live to 20 plus...

 

[TheCanuck]

People go way overboard on bio media and water changes. Why? Because a few obsessive fish keepers made everyone paranoid. And now you have people just as obsessive and paranoid as them, and some see it as a way to make them a better fish keeper, but actually in some ways it makes you worse.

people go over board on bio media thats for sure, but bio media has nothing to do with nitrates... lazy ass people are the only factor in nitrates...


also fish grow, and extra bio media is not a bad thing.

 

[jcardona1]

People go way overboard on bio media and water changes. Why? Because a few obsessive fish keepers made everyone paranoid. And now you have people just as obsessive and paranoid as them, and some see it as a way to make them a better fish keeper, but actually in some ways it makes you worse.

i agree that people go waaay overboard with bio media, but i dont understand how that makes you worse as a fishkeeper

as for nitrates, what do you think the nitrate levels are in the wild?? for the healthiest fish, nitrates should be kept as low as possible. if you can keep them below 40, great. if you keep them at 0 with an algae scrubber or other system, even better. doesnt make you a bad fishkeeper