CalmedByFish Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 My 55 gallon hadn't gotten a single water change in years. The Nitrate level was somewhere well above 80. After nearly emptying it by gravel-vacuuming, and refilling it with new water reading 0 ppm Nitrate, the tank was immediately near 30 ppm Nitrate. I then put so much pothos on the top that the roots fill about half the tank, and added 2 Seachem resin bags to the HOB filter. Just over a week later, Nitrates were back up to 40-80. It's now been a month since that 95% water change, and Nitrates are still 40-80. There's no way it's overstocked or overfed - it's just an angelfish, and Malaysian trumpet snails. I've been very careful to give the angel just a flake more than he'll eat per day, letting that little bit fall down for the snails. Ammonia and Nitrite are always at 0. So now I'm looking at a bottle of bacteria that contains a "blend of aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria which facilitate the breakdown of waste organics, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate." But I don't know of a place in my tank that's low-flow enough for the denitrifying anaerobic bacteria to live. (Underneath the gravel maybe?) My only other thought is to try to stuff the tank with Vallisneria, which I hear is great for gobbling up Nitrates. Based on your experience, what would you try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 As you mentioned, it is hard to keep a tank full of live plants and also a have a nitrate problem. Hornwort has good reputation for gobbling up nitrates. But if you like Vallisneria, I would give that a try first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 1 minute ago, Daniel said: As you mentioned, it is hard to keep a tank full of live plants and also a have a nitrate problem. Hornwort has good reputation for gobbling up nitrates. But if you like Vallisneria, I would give that a try first. I actually just ordered a bit of hornwort a few days ago! Not here yet, but that tank can be its first home! (The long-term plan is a very simple little pond this summer.) Sounds like you think I have a better chance at success with plants than with the bottled bacteria? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Just now, CalmedByFish said: I actually just ordered a bit of hornwort a few days ago! Not here yet, but that tank can be its first home! (The long-term plan is a very simple little pond this summer.) Sounds like you think I have a better chance at success with plants than with the bottled bacteria? I do. Plant themselves are steady consumers of nitrates and as a bonus provide wonderful substrate for beneficial bacteria and additional carbohydrates and oxygen that beneficial bacteria need. It is hard to go wrong with plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkG Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 It is intriguing. If your bacteria are super-efficient, there will be shortage of ammonia so the plants need to go for nitrates. If the bacteria are meh, the build-up of nitrate would be modest. I too believe hornwort is well worth a try. You can just leave it floating until further notice, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 Gosh I love nerds. 😂 Alright, I'll forego the bacteria for now, and try the hornwort that's on the way. It should arrive within a few days. And as a Plan B in case the hornwort arrives looking pathetic, I'll hit up the Co-Op for a load of vallisneria. Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben_RF Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 The crazy nutrient suckers that Pothos are really doesn't start occurring until they have established a good aquatic root base system in the tank and new leaves are beginning to sprout. This may take a few weeks for them to ramp up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Would you be dealing with Old Tank Syndrome if you don't do regular water changes even with plants ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, Trish said: Would you be dealing with Old Tank Syndrome if you don't do regular water changes even with plants ? I agree with @Trish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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