Where's the nitrate?

"Karen Garza" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Michi Henning wrote:

"Karen Garza" wrote in message
news
There is little to no nitrate present in my three tanks. I consider all
three of them to be fully cycled. Shouldn't there be a small amount of
nitrate? Are the plants using up what little nitrate there is?


Seems unlikely. Your fish load isn't all that high (except for the
third tank), but you don't have that many plants either. In the
first instance, I would suspect the test kit. Get another one
and try with that. Alternatively, your water changing regime
may be such that you are removing sufficient nitrate to get
below the detection threshold of your test kit. (Another brand
of test kit might help with that.) A (far out) possibility is that
you have anaerobic nitrate conversion to NO2 happening in
your substrate or your filter. (Apparently, that is happening in
most tanks to some degree, but not quickly enough to stay
on top of the nitrates altogether.)

Cheers,

Michi.


Okay, I think I may have to try a new test kit then. I suppose it's
possible that I am removing the nitrate with my water changes. I do a
minimum of one weekly 30% water change and gravel vac. Sometimes I do an
extra 30% water change each week. I didn't think it was too much water
change, but I could be wrong. Wouldn't it be possible (maybe even
preferable) to even do a daily 50% water change if the fish are used to
it?
Thanks

Karen


it is likely that your weekly 30% water changes reduce your nitrate below
measurable levels. I do weekly 50% water changes in my heavily planted 77g
tank and dry dose ferts twice a week including a 1/2 tsp of KN03 (nitrate)
and I still don't measure much nitrate. Your plants will also be using up
nitrate. I wouldn't worry about it, seems everything is running o.k for you.
As far as daily 50% water changes are concerned you could do that if you had
the time but why bother. You fish in fact become accustomed to the schedule
of water changes you keep them in. To suddenly go from 30% weekly to 50%
daily could prove harmful. You could gradually increase you water changes
but 30% weekly is more than what most do.

Rick

Rick wrote:

it is likely that your weekly 30% water changes reduce your nitrate below
measurable levels. I do weekly 50% water changes in my heavily planted 77g
tank and dry dose ferts twice a week including a 1/2 tsp of KN03 (nitrate)
and I still don't measure much nitrate. Your plants will also be using up
nitrate. I wouldn't worry about it, seems everything is running o.k for you.
As far as daily 50% water changes are concerned you could do that if you had
the time but why bother.

Thanks for the info :-) I had read that there should be some nitrate in
the water, so I was a bit concerned that there isn't any nitrate in my
tanks. But if it doesn't matter then I won't worry about it.
I don't plan on doing daily 50% water changes. I was just wondering if
that was possible. I thought it was. I'll stick to my once or twice per
week water changes.
Thanks
Karen

I am very surprised that you have any trouble with so much water
change. I change 20% once a week in my 5 tanks. My tanks are heavily
populated. They are planted and filtered, but I am lazy about filter
maintenance unless the water is coming over the wrong spillway. I
worry more about biological health than particles and trust the tanks
to keep a healthy balance. I also keep a variety of scavengers
including Plecos, Clown Loaches and Siamese Algae Eaters in all my
tanks. I only feed Tetra flakes. I keep the temperatures between 78
and 80 degrees. I run air stones to promote circulation.

Not suggesting a change in your procedure, just wanted to note that
other procedures work also.

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 04:36:45 GMT, Karen Garza
wrote:



Rick wrote:

it is likely that your weekly 30% water changes reduce your nitrate below
measurable levels. I do weekly 50% water changes in my heavily planted 77g
tank and dry dose ferts twice a week including a 1/2 tsp of KN03 (nitrate)
and I still don't measure much nitrate. Your plants will also be using up
nitrate. I wouldn't worry about it, seems everything is running o.k for you.
As far as daily 50% water changes are concerned you could do that if you had
the time but why bother.

Thanks for the info :-) I had read that there should be some nitrate in
the water, so I was a bit concerned that there isn't any nitrate in my
tanks. But if it doesn't matter then I won't worry about it.
I don't plan on doing daily 50% water changes. I was just wondering if
that was possible. I thought it was. I'll stick to my once or twice per
week water changes.
Thanks
Karen

On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 04:36:45 GMT, Karen Garza
wrote:



Rick wrote:

it is likely that your weekly 30% water changes reduce your nitrate below
measurable levels. I do weekly 50% water changes in my heavily planted 77g
tank and dry dose ferts twice a week including a 1/2 tsp of KN03 (nitrate)
and I still don't measure much nitrate. Your plants will also be using up
nitrate. I wouldn't worry about it, seems everything is running o.k for you.
As far as daily 50% water changes are concerned you could do that if you had
the time but why bother.

Thanks for the info :-) I had read that there should be some nitrate in
the water, so I was a bit concerned that there isn't any nitrate in my
tanks. But if it doesn't matter then I won't worry about it.
I don't plan on doing daily 50% water changes. I was just wondering if
that was possible. I thought it was. I'll stick to my once or twice per
week water changes.
Thanks
Karen


I make weekly 20% water changes. I have 5 tanks: 75,29 and 3 10s.
Rather than rely on test kits, I keep watch on my fish. I can always
make extra water changes or run tests, but when the water quality is
getting iffy, my fish seem less active, tend to stay on the bottom or
top, color is off, plants wilt. I rarely have had a problem. Mostly
early on in setting up the tanks and then due to over feeding or too
much light.

Now I control my light with a timer and have become stingy with the
food. I only feed flake food to my fish. My tanks are heavilly
populated with a wide variety of fish.

I know there are a lot of folks that run a chemistry lab and more
power to you all. I don't enjoy nor trust the results and am a bit
lazy. I like to pop in to remind those less endowed that life can
continue without chemistry or excessive water changes.

"Dick" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 04:36:45 GMT, Karen Garza
wrote:


mid posted



I make weekly 20% water changes. I have 5 tanks: 75,29 and 3 10s.
Rather than rely on test kits, I keep watch on my fish. I can always
make extra water changes or run tests, but when the water quality is
getting iffy, my fish seem less active, tend to stay on the bottom or
top, color is off, plants wilt. I rarely have had a problem.

that sounds like a problem to me. Regular water changes although not
excessively so will prevent your water quality from getting "iffy", your
fish will remain active and not stay on the bottom, and plants will benefit.
However like everything else in this hobby, what ever works for you, may not
work for someone else. As long as your sucessful that is all that matter.
But 20% weekly water changes should be more than sufficient to prevent the
type of things you describe.




Mostly
early on in setting up the tanks and then due to over feeding or too
much light.

Now I control my light with a timer and have become stingy with the
food. I only feed flake food to my fish. My tanks are heavilly
populated with a wide variety of fish.

overfeeding kills more fish and contributes to poor water quality and it is
a common mistake many including me are making or have made.



I know there are a lot of folks that run a chemistry lab and more
power to you all. I don't enjoy nor trust the results and am a bit
lazy. I like to pop in to remind those less endowed that life can
continue without chemistry or excessive water changes.


no need to run a chemistry lab. Depends on what your trying to accomplish
with your tank. I have a variety of test kits for Ph, hardness, ammonia etc.
Can't remember when I last used my ammonia kit. I now own a digital PH meter
however I breed fish and without proper PH , gh and Kh levels I would not be
able to breed many fish, particularly those that require soft acidic low PH
values. If your not into that stuff than there really is no need for many of
the kits.

Rick

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 17:57:35 GMT, "Rick"
wrote:


"Dick" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 04:36:45 GMT, Karen Garza
wrote:


mid posted



I make weekly 20% water changes. I have 5 tanks: 75,29 and 3 10s.
Rather than rely on test kits, I keep watch on my fish. I can always
make extra water changes or run tests, but when the water quality is
getting iffy, my fish seem less active, tend to stay on the bottom or
top, color is off, plants wilt. I rarely have had a problem.

that sounds like a problem to me. Regular water changes although not
excessively so will prevent your water quality from getting "iffy", your
fish will remain active and not stay on the bottom, and plants will benefit.
However like everything else in this hobby, what ever works for you, may not
work for someone else. As long as your sucessful that is all that matter.
But 20% weekly water changes should be more than sufficient to prevent the
type of things you describe.


I know newbies read these newsgroups. I like to let them know one
does not have to have all the available gadgets or be a chemist. The
hobby can be fun. Plants will grow without CO2, the right plants, and
light does not have to be 2 or more watts per gallon. Ph is not an
exact dimension that must be so and so.

I have also noticed that people report various methods that work for
them. I think that is an important thing for newbies to know. Of
course, some newbies would prefer a formula for success. It would be
less stressful, that is for sure. I had to battle 5 tanks into their
comfort zone. I tried the chemical route, but then started looking at
plant characteristics, fish variety, water changes, light schedule,
etc. and was much happier with the results.


Mostly
early on in setting up the tanks and then due to over feeding or too
much light.

Now I control my light with a timer and have become stingy with the
food. I only feed flake food to my fish. My tanks are heavilly
populated with a wide variety of fish.

overfeeding kills more fish and contributes to poor water quality and it is
a common mistake many including me are making or have made.



I know there are a lot of folks that run a chemistry lab and more
power to you all. I don't enjoy nor trust the results and am a bit
lazy. I like to pop in to remind those less endowed that life can
continue without chemistry or excessive water changes.


no need to run a chemistry lab. Depends on what your trying to accomplish
with your tank. I have a variety of test kits for Ph, hardness, ammonia etc.
Can't remember when I last used my ammonia kit. I now own a digital PH meter
however I breed fish and without proper PH , gh and Kh levels I would not be
able to breed many fish, particularly those that require soft acidic low PH
values. If your not into that stuff than there really is no need for many of
the kits.

Rick