for quite awhile my tank seemed to hang in the range of 10 nitrates or so, which seemed ok. Before adding water to your aquarium, test it for nitrate to discover if the levels are unusually high in your water source. If your baseline nitrate is above 10 ppm, consider other water sources that are nitrate-free. I have a high tech tank where no matter how high the light or CO2 if I do not meticulously clean at the roots my nitrates would be obscenely high. Additionally, tap water used to fill the aquarium may contain nitrate in it. hello, so perhaps someone can help me work on my nitrates. I am having the same issue. The question is merely, and I state again just to clarify, why nitrAtes would be higher in a heavily planted tank as opposed to that of tanks with a lesser amount of plants. In this section, I cover most of the commonly found planted tank algae types: their root causes and how to get rid of algae in planted aquarium. It’s really like a good cycle; I get lower levels of nitrates and at the same time greater plants. I thought ammonia would have dropped to zero before nitrates are seen? If you are dosing those ferts then you are adding the nitrates in the form of nitrogen. Planted tank algae identification is important. (The tank only has cherry shrimp in it). While it is not the number one most harmful substance to fish, it is still not a great thing to have in any tank. Many people actually still believe that nitrates and phosphates cause algae in a healthy and heavily planted tank. In my freshwater aquarium, I have plenty of plants. I wasn't looking for advice on maintenance or fert dosing schedules. I'm cycling my new tank, in preparation for a low tech set-up. Nitrates too high in a planted tank. I'm not trying anything too hard to keep so that seemed alright. Nothing unusual about having that level of nitrate, and nitrate by itself is not very toxic to fish until it is much higher than that. My nitrates were up to 80 today so did 3o percent water change. The reason why heavily planted tanks can have high nitrates is that the plants hide waste and it accumulates and causes problems. Thankfully, there are lots of nitrate consuming plants out there that can help filter your aquarium from this substance. i carried a test and i can confirm this while most here will disagree with me. Hello, aquarium planted tank enthusiasts how are you today? How to Remove High Nitrates in Aquarium Water By Eric Mohrman Ablestock.com ... from temperature to ammonia to carbon dioxide to nitrates and other levels -- stress tank life and can be fatal when severe or when particularly sensitive species are present. That is all I'm inquiring about. I just lost my favorite fish (my gold nugget pleco), so I did a water test ... and apparently, the nitrates are too high in my tank (80 ppm). Hedi is back here from Aquascaping Paludarium and today I just want to talk All About Nitrates In Aquarium Tank, because I feel like it’s a little bit misunderstood and anyways I’m also gonna be giving you guys a update on […] I try to keep nitrates high in my planted tank. Ideally for a planted tank with mainly green leave plants, maintaining the nitrates in the 5-15ppm range is good. I have a heavily planted 30 gal tank. most plants dont mind about the high nitrate and some will get stunted and stop growing or not grow at all. Ideal nitrates for a planted tank around 10 to 20 ppm. You experiment with your fertilizer to maintain that level. I am puzzled why I am seeing very high readings of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Some tend to be short lived, while others indicate deeper problems with the tank setup. Could it be high nitrates in the original tap water? Employ only one effort to remove high nitrates … These plants will use the nitrates in the water for their growth and turn the wasteful nitrates into proteins – and more beautiful plants. honest answer is, that it does matter, it also depend on the plant species. I wasn't looking for advice on breeding. In the United States, drinking water may have nitrates as high as 40 parts per million (ppm). Nitrates just should not be in the water of your fish tank. some plants doesnt grow at in nitrat dosing only, they grew better for me in Ammonium dosing (fish also produce this). Tank is a 60cm cube with a sump. Which is pretty consistent with what it was a month ago. I hope all is well! I have no ammonia and no nitrites. However, since the early 1990s, many hobbyists have been adding nitrates and phosphates via dry chemicals to their planted tanks and some companies are producing liquid fertilisers containing nitrates and phosphates.