Dead Plants

[Twinklecaz]

Can dead plants cause a showing of Nitrite? I've got a trace of it again (for those that don't know this happened a couple of weeks ago too). It looked like there was a slight reading yesterday but I ignored it coz it could have been the light but today there definitely is. I changed about 25% of the water and decided to chop some of the dead leaves (see my Fluval U2 post) but I found 2 all but completely dead grass like plants at the back which I've now removed. Could they have caused it?

I know TPN+ and Easy Carbo can mess with your Ammonia readings but they don't Nitrite do they?

 

[cybergibbons]

Pretty much any decomposing matter can lead to the production of ammonia, and hence nitrites.

The nitrite test used in the API test kit seems pretty insensitive to anything but nitrites, unlike the ammonia test that can be triggered by many other things.

 

[Harlequins]

Anything decomposing in the tank whether plants or dead fish etc will cause ammonia and/or nitrite...

I had a tad of nitrite showing in my pygmy tank the other day and doing a w/c i found several rotting leaves on the amazon,so have removed them,its been fine since.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Thanks. It's odd but I've not Ammonia showing, you'd expect that first really wouldn't you.

I've just tested again and it's still there but hopefully my filter will do it's thing and it'll be gone by the morning.

#41#### plants!

Ooops sorry, naughty word!

 

[Harlequins]

I've never had success with live plants...not for the want of trying,compared to what i did have in the pygmy tank,the plants are looking very sparce now,has i keep removing the decaying bits

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah I'm finding that. Are they not live plants in the pic in your sig?

 

[Harlequins]

Only the moss balls in the sig pic are real,the rest are silk

 

[Twinklecaz]

Oh wow they're good! Are they expensive?

 

[Harlequins]

TBH i can't remember where i got them or how much,i bought from various places,

I find silk & plastic plants,soon blend in once they been in the tank a while. some of them are the biorb ones which are weighted,they did look a bit green to start with,now they have toned down with tannin stains.
I tend to only buy the ones that look like real plants instead of plastic looking,if you get my drift

 

[RadaR]

#41#### plants!

Look after them then!

 

[Twinklecaz]

Ha ha I'm trying to! I have no idea what's wrong with them, I'm doing everything I know