'right' Amoount Of Nitrate

[Coomon10]

Please can somone let me roughly know the amount (in terms of nitrate) it is best to do water changes. At the moment i do roughly 30% changes weekly but wonder if the plants might appreciate a little less than that?

I am having a very basic low light, nonCO2, sand substrate setup with the fertiliser sticks. A certain level of nitrate will aid growth so just wondered the levels to let it rise to before water changes?

Also with this very low tech set-up would people suggest a full gravel clean when i do the changes or let the fish waste aid plant growth? Maybe mixing it into the sand sustrate so as to get to the roots?

Thanks

 

[three-fingers]

I think that as long as there is any readable nitrate in the water, that means the plants haven't eaten it all up and there's enough to go around .

 

[Coomon10]

I think that as long as there is any readable nitrate in the water, that means the plants haven't eaten it all up and there's enough to go around .

Thanks for the quick reply, so in essence all you need to do is keep it low enough for the fish? ta
Also any thoughts on the gravel cleaning... Is the waste just as useful ontop of the sand as in it?

 

[three-fingers]

Is it sand or gravel? If it's gravel, then I would clean it properly, apart from around the plant roots .

If it's sand, I would invest in some malaysian trumpet snails . These basically churn over the sand, and with regular fish (no heavy waste producers), you should barely notice any poop on the surface of the sand. The plants roots will make good use of the poop.

It's only since I got 2 bristlenose plecs that I've had to skim the surface of the sand for excess poop .

 

[Coomon10]

really, churn just the surface i suppose like say kuhli's? Have a sand substrate and 1 bn but another in qt so may need to be skimming too

 

[three-fingers]

Not quite like kuhlis, these guys come out in masses during the night and drag the poop and other debris right to the bottom, they also eat any dead leaves that are beginning to rot.
I would certainly invest in some MTS, unless your pH is really acidic, they will multiply fast and provide a valuable service to your tank (and you will barely notice them since they live in the sand during the day) .

 

[plantbrain]

I try to keep 20ppm or so ranges, 10ppm to 30ppm is fine, but a target of 20 seems about right.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[Coomon10]

Not quite like kuhlis, these guys come out in masses during the night and drag the poop and other debris right to the bottom, they also eat any dead leaves that are beginning to rot.
I would certainly invest in some MTS, unless your pH is really acidic, they will multiply fast and provide a valuable service to your tank (and you will barely notice them since they live in the sand during the day) .

Sound good but i have loaches, so i guess they would just become lunch

 

[George Farmer]

I try to keep 20ppm or so ranges, 10ppm to 30ppm is fine, but a target of 20 seems about right.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Hi Coomon10 -

Listen to this guy. He knows.

 

[Coomon10]

I try to keep 20ppm or so ranges, 10ppm to 30ppm is fine, but a target of 20 seems about right.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Hi Coomon10 -

Listen to this guy. He knows.

Hi George- thanks for the reply! So really the answer is more often changes as opposed to the plants preferring less often. In order to keep the nitrates lower i guess they all need to be gravel based. Thanks heres to som healthier plants and fish