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can something other then chemicals lower the nitrite/ nitrate levels? Do plants help?

bacteria that build during the cycle will drop nitrItes, nitrAtes are most easily removed through water changes.

Hi,
The nitrites will be converted by the bacterial
colonies within the tank and filter to nitrate.
Nitrate will be taken up by plants. But, it takes
alot of plants to zero the nitrates if the tank
has large fish or is over stocked.

Floating plants will take them directly from the
water. Rooted plants will take them through the
bacteria action in the gravel and some through the
leaves/stem.

Regular water changes will help "dilute" the nitrate
readings.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

NitraZorb can be used in tank and will absorb the nitrates to a safe level for the fish. The best part is that it can be recharged for future use.

ya, and by doing that it will absorb the nitrites that the bacteria in your filter medium need to survive. Throw in some of that stuf and you'll lose nitrite to nitrate, and then become completely dependant on using chemical filtration to remove the nitrites in your tank. Any fluctuation in the absorbtion quality (leave it out for a couple days by accident) and the nitrites will climb faster than the compensation made by the freshly started nitrate-forming bacteria culture. The effect would sensitive fish, and make them e to disease or possibly kill them depending on the severity of the nitrite build-up. All together Much less stable, I'de advise water changes and a proper cycle, planting the tank would work if you did something like java moss all over the bottom. (lots of surface area, very low light requirement, looks nice if you've got a tank tall enough for it)

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-16 12:47][/span]

What are your nitrite/nitrate levels ? You didn't say...

The Amazon Nut...