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hi gang

i have been looking around and have seen a Nitrate sponge. I have some Q's what do they do, DO i need them, how do they work. My tank is a juwel 180 look at this web site to see the type i would put in http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/nitratentferner52.htm

even though i have never had any problems with nitrates should i add some.

can some one help me

Hi,
As you know, Nitrate is the end result of the Nitrogen
Cycle. THE way to control the nitrate level is with proper
tank maintenance and good fish keeping habits.
Not over stocking and not over feeding will control the
source of the nitrates. To control the end result, you need
to make regular, weekly, water changes and with those
changes you also need to vacuum the gravel in the unplanted
sections of the tank.
Because the gravel is THE main home to the bacterial
colonies that control the Nitrogen Cycle, you should not
perform a mass gravel vacuum over the entire tank. Instead,
you should mentally, divide the tank into four sections,
and vacuum a different section each week. Do a section,
skip over a section, and to another section the next week.
By alternating sections, you allow the cleaned section to
recover for three weeks before redoing it.
In heavily planted tanks we try to keep the nitrate reading
around a 5 - 10. In tanks that are primarily fish, and
just a token plant or two, keep the nitrates lower. Tanks
that have nitrate readings of 40+ are in dire need of
maintenance and TLC.

The sponges are designed to take the nitrate out of the
water and be thrown away. I'd rather do it with good
fish keeping skills and the use of plants that will do
the same thing, cost me only one time, and look
great while doing their job.

Frank


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

thanks

some people say that these filters help plants do they. My tank is heavily planted so do u think i need them

Hi,
The answer is "it depends." With a heavily planted tank
you want your nitrate reading around 10-20. More than
that, housekeeping should handle. If for some reason
you can't keep the nitrate reading under 40, max, then
you might consider adding the sponges.

Frank


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

It removes Nitrate.

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