Help its all gone wrong

[seangee]

Here are a couple of articles where they list moss ball #1 or #2
https://www.paintafish.org/best-aquarium-plants-to-reduce-nitrates/

6 Best Aquarium Plants To Reduce Nitrates Reviewed 2023

Best aquarium plants to reduce nitrates are mainly utilized to oxygenate the water, provide freshwater aquariums a natural look.

www.amoskeagfishways.org

How to Lower Nitrate Levels in Your Aquarium - 6 Vet-Approved Tips | Hepper

What causes high nitrate levels, and how can you control them? Find out here and how to lower them in our complete guide.

www.aquascapeaddiction.com

Ok - I am going to take those citations as seriously as the claim that moss balls make great wedding gifts by the guy that makes money out of flogging them (sorry).

Plants remove ammonia from the water (which means no nitrate is produced as with filtration) by photosynthesis. The faster a plant grows the more photosynthesis occurs. Moss balls grow a few mm per year. If you need plants to reduce ammonia you need those that grow quickly. Floating plants are best for this because they are closest to the light and take CO2 directly from the atmosphere. Water sprite or frogbit will grow several inches in a single day.

Honestly its no contest.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Your tank is very heavily stocked. You may want to consider rehoming some or getting a bigger tank

 

[utahfish]

Rummy nose tetra are a shoaling fish and need long tanks and should be kept in no less than 6, the Angel Fish owns the tank, they need atleast 29 gallons and high tanks as tgey get large, surprised the angel hasnt killed the ram. Gouramis are territorial as well. Plecos are really messy fish put out alot of ammonia, so adding a messy fish to an already way over stocked and mismatched rank is asking for trouble. Mollies and sword tails are livebearers and require hard water where as rummys rams and angels require soft water. All the medicine, water changes is a limited temporary fix, with you current stock your nitrates and ammonia will continie to be high and if that doesnt kill your fish the stress of mismatched tank mates and tank size will. Try to find homes for the fish that dont fit and keep the ones that are compatible to the tank you have

 

[Retired Viking]

they are slow growing

Ok - I am going to take those citations as seriously as the claim that moss balls make great wedding gifts by the guy that makes money out of flogging them (sorry).

Plants remove ammonia from the water (which means no nitrate is produced as with filtration) by photosynthesis. The faster a plant grows the more photosynthesis occurs. Moss balls grow a few mm per year. If you need plants to reduce ammonia you need those that grow quickly. Floating plants are best for this because they are closest to the light and take CO2 directly from the atmosphere. Water sprite or frogbit will grow several inches in a single day.

Honestly its no contest.

Yes I agree about ammonia but the original question was about removing nitrate in the water and the subject of moss balls was brought up.

 

[Michelle150]

mine are small at the moment

 

[vanalisa]

YOOHOO, michele150 and Retired Viking.. .

What, exactly, is the rule here?
You must have moss balls if you have a shipwreck?
Moss balls cause shipwrecks?
Shipwrecks cause Moss balls?
See, I want to get a Moss ball but don't want a shipwreck! Believe me I'm already a train wreck waiting happen.!

 

[Too Many Hobbies]

Add pothos to absorb ammonia and nitrites and to prevent algae

 

[Munroco]

I didn't realise moss balls were so good at removing nitrates. I thought they were just an aid for producing hair algae. I binned mine.

 

[Kris2005]

Hi, welcome! Back to the ammonia in your tank, what are you using as a water conditioner? I'm kinda new here but if I'm not mistaken Sechem Prime would help bind the ammonia and help keep it safe for your fish. Just a suggestion..

 

[Essjay]

There are several water conditioners, including Prime, which detoxify ammonia for around 24 to 36 hours, then the ammonia reverts back to the toxic form. Daily water changes have to be done to keep the ammonia level low, but the water conditioners keep the fish safe till the next water change when the new water is treated with more ammonia detoxifying water conditioner.

 

[Byron]

Agree, daily water changes will help keep ammonia/nitrite/nitrate low but I also see these are temporary measures. You need to be targeting the cause of these toxins so they do not appear. And the only way to achieve that is by removing the inappropriate fish. Other members have spelled this out. Nothing else is going to work long-term.

As for nitrates and Marimo Moss Balls. First, these are algae, not moss. Marimo is a rare growth form of Aegagropila linnaei in which the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance. The species can be found in a number of lakes and rivers in Japan and Northern Europe. Some aquarists have suggested that these can encourage other algae which are less desirable; I've no idea, but it is worth keeping in mind.

I don't think I have ever seen studies that determined just how effect these might be at using nitrate. Being algae, they will obviously thrive on nitrates. But the real problem is reducing or eliminating nitrates, and that means not overstocking, not overfeeding, regular substantial water changes (weekly 60-70% once should be enough), keeping the substrate well cleaned, and cleaning the filter to remove all of the brown sludge (this is organics the source of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate)..

 

[Retired Viking]

Agree, daily water changes will help keep ammonia/nitrite/nitrate low but I also see these are temporary measures. You need to be targeting the cause of these toxins so they do not appear. And the only way to achieve that is by removing the inappropriate fish. Other members have spelled this out. Nothing else is going to work long-term.

As for nitrates and Marimo Moss Balls. First, these are algae, not moss. Marimo is a rare growth form of Aegagropila linnaei in which the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance. The species can be found in a number of lakes and rivers in Japan and Northern Europe. Some aquarists have suggested that these can encourage other algae which are less desirable; I've no idea, but it is worth keeping in mind.

I don't think I have ever seen studies that determined just how effect these might be at using nitrate. Being algae, they will obviously thrive on nitrates. But the real problem is reducing or eliminating nitrates, and that means not overstocking, not overfeeding, regular substantial water changes (weekly 60-70% once should be enough), keeping the substrate well cleaned, and cleaning the filter to remove all of the brown sludge (this is organics the source of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate)..

I agree with @Byron the most important thing you must do to reduce nitrates is to properly maintain your tank and stock it correctly.