I'm confused.....

[Joviella]

Personally I don't believe that a tank can run fully cycled with no nitrates at all. I work hard to keep my nitrates under 50ppm......and thats with heavily planted tanks. This is due to my tap water readings that vary between 20ppm and 70 ppm depending on the time of year.
Ime, no tank.......even planted ones....run with 0ppm!!!!

 

[enchanted]

Actually, if you check some places like Plantedtank.net and plantgeek.net you will find that people actually have to supplement Nitrate.

Also, you just said your tap water has nitrate in it. Mine does not.

 

[sinistral]

The research I've done about this indicates that the phenomenon karrihug alluded to (plants using up all the nitrates being produced) does indeed happen in heavily planted tanks with low fish load, and that 0 nitrate reading can occur. A good target nitrate level is around 10 ppm.

I wouldn't do anything hasty, however. The danger in having too low nitrates in a planted tank is that your plants won't grow well enough to use up phosphates and algae will grow instead (paradoxical, I know).

You can check out this page from Chuck Gadd's website about titrating nitrates to the planted tank.

Adding fish is a good thought, as plants use ammonia and nitrates for metabolism.

 

[enchanted]

Actually, it can cause a plant deficiency which shows up in Yellow leaves and other symptoms.


But before I try to "Create" nitrates I'm increasing the bioload little by little and waiting.

 

[sinistral]

Actually, it can cause a plant deficiency which shows up in Yellow leaves and other symptoms.


But before I try to "Create" nitrates I'm increasing the bioload little by little and waiting.

Sounds good. Actually, I did not suggest that nitrate deficiency doesn't cause yellowing of leaves. It can contribute to both plants doing poorly (yellowing, dying leaves, plant death) and also the development of algae. Hope this approach works~

 

[enchanted]

Yeah, I've been reading, and reading, and talking to people....

From what I have gathered two specific plants in my tank are doing it primarily, both hygros.

I'm going to see if my LFS will take back this ICK treatment I bought and trade it for fish. Add two more female guppies to the tank.

If I have to I will buy Potassium Nitrate and add it, but I would rather do have this tank be biologically stable.

 

[sinistral]

From what I have gathered two specific plants in my tank are doing it primarily, both hygros.

...

If I have to I will buy Potassium Nitrate and add it, but I would rather do have this tank be biologically stable.

You mean the hygros are turning yellow and dying? If that's the case it would make intuitive sense as I believe they are the fastest growing out of the plants you had listed before and would have the highest nitrogen requirements.

I'm having a similar problem in my 10g betta tank, actually, as my green hygro is doing extremely poorly. I'm also combating a hair algae problem. I have concluded (in part after reading this helpful thread ) that I have a low nitrates problem.

I'm also contemplating using potassium nitrate. If I do, we'll have to share notes.