Nitrogen Cycle

[slowcountry]

Are Nitrates the end of the Nitrogen cycle and is the only way to remove Nitrates through water changes. I understand that one can use resins in the filter material, such as Nitrasorb, but is there a natural way to keep the Nitrates low?

 

[Truck]

plants, plants and plants!!

 

[rdd1952]

As mentioned, plants will help keep nitrates low. In actuality, if you have a heaily planted tank, the plants probably consume a large portion of the ammonia before it is ever processed into nitrite and eventually nitrate.

Nitrasorb will work but only for a short period of time. It will become saturated and have to be recharged. Pure and simple, there is no substitute for water changes. A simple 15 to 25 percent WC every week will prevent you from ever having any kind of nitrate issue. And the sole purpose of water changes isn't just to remove nitrates. It is to help keep the other nutrients in the water replenished and balanced and keep the water "fresh".

 

[RedeyesUK]

A simple 15 to 15 percent WC

That's quite precise.

It's worth also checking to see how much nitrate you have in your tap water - in my area it quite often gets close to 40PPM out of the tap. One of my tanks has quite a few plants, and it means I'm actually adding nitrate in every time I WC! Therefore, small changes are the order of the day there.

 

[rdd1952]

A simple 15 to 15 percent WC

That's quite precise.

Oops.

Corrected.