[AquaticLife] Testimony for One And Only
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But to answer your question… yes, 0.0ppm nitrates can be done but it’s not very practical in FW aquaria since the fish are not really effected by low levels of nitrates. Technically, one could run lots of Zeolite (the ammonia removing kind) in their filter systems and do regular frequent maintenance on the Zeolite so that there is never any ammonia in the tank. That would keep nitrates at 0.0ppm… but the first time there’s a power failure or the filter is not frequently maintained and ammonia starts to build up, there will be no nitrifying bacteria to handle the nitrates which would put the tank into a MAJOR cycling with fish problem… especially if the tank is heavily stocked with big fish.
If you have enough fast growing plants, with sufficient lighting, CO2 and other needed nutrients, they will get the nitrates level down to the near zero level.
It’s a LOT easier to just have a properly cycled tank and then do your normal PWC’s to keep them at a safe level below 40ppm or even better below 20ppm. My 65G two fancy goldfish tank with live plants (and the back glass with algae), rarely sees the nitrates go over 10ppm between my weekly tank maintenance. They would be MUCH higher between weekly PWC’s without the live plants and algae.
Lenny Vasbinder Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month)
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
