Removing unwanted nitrate, nitrite, ammonia

I haven't actually got this problem to any great extent yet but have been reading up on it. Fore warned is fore armed...

Many of the products advertised for this also boast that in addition to removing the above they also remove algae. While we do not want this I prefer to leave it for the BNs to enjoy. Does anyone know a product that removes the unwanted but leaves the algae?

Seachem Prime is a good one. It hits ammonia, chlorine and a few other nasties.

In terms of Nitrate and nitrite and water changes are your best bet. 40% one day, then 4 days later another 40%, that means you will have 80% less nitrate in the water

Thanks Doug. I already use Prime so that's a good feeling.

I'm not sure of the quality of the product but I vaguely remember getting a tonic from 'Wilko's' it calls itself a 'weekly cleaner' on the bottle it says it:
Degrades ammonia & nitrites that are harmful to fish & Helps maximize oxygen availability..

I got it one week when going away knowing I would not be able to do a water change, I just left the bottle with instructions to add to tank.. Not sure I would rely on it constantly but if fish are spawning etc and you don't want to disturb too much it could be a winner.. and i'm sure it was under £2.

I've seen a product online made by Hagen Here that can be used with the fluval external filters.

I've never used it myself, in fact I don't think I've ever seen it but maybe someone has used it and can recommend it or rubbish it.

I just wanted to second Prime its great, i use it all the time and algae is still left for all my catfish. Prime also adds a slime coat which is a bonus

Prime is the best on the market imo...

ive herd some types of gravel,sand and wood cand differ the ph,nitrates and amonia of the water? if so what types? becouse i feel more safer using natuarel products than chemicals and stuff.

jett lee wrote:

ive herd some types of gravel,sand and wood cand differ the ph,nitrates and amonia of the water? if so what types? becouse i feel more safer using natuarel products than chemicals and stuff.

As far as wood goes I'm pretty sure that 'Oak' is safe but I personally would (wood) not gamble as it needs a lot of prep work to work as drift/bog wood. (I'm pretty sure bogwood lowers the ph score. )

Apart from that I reckon if your doing the required water changes for a pleco then all is well.. I've been tempted several times but I don't buy testing kits etc..

I have some limestone slabs in my tank that apparently raise the hardness of the water, I actually bought them because of this as harder water cuts out a lot of the very common bacterial problems..

Yes, different things affect the water. Wood, peat etc lowers the pH of the water as well as softens it. Limestone raises the pH and GH, which can help in preventing bacteria.

However, remember that bristlensoe are from the amazon and they like acidic water witch is nice and soft, just like discus, angels, rams etc.

Of course there is a nice way to remove all these things from the water...Plants. Get some fast growing plants and they will soak it up. something like Val or whisteria will do nicely.

Yes that's true I add a nice pouch of 'peat' to give it the earthy balance.

Hello All,

In my quest to try and be chemical free, except when adding new water and using conditioner, I find that floating plants in the tank dramatically assist in removing all excesses. Not only does it also dim the aquarium light, but acts as a buffer. They grow wonderful and thus being a floating plant are easy to remove if too much or even sell off or swap. However if you stick to the basic rules 1. Weekly water changes and 2. Do not overfeed, your tank should do great. hopethis helps cheers jk

bigbird wrote:

Hello All,

In my quest to try and be chemical free, except when adding new water and using conditioner, I find that floating plants in the tank dramatically assist in removing all excesses. Not only does it also dim the aquarium light, but acts as a buffer. They grow wonderful and thus being a floating plant are easy to remove if too much or even sell off or swap. However if you stick to the basic rules 1. Weekly water changes and 2. Do not overfeed, your tank should do great. hopethis helps cheers jk

hey, do you know the name of the floating plants you use? and how much? (does it cover most of your surface area?)
Cheers

I use three different types of floating plants, I use ordinary Duck weed, Frogbit, & Water Sprite..

On the Prime bottle it says it detoxifies nitrate and nitrite so does this mean the nitrite is still there but in a form not harmful to fish but still showing up in water tests. I ask because I have been using Prime in my new set up and the nitrate and ammonia have gone right down but the nitrite is still very high. I have been doing small water changes twice a day hoping the filter will catch up.
This set up was done in a hurry because I suddenly noticed a second lot of BN eggs quite soon after the previous lot. The babies are growing but I want to give them the best chance.

Be careful with using too much prime, it will take out all the ammonia and the good bacteria will starve. If i have a problem with a tank going into a mini cycle i use prime take out most of the ammonia, but not all, so the bacteria how something to eat and build up numbers.

That's great, but what about the nitrite? Isn't that the killer? The prime has zilched the ammonia but the fish are growing so hopefully it will return a bit.