Stuart Mueller wrote:

I think the hardest part of keeping an aquarium is keeping the plants! =(

It can certainly feel that way!


Nitrite and ammonia 0 nitrate gets up to about 50ppm by Sunday, do a 25%
water change Mondays (nitrate out of the tap is 10ppm).

Your nitrate level and your comment later that "I have no room for an SAE" imply
that you are overstocked and that you aware of it. This is always a problem.
Unfortunately, the nitrate level in your tap water doesn't help.

Three suggestions:

1. More plants will absorb more nitrate. You have a lot of different plants, so
you already know what grows in your tank with your lighting. Add more,
particularly fast growers that will absorb a lot of nitrate. Just think,
replacing your two plastic plants with live ones would absorb that much more
nitrate from the water!

2. Since you know your pl*co is getting too large, trade him for a bushy nose
catfish. Smaller than your pleco, good algae eater that will help you miss your
pl*co less. A couple SAEs wouldn't hurt...

3. Start reading here about nutrients and algae:

http://faq.thekrib.com/plant.html
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants

Good luck!