On Tue, 6 Apr 2004 11:21:44 +1000, "Graham Broadbridge"
wrote:

"Cardman" wrote in message
.. .
I would say at a crude guess that my Nitrate levels increase by about
50ppm per week, which is why I cannot leave it for more than a couple
of weeks without a good water change, when algae growth is explosive
if I do not change the water in that time.

Wow, an increase of 50ppm per week nitrate is huge :-)

Well 7 well fed White Mollies who tend to do big long poos I am sure
explains most of this, but then I have had some plant decay as well.

Another problem is that my Power Head is blasting some of the food
straight down into the gravel. While I had some bottom dwelling
catfish this was not a problem and made for easy catfish feeding, but
this food is just extra Nitrate production these days.

I need new Catfish...

Still, my Golden Tiger Barb is helping out with this problem, when
during feeding time he locates himself at the bottom of the water
stream from the Power Head. And so he looks out for anything coming
downstream and soon has it eaten, but too much food at once has him
defeated.

Yes I could turn of my power head during feeding time, but well that
does require pulling out the plug.

My fish simply love my freeze dried Blood Worms, when some of my fish
do not even concern themselves over the usual flakes, but for these
Blood Worms they are all darting to the surface to get some.

I can see why that is, this being the most expensive in the freeze
dried food range. Damn fish think their royalty...

I am just wondering how they will like my live White Worms, when I
decided to give a live White Worm culture a shot. Seems to be doing
well so far, but another 5 weeks until fish feeding time.

Add lots of plants :-)

Yes, where I can only hope that this helps. Still, I will soon have
the White Mollies in the bigger aquarium once ready, where this will
spread out their mess somewhat.

I am sure that feeding my fish less would have them pooing less as
well, but too little feeding has its own problems.

The aim really is to balance the fish load with plant load
so hopefully the nitrate can be utilised by the plants.

And all those plants need a lot of care as well, or at minimum extra
equipment.

You can then spend time admiring the aquarium rather than slaving over it.

That would be nice, where I am left wondering if water changes can be
done much less frequently by keeping Nitrate levels in check.

I prefer to have a deficit of nitrate, so I can add it when necessary
together with other
nutrients. That sure beats excess nitrates and phosphates which lead to
excess algae.

I agree, but then a lot of my Nitrate problem is coming straight out
of the tap. As a weekly water change using Nitrate free water would
keep Nitrate levels around 25 to 50ppm.

Then of course extra plants would slow this rise further, or as I
would hope reverse it.

Sounds like you need some more fish, where my White Mollies make for a
good example of the type that would be good at Nitrate production.

No No No :-) Don't do it :-) Add nitrate by hand rather than adding fish.

As long as the Nitrate level is still in decline, then I do not see a
problem, when it will just mean less Nitrate needs to be added.

If you add fish you can end up with a extremely finely balanced system where
a single nutrient deficiency can result in an algal bloom.

Regular water quality testing would avoid that, where steps like less
feeding would help bring things back in line.

Only my opinion of course, but I like to keep the tank under *my* control,
rather than attempting to correct imbalances caused by excess fish load.

Just remember that aquariums are for fish, where if you want to grow a
few weeds, then I will give you a pot of soil. ;-]

So plants are nothing more to me than with creating better water
quality for my fish, where to be honest, then as plants go most of
these look damned ugly.

And so for real plants, then get a big pot and a few simple sunflower
seeds. ;-]

Cardman
http://www.cardman.com
http://www.cardman.co.uk