Is it that plants absorb ammonia faster so you end up getting less nitrates?
I have about 70% plant mass in my tank and notice a difference. I don't
think 4 potted plants would do anything, IMHO. Maybe add floating plants
like frogbite, don't have to worry about algae and they take up nutrients
fast.
"Paul" wrote in message
om...
How many plants do you need to put in an aquarium to make a
significant dent in nitrates?

We all know plants use nitrates as a food source, but I have 4 potted
plants in my 20-long aquarium and the nitartes do not seem to be any
less. Is it that I need to put a truckload of plants in there to
reduce the nitrates or what?

Right now only my monthly water changes do anything, and I'm not
looking for a way to stop doing water changes, it's just that I don't
want them getting too high because it promotes algae and is bad for
fish.

Frost