The "FULL CYCLE ZERO NITRATES AQUARIUM” - Just One More Fish Keeping Topic to ARGUE About!

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#cichlids
#africancichlids
#southamericancichlids
#fishroomupdate
#africancichlidsidentified
#nitrogencycleinanaquarium
#nitratecycle
#nitrates
#zeronitrates
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I have three more fish keeping topics to discuss with you. Three topics that I suggest that you avoid, unless you want to get into a heated discussion, a pointless argument.
Let's get into the Nitrogen Cycle that can potentially take your nitrates to zero. Some claim to have achieved it! Let's talk about using deep substrates to create anaerobic bacteria that can convert nitrate into a harmless gas and let's get into the what exactly are safe levels for nitrates. Some say zero, some say 10ppm, some say 100ppm. Let's go!
Share your thoughts and experience in the comments below. We all learn from each other around here! I know these are hot topics, so let's keep it polite and respectful. Thanks!
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Lighting of the 210 African Cichlid tank provided by JC&P. For their LED lights and the other aquarium products they offer use this link:
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2 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 169

@cichlid_kings 2 года назад

I'm happy to say that with consistent 50% weekly water changes, zero nitrates out of the tap, and a lightly stocked African Cichlid tank my readings are at 20ppm the 5th day after water change. I do believe in the deep substrate developing anaerobic bacteria after several months of a well established tank. Time will tell.

@mcaquatics3143 2 года назад

In most of my tanks, the highest my nitrates get is 20ppm those tanks all have deep substrate with air driven under gravel filters, moderately stocked, a couple have no plants, but yet those are the most stable tanks. No algae, fish are healthy, breeding and active. The other tanks are either sponge filters or hob, or a combination. They are moderately stocked, lots of plants, but higher nitrates. Except for one 240, it has a ugf, and 2 hob, deep sandbed and large fish,(4oscars and 3 Mayan cichlids) nitrates are a constant 20 as well

@laurasutton4057 2 года назад

Ben you are a brave man for bringing up this topic lol! Just set up a small tank yesterday with a plenum and substrate for anoxic filtration.

@sybirkitt6725 2 года назад

I too have built a tank with a slow moving plenum along side a sump with 36 BCB in it. It's still maturing atm so we shall see if it can achieve an N03 reduction ide be happy if it holds my tank at 10ppm

@alecthenice8115 2 года назад

I have discus breed at 30ppm nitrate (soft water high tech aquarium) anoxic filtration works, especially well in systems like yours.

@wabalaka1565 2 года назад

How to achieve close to zero nitrate? _ Terrestrial plant _ Floating plant _ Deep substrate _ Season tank _ Consistent lighting _ Light stocking _ No water change ( Yes wc screw up nitrate consuming bacteria ) _ Don't clean your tank like a freak _ Patient

@rhyssutherland149 2 года назад

How much do terrestrial and floating plants help?

@TCgirl Год назад

So you’re saying it is possible to have a healthy cycle tank with zero nitrates? Because one tank I’ve had for about a year and a half and it consistently tests zero nitrates. It’s a 10 gallon with a Betta and a snail and quite a few plants. The other one is a 35 gallon I’ve had for about six months, a few plants with four glow fish and three pygmy Coreys. It also tests zero nitrates consistently. it’s been a month since I have change the water on that tank yet it’s still showing zero ammonia, zero nitrates, and zero nitrites. Do I change the water or do I let it go longer?

@wabalaka1565 Год назад

@@TCgirl I do 50% wc like once per 3 months. Not because I'm afraid of nitrate but because fish use up mineral in the water if your water is too soft and in case your water is hard, over the cycle of topping up your tank from evaporation the water hardness will keep increasing. You could go 6months and I believe it won't crash but my tap water is too hard. If you top up let say 10% a week × 24 weeks that will make your tank water 340% the hardness of tap water.

@TCgirl Год назад

@@wabalaka1565 I'm having a hard time understanding what you are talking about. Ugh, I'm sorry. I don't know if I have hard water or not. I honestly just don't have a clue about what you are saying. I read it to my husband and he is confused also. Can you please clarify for us? When you say "top up" do you mean to top off? Please help me figure this out. Can you talk to me like I'm 5 years old? lol, thank you!

@wabalaka1565 Год назад

@@TCgirl Oh yeah by "top up" I mean "top off"😂 what else do you know about water parameters beside ammonia nitrate nitrites (Organic waste)... etc? The water hardness I'm talking about is hight TDS (Total dissolve solid) or mineral in your water. When water evaporated, only water are gone all the other elements are still in the remaining water. So when I top off my tank each time I'm adding more TDS in my already hard water. That's why I can't keep topping off my tank without doing a wc to remove the highly concentrated old water. Each region has different tap water parameters you should tested yours and compare to what your fish need.

@wabalaka1565 2 года назад

Nitrate under 80 is harmless to your fish anything above 120 your fish won't grow. I never have my fish die because of nitrate poisoning yet but I have kill my fish with mindless wc routine. As of my 14 years fish keeping experience I fingure out that feeding your fish less actually made them grow faster and be much more active. I don't mean to starve your fish but they need much much less than you usually feed them to thrive and grow. The best food for growth is live or frozen food. Pellets is better at making color pop.

@wabalaka1565 2 года назад

@@SG-Cichlids Yeah that's exactly what I mean the wc did kill your fish. I didn't say a perfect wc kill fish but random accident while doing wc like: city water change, running out of hot water, forget dechlorinator, forgot to plug your equipment back .... is killing more fish than nitrate.

@Cebos359 2 года назад

Some good advice in this post. Take what he means by mindless water changes as over cleaning.

@99Canecas 2 года назад

My 75 Gallon is about 7 months old i have 4” sand substrate. My stock is strictly Mbuna’s (20) and 1 Super red pleco . Filtration i go with Fluval 407,Fx-4 and tidal 110 along with 2 wavemakers on timers. Im using about 5-7 pounds of matrix,bio rings,lava rocks and swapped all my sponges to pond foams. I do have some anubias,amazon sword plants . I always do water changes on Saturday morning (50%) . My nitrates stay around 10-20ppm.

@countryquilting 2 года назад

In our 125-gallon African Cichlid tank, we do water changes weekly, and it does get tiresome. Nitrates always seem to be elevated, but I've noticed if we keep both FX6's in check, it helps immensely. I can't go for more than 2 weeks without cleaning out the sponges, etc. We are feeding a little more than normal because we have juveniles growing out amongst the adult fish though. It used to scare me when the testing vial turned dark red, but as you said, the fish never seem to have a problem with the high nitrates. They act normal, eat, and swim around actively. Great video, Ben. Happy New Year!

@GSP-76 2 года назад

A sulfur reactor setup is probably the best way to get nitrate reduction. Doing deep substrates are great but you should have plates at the bottom in which you can put good media. It needs little to no oxygen to work. This will be a lively topic, lol.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

I’ve never heard of a sulfur reactor. Is it popular in the salt community?

@GSP-76 2 года назад

@@BenOchart yes...very popular in the saltwater community but it works equally as good in freshwater...and unlike most of the traditional methods, it really eats up nitrates...most people will never see more than 5-10ppm of nitrates with a sulfur reactor.

@mraquaticnews5676 2 года назад

Cool info thanks Ben and all the best for the new year ✨

@aquariumanalytic754 2 года назад

I have achieved 0 nitrates in my 7 gallon cube for a couple months now by using anoxic filtration. It is heavily planted with rotala, pearlweed, anubias, buce and salvinia. It only has 3 male Endlers and some snails. For substrate I use fluval stratum about 1 1/2 inches. I run a small sunsun canister filter on it with a BCB bag. I don’t have a plenum using a UGF but the BCB does the job nicely.Dr Kevin Novak has a channel explaining anoxic filtration, BCBs and plenums. My friend also uses anoxic filtration on his 8 gallon and also has 0 nitrates.

@GSP-76 2 года назад

Achieving 0 nitrates in small tanks isn't too hard. I have similar in a 10g Betta tank. It becomes very hard to do in large setups like 125g and up... especially if it's heavily stocked.

@HalfManHalfCichlid 2 года назад

sounds like the plants are what is giving you close to zero nitrates. By the way, unless you have nitrates that rise to about 20 ppm on occasion your plants will die. Nitrogen is the basis of the life cycle for plants and they get it from ammonia and nitrate.

@aquariumanalytic754 2 года назад

@@HalfManHalfCichlid I’m dosing with fertiliser

@aquariumanalytic754 2 года назад

@@GSP-76 I just wanted to share another option for denitrification. I think people are struggling with larger tanks as they are keeping certain fish that are larger,messer and not plant friendly.

@mexicalifishkeeper 2 года назад

According to Dr. Novak you can using a plenum to create an anoxic condition using an under gravel filter.

@reddurt8153 2 года назад

Dr Martin Moe Jr wrote the same thing , but he said not to vac the gravel , and it takes almost a year to develop .

@charlessloop1552 2 года назад

He is where I first heard about it and why I first setup my tank the way I did

@GSP-76 2 года назад

@@reddurt8153 doesn't take a year if you've built it properly...but anaerobic bacteria does take a long time to cultivate.

@QueendomCome621 2 года назад

My nitrates are consistently at around 10ppm. This is on a heavily planted, moderately stocked tank. This particular tank has been established for 2 years. I actually stopped doing weekly water changes almost a year ago. I do 30-40% every 2-3 weeks and my levels have remained consistent.

@gdn86 Год назад

Throw a few more plants in there if you can fit them, or even adding some that do well growing out of the water like pothos and you might be able to extend that time frame. This is actually my goal with my tank.

@chribrian 2 года назад

It’s possible but extremely hard to get right. Deep substrate or heavily planted tank and lightly stocked is your best chance of achieving this. Media that claims it can reduce nitrates to 0 is questionable. Pack your filter so full it reduces the flow drastically you might see a reduction in a lightly stocked tank but not the average stocked aquarium and certainly not zero nitrates. Personally I wouldn’t worry about achieving zero nitrates as my planted tanks need nitrates and I’ve see zero issues with my fish. I have fish living several years past what the experts claim is their lifespan with 60-80 ppm of nitrates

@davidwatson8677 2 года назад

I’ve reached zero nitrates in my 75 gallon. I do have plants and it is moderately stocked. Filters are a Fujicube sump with 8 pounds of Biohome and a Sunsun 304 strickly for mechanical.

@jonathanbakchellian1987 2 года назад

That good olé rock and roll intro i love it. Great video and imformative.

@neishneish5268 2 года назад

Morning. I needed this video I’ve been confused on this reading lol

@johnfurey3593 2 года назад

Ben I done something like this too. I made a system within my sump. A small pump with a splitter in to four smaller canisters packed with lava rock. This after about 4 months started to work. Brilliant video my friend. New sub.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Thank you John and thank you for the sub😀👍🏻

@joeader6046 2 года назад

Good morning Ben Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

@brianp6180 2 года назад

I don’t think zero nitrates is possible in a heavily stocked African cichlid tank unless you have a large sump. I use 2 - FX 6 loaded with biohome ultimate in my 125g tank. Still have about 20-40 ppm. I do weekly 40% water changes. My tap water goes have 10 ppm of nitrates. I also have deep substrate but my fish are diggers so they constantly disturb the substrate. If you have fish that won’t destroy them then plants is the key.

@kerrypitt9789 2 года назад

Brian I was going to ask if African Cichlids create a different scenario, because typically people don't have plants in their tanks, at least not real ones. All of my planted tanks are 0ppm. Plants are really good at this. I am starting an African tank and I am thinking of this issue constantly.

@brianp6180 2 года назад

It depends on what type you keep. I have an all male peacock and hap tank. To keep the aggression down it’s typical to over stock a bit so the aggressive fish have more fish to spread the aggression to. It seems to work. I have only kept African cichlids for a few years. I have had community tanks for 30 years. I had a lot to learn! I have not tried live plants because I have heard watching you tube that they will destroy them. They cost to much to become a salad 🥗

@dreamseeker001 2 года назад

Just hit 0 nitrate today. 30 Juvenile African Cichilids, set up on Jan 1st. One normal canister filter, one low flow by closing valve canister, with a ton of sea hem matrix. Planted, with additional pothos root submerged, and pothos leaves under 24-7 light. 4 inch of sand substrates. The whole combination works, though I think Pothos might be the key here.

@lisafoster4468 2 года назад

I've found Dr. Tim's Waste-Away is extremely helpful in nitrate reduction. I'm not sure about a freshwater tank, but it brought my saltwater tank down to 0 and kept it there without a skimmer or sump - even after I ran out. Their bacteria products seem to be good stuff (I have used Dr. Tim's One and Only nitrifying bacteria on several occasions, and it always came through beautifully.) Unfortunately, my water comes out of the tap with at least 40ppm of nitrates, so I have to just keep it down as best I can. I feel like ideally you shouldn't get over 20...but some of us haven't much choice in the matter. I'm going to try the freshwater version as soon as i can, but it could be a while due to money issues.

@sr-xrp4817 2 года назад

Excellent video thanks for sharing!!

@charlessloop1552 2 года назад

I have never heard of using media to reach 0 nitrates and although I have never reached it but I believe it’s possible with a deep substrate the best I have been able to do is slow them down but then I have heard it take a really established tank that has been up for a few yrs. Then as far as nitrates go I don’t do water changes but every 6 months or so if even then and clean my canisters about the same I have a breeding pair of angel fish and have test results so red that the master test kit was maxed out and angle fry still hatching

@johnmaude5065 2 года назад

I find the subject of nitrates very confusing lol 😝, I have quite a few planted aquariums so I try to keep nitrates at around 20 ppm

@jacquesbartlett5898 2 года назад

Firstly, I think a multifactorial approach would get you a long way...but not zero.. 1. Deep substrate combined with 2. Plants combined with 3. Algea scrubber combined with 4. Something like biohome With a sump. Secondly, it is interesting that an undergravel filter has come up a couple of times in discussions below- a filter sort of forgotten? Thirdly, concerning nitrates, I DESPISE a cannister filter. I'd rather hang 3 tidal 110 on a 180 gallon tank! I love your video's Ben. Keep it up. I live in South Africa, and similar local online content is non-excisting(some products as well). But we'll get there! Blessings.

@TJ-ht3jb 2 года назад

The problem with a deep substrate is large cichlids will just see it as a playground. They will continuously and construct their own architectural domiciles no matter how you think their neighborhood should look.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Mine only rarely dig that deep.

@TJ-ht3jb 2 года назад

@@BenOchart I have Frontosa 😬They're like aquatic Caterpillar bulldozers.

@Justintheinsane Год назад

Personally after some tests in 14cubes and 20longs. You need an air powered Undergravel Filter system, a cloth weed mat, an Iron source, and enough clay substrate to make 3-5inch layer in the tank. I use Seachem Fluorite since it contains plenty of iron, and Safe T Sorb. I also add a grip of media, typically Biohome. Although it's possible to achieve the full cycle w/o any media under the plate. It just takes longer. In 4, 5.5 gallon tanks I set up plenums with some bio-home under the plate, followwed by the cloth weed mats, 1 inch layer of the seachem Fluorite, then 2-4 inches of Safe T Sorb. I tend to pile more around the uplift tube, making a couple slopes, and adding rocks with driftwoods to slow the flow even more in certain spots. They have been running for 2 1/2 months, 3 of the 4 went thru the full range and are now showing 0 Nitrates, the 4th still has about 20ppm nitrates and 4ppm nitrites

@riteshfamily369 2 года назад

Beautiful aquarium and information 👍

@philhare7851 2 года назад

ben...have you gotten acclimated to this crazy southern weather were having lately....it would be fun if you could get something going this summer.....like a meet n greet or do some home aquarium tours...always like seeing other people's fish rooms.....

@markbaumgardt2868 2 года назад

The fish like we keep keep on dreaming of zero nitrates maybe in a very low stocked heavy planted my African haps have a nitrate level of 10 parts but that's due to not being a lazy fish keeper love these types of vids 👍👍

@kentoews1403 2 года назад

I follow the same routine for 40+ years. Weekly 5-7 gal water change in 30 gal hexagon tank. Golden rule: Don't do too much of anything at once! I soak crushed coral and add magnesium 2/1 ratio in RO water for a week. I then add flourish products for the plants prior to water change. Daily top ups with untreated RO water. I run C02 so the plants grow fast and stay hungry to consume whatever is nasty for my Barbs. Two filters, Fluval 207 canister and a Aqueon hang off. After years of testing I found little concern if I stick to the routine. I fret more about TDS numbers than any thing else.

@mikehunt4612 2 года назад

If your able to and want to keep nitrates low then the drip system is great,just adjust it until you get a constant nitrate level you are happy with, best on large tanks :)

@fitness_arena_mtl7513 Год назад

I have a hang on back and a sponge in my 29 gallon. 10 mountain minnows, 13 pearl danios, 2 plecos, 2 assasin snails...live plants and a pothos plant (roots submerged). My last 2 readings were at 0...I actually want my reading to be at 10 so the plants can have some extra nutrients...im considering adding more fish.

@BenOchart Год назад

Or start using a plant food that contains nitrogen. It’s a great problem to have really😀👍🏻

@fitness_arena_mtl7513 Год назад

@@BenOchart thanks for the tip, I am trying API leaf zone as fertilizer and fluval stratum as substrate...im also considering adding more fish but I am just getting into the aquarium hobby and don't know if I should add a third species of schooling/shoaling fish, trying a betta (at my local pet shop, they sell bettas in community tanks so they are already used to other fish) or adding more of the fish I already have....

@RJ-vb7gh 2 года назад

Six months, 3 inches of large gravel, lots of hornwort no water changes for 5 months and no nitrates... bacteria culture from under the leaf litter from my daphnia pond... I'm guessing that you need the right kind of bacteria to start with and hornwort really is a nitrate sponge. The water is getting softer but the pH is stable. It's a 10 gallon, with 7 small fish and a rapidly growing reptile. And no, I'm not going to try to explain it. So is it possible... yes. Why? Who knows.

@terrietime 2 года назад

Happy New Year, from a Guppy Lover in Texas

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Happy New Year to you 😀

@jennydelgado5618 2 года назад

I have a substrate I’m currently using from a previous aquarium and the nitrate and nitrites are good but my ammonia levels are off the charts. I have empty tank 50% and still it has only been a week so I will keep doing this until it’s all good.

@jennydelgado5618 2 года назад

@@SG-Cichlids Thanks

@pgill2682 2 года назад

Great video Ben ! What plants have you used in the tank behind you ?

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Because big African Cichlids destroy plants I only use plastic plants. The ones in the tank are from Elite Cichlids, who unfortunately are no longer in business.

@raycooper2287 2 года назад

Great video again!! Where can I buy an algae eater scrubber thing a ma jig? I look it up and get razor blades. How much for one ? ??

@bguen1234 10 месяцев назад

Almost everyone in the hobby over stocks their tanks and so they fight water quality issues and do constant water changes. I've kept fish for 50+ years and never had problems with water quality.

@WhiteCloud746 2 года назад

thanks Ben

@turftiger2008 2 года назад

Mine stays zero in my cichlid tank; 125g with 32 fish and live plants but behind the 3d background I have 12 inch light that grows algae and that really helps also also running 2 fluval 407 filters and in line uv light. oh and only do water change of 25% maybe every 2 or 3 weeks. water stays crystal clear and clean.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Great idea on using that space behind the 3D BG for plants!😀👍🏻

@gameloop9861 Год назад

This happened in my 70l small tank ammonia zero, nitrate 0, nitrite 0 today, with 5 danios, 4 cherry barb. Heavy filteration with builtin HOB filter, plus sponge filter plus Canister ocellaris 850 UVC. I had problems with nitrite couple of weeks reading 0.25 - 0.5ppm did 80% water changes (without disturbing gravel)4 times in 2 weeks but ammonia and nitrates were always zero. Nitrates were found very little in some occasions. I think the nitrite were spiking after i thorough cleaned /disturbed gravel previously.

@willcountydrone2022 2 года назад

I do a weekly water change of 50%. I don't worry about any levels. If I have a fish die, I figure out why and then test the water. It's the only way for me to truly enjoy the hobby.

@richardwaldhouse8067 2 года назад

I hear a lot of opinions on RU-vid I am not sure, after viewing Dr. Kovak 's videos I am switching my aquariums over to his recommendation, time will tell!

@danielward9043 7 месяцев назад

I'm not a beginner in the fact that I've had a tank for about 7 years, but I am a beginner in the fact that I just got a second tank, and decided to become more serious about it while setting up the new tank. I went through an overstocking mistake that prompted getting the second tank...bad smell...did 100% clean actually twice with new filter..and gravel wash. Since I've split up the population now and also getting a few smaller fish for the older tank, I now have been measuring 0% across the board in the old original tank for about a month now, and I don't know how I did it. The fish seem to be thriving and happy. Do you think something may be wrong?

@dawnt6791 2 года назад

I've got a whole group of tanks that maintain at 0 nitrates without much work on my part. They're heavily planted (with both submerged and emergent plants), lightly stocked with fish, shrimp, and snails, and fed once a day (I feed more heavily than most aquarists would reason is good because I'm feeding the fish, shrimp, snails AND plants with the nutrients in the food - per Cory at Aquarium Co-op's technique). No water changes necessary. It took a few months to get them all properly balanced to achieve that, but now I have to routinely add ferts for all my plants (some daily, some once a week, depends on the tank). Back when I had unplanted tanks, I'm not sure I could've accomplished the same. Those were a LOT more work, and I don't EVER intend to go back to unplanted tanks again. LOL As far as what's a safe level of nitrate? I think that's dependent on too many factors to even begin to establish "rules" about it. pH, KH, GH, and species of non-plant inhabitants involved can affect that. For me personally, I found (before my tanks balanced) that allowing the nitrates to hit 50 started killing neocardina shrimp. If I made sure it stayed below that, they did well, bred well. The fish species I have didn't seem to care if it hit 50, though. Other species might've been less sanguine about it. In previous tanks, I'd see fish stressing and dying once nitrates reached 100. My water is right at 7.2-7.4 ph, depending on the tank, GH 300 ppm (17 degrees), 80-120 ppm (4.5-6.8 degrees) KH, right around 74 degrees fahrenheit (all of my tanks are kept at room temperature). I remember seeing a discussion online wherein someone said nitrates as high as 200 were totally safe for fish. I had to wonder what specific species he'd found do well at levels that high. I have no doubt there are some that might do fine, depending on the OTHER water parameters. The only species I've had to date that tolerated a level THAT high was a common pleco, which seems impervious to every mistake an aquarist can possibly ever make.

@mexicalifishkeeper 2 года назад

Ben y tú qué piensas del sistema del Dr. Novak. Feliz año nuevo hermano.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Oigo buenas cosas sobre el modo de Dr. Novak pero no lo conosco muy bien

@frankiefingerz8047 2 года назад

I keep a thin 1-1.5” substrate no plants 2 sunsun 704bs loaded w biohome i stirup the gravel between water changes so the filter picks it up 30-40% changes every 2-3 weeks my water usually tests at 0-5 ppm never goin over 20 ppm

@MilosStevanovic1 Год назад

I actually have the opposite problem. With my deep sand, tons of live plants I have to add nitrates in. Otherwise my plants suffer.

@BenOchart Год назад

Your plants are obviously doing a great job

@MilosStevanovic1 Год назад

@@BenOchart keeping it “balanced” is really hard. Do you add more fish, increase the feeding, remove the plants…? You realize how The Nature is complex and perfect.

@davidjones7503 2 года назад

Nice work

@matt1234link 2 года назад

I have 100 feet of 1/4" tubing connected to 2" pvc pipe filled with seachem denitrate. The output is 0 nitrates. The flow rate is 10 gallons per day. The 120 gallon tank never goes over 10 ppm.

@jimo4581 7 месяцев назад

Curious if you’re still using the Santa Monica algae scrubber? Merry Christmas

@WhiteCloud746 2 года назад

I've actually has good results with a large amount of Biohome in a larger canister.

@kosys5338 2 года назад

It just strikes me that in this day and age of science and knowledge we are still basically guessing on this subject, otherwise there would be no divide on the subject. The way I see it if your fish seam healthy and happy, they have good color and healthy fins, then you seem to be doing it right and just keep doing what your doing. There is no sense in chasing something that may or may not be true. When it comes to nitrates just keep them as low as you can, keep the levels consistent. My nitrate ppm has been around 10 forever and my fish and plants are flourishing.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Well said. I agree 💯 %

@stennorlin8848 2 года назад

hot subject that perhaps involve some vested intrests in the acvarium industry and hobby.My stand; keep substrate anoxic never anarobic.Anoxic=low oxygen

@gdn86 Год назад

If your nitrate levels are below 60ppm, you're not going to see issues unless you house really sensitive fish. Ideal for me is under 40, but my tap water is a base 10-20ppm, so I have less concerns up to 80-100ppm. I would do a water change before that point. I'm not going to run a filter to remove all nitrates from the tap, so I will live with this. I'm also not going to put extremely sensitive fish in any tank. I also have a very heavily planted tank, so having some in the tap for the plants is good for that situation.

@mattbatcher802 2 года назад

The idea that water flow is needed to distribute chemicals within the water does not take osmosis into account, A nitrate molecule will make it's way through biofilm and substrate the way a mosquito will cross a chain link fence or a virus through a layer or eight of cloth. I think deep substrate is good and sand is best.

@desertfishkeeper9816 2 года назад

I dose a total of 20-80ppm nitrates to my tank throughout the week to keep it between 3-10ppm. Tank is planted with CO2. I also use anoxic filtration with a slow moving under gravel filter with 4.5in of substrate and BCB bags in my canisters. 75 gallon with 4 medium sized angels, 40 neon tetras, 12 julii corys, 6 panda Garra, 9 guppies, 3 juli loaches and a German blue ram. I feed heavily 2-3 times a day. Is it the plants? The anoxic? Both? No clue. I just do water changes to prevent pH crash, remineralize, get rid of hormones, help with phosphates, and anything else I don't know about that isn't good for it.

@TripleJAquatics 2 года назад

Nice clip

@Boss-zo4lw Год назад

What a gorguess tank next to you, those fish are fantastic! Those that do a 0% change, i wonder how they clean the bottom and all the crap then esp if its sand as you got to remove water to do that.

@BenOchart Год назад

Because sand doesn’t allow detritus to sink down, like what happens with gravel, it can be kept clean with one or two wave makers that suspend the waste and move it towards the filter intakes.

@Boss-zo4lw Год назад

@@BenOchart Ah good point, i dont use any of those :)

@herbertmorales3290 Год назад

I am a new goldfish keeper and I try to keep my nitrates around 20 ppm, I panic when my nitrates get above 60 ppm, my question for you more experienced fish keepers is it good to use R.O. water and add Fritz zime and Fritz clarifier ?

@jl644 Месяц назад

I'm struggling to keep nitrates because my aquarium is full of plants. I need 30ppm at least

@BenOchart Месяц назад

An opposite of the African Cichlid keepers problem. Adding more fish and feeding more would increase nitrates ASAP.

@Mommy_Aquatics 5 месяцев назад

I have a 75g tank, has been running for 10 months, 5 angelfish, 10 rasboras, 6 Cory catfish & 1 large pleco. I have algae in my tank, not overwhelming amount tho. I have NO LIVE PLANTS. I have a HOB filter, and 2 small sponge filters. My parameters are always ZERO (ammonia, nitrite, nitrates) I always felt like I was doing something wrong, bc the nitrates NEVER go up! NEVER! But now I’m hearing it’s supposed to be zero? I’m truly confused. I do 30% water changes once a week, clean decor every couple weeks (on off days of water changes) I genuinely am looking for some info on why i never have nitrates. The only fish I’ve had die over the last 10 months was 3 Cory’s (several months apart from each other)

@adkgaladkgal1799 2 года назад

Anything is possible. I just do a 50 water change weekly . I have a 50g and a 60g bare bottom tanks. I use lava rock in DIY the top tank filters for biological filtration. So easy. Been using it for many years. My fish live for many years too. Keep low stock.I keep nitrates between 0 - 20. Never goes over. I turn my filters off during feeding every time. I change filter material every 4-5 days. rinse rocks monthly. Poop kills.

@fishtex632 2 года назад

What if you put down a single layer of Biohome laid snugly side to side all across the bottom of a tank and then covered that with 4-5 inches of sand? There definitely would not be much water flow through the Biohome.

@skytrooper506 Год назад

I sometimes worry my test kit is off because my Nitrates are always 0. I have a moderate to heavy planted tank with a light load.

@BenOchart Год назад

It turns into a rushing river real quick

@paulhowell5585 2 года назад

Nitrates are evident heavy at times in real life environment for fish, lakes,ponds,streams etc. I believe higher level readings of nitrates in aquariums is just like Mother Nature.

@walterotiepka1460 2 года назад

I've never had zero nitrates in my african cichlid tank best I can do is 20 ppm

@steveconnolly8078 2 года назад

I have a 190 litre freshwater tank with about 11 pounds of bio home it is heavy stocked and only two live plants and my nitrate is 0 I think me having more then double what I need is the reason my nitrate is 0

@atheerhamid7018 2 года назад

Small Betta tank (3g) and started to see 0 nitrate since yesterday. It's only 1 fish, feed one time a day and do 1 time a week half gravel vacuum with 50% water change. Not sure if I'm getting accurate reading as I use test stripes so I just ordered API test kit to confirm the reading. My question: is it bad to have 0 reading ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

@sandanista2002 11 месяцев назад

I will never have zero nitrates. My water straight out of the tap is not zero. I like to keep mine below 40ppm. Just my preference. I certainly wouldn’t get into an argument over it

@superaquatics 2 года назад

I don't think you could get totally zero nitrates maybe less than 10 but unlikely totally zero. It is also likely to fluctuate over time due to various factors, temperature changes, tap water quality, food, etc. I've had my nitrate levels at 100 maybe even higher without any issues before I learnt about the nitrogen cycle & the necessity to keep ammonia, nitrates & nitrite levels down. Previously I've gone months even over a year without doing any water changes apart from regular top ups to cover for evaporation & regular filter cleaning & I did not even have a canister filter at that time. It was just an internal powerhead sponge filter. There wasn't even a deep substrate during that time and there were about 5 goldfish in a 40g tank. All living happily with no issues at all. I had never tested my water parameters & the local fish stores told me the internal powerhead was more than enough for the 40g tank. There was nothing like cycling the tank before adding fish. There was no fancy chemicals, bacteria, etc. Just wait 24hrs and in go the fish. Despite all this which I now know was incorrect fish keeping the fish lived happily for years and even spawned.

@hansjas 2 года назад

It’s impossible with large cichlids which are heavily stocked .

@BenOchart 2 года назад

They are ammonia factories

@FishTankMonsters 2 года назад

I have a 220 gallon fish tank with very large fish 2 foot arowana 2 foot tiger shovel red tail hybrid large oscars I do weekly water changes but I also run a nitrate reactor my nitrates are always 10 ppm I believe if I didn’t have large fish the nitrate reactor would keep it at 0 but because I have huge fish 10 ppm is the best I can get until the big guys move over to there 540 gallon tank I could set up another nitrate reactor and then I believe I can achieve 0 nitrates but because there moving over soon I can live with the 10 ppm nitrates

@toothpicdinosaur3777 2 года назад

Girlfriend's tank, nitrate 100ppm, nitrite 0ppm, gh 75, kh 0, ph 6.8 (no algae or maintenance) My tank, nitrate 20ppm, nitrite 0ppm, gh 75ppm, kh 80ppm, ph 8.2 (constantly fighting algae and weekly water changes) Both tanks are lightly planted and have similar lights. House water is forced spring, nitrate 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, gh 75ppm, kh 80ppm, ph 8.4

@mikejejenich7116 2 года назад

Hey ben. Whats your opinion ? On vacumning. Substrate? Ive heard some shipkeepers say. They dont vacumn at all. They just drain the water with a pump…….. and have no probs. But some other shipkeeoers say. Vacumning. Is 💯. Necessary.

@BenOchart 2 года назад

With gravel I always vacuumed, now with sand I let the wave maker blow detritus toward the filter intake. Every now and then I’ll do a very light, like 1/4” surface rake just to freshen things up.

@mikejejenich7116 2 года назад

My 🐍 python. I cannot get it to work no suction. So ive just been draining 70 percent of water. With pump….. no probs as of yet. Water parameters. Seem to be good

@PHADE_G Год назад

I came to this video because I am very new to the aquarium game, and today I tested my fish tank for the first time as a nobie. In a 30 gallon tank have 5 Cichlids and 2 Plancos. Using API test stipes 5 in 1 my strip says 0 NO3 and .5NO2 does this mean I have zero nitrates ? I used top fin products and I use Aquion filter media. I did 2 water changes so far and I used sand for the base, also have a 3" airstone. I live in Norristown pa and use tap water and conditioners to help with chlorine

@BenOchart Год назад

NO2 should be zero. Tank is still cycling. Add conditioner and keep an eye on it. Should be fine in a month. NO2, nitrite, can be hard on fish. Ammonia should be zero but a little NO3 (nitrate) is okay.

@PHADE_G Год назад

@@BenOchart thx for the response, today I did a 10 gallon water change.

@PHADE_G Год назад

@@BenOchart Its been about 2 hours since i finished with cleaning. I tested and zero no3 and no2 and the water is alot less cloudy, awesome! Glad i saw this video you sent me into a spiral of information, i needed to know this ! Thx!

@sk000p4 Год назад

Hi, first time aquarists here. First tank (10 gal, planted, 1 green myrio, 2 stems wysteria, 3 anubias, and Java moss) been struggling to get tank "cycled. Ran an air pump for 14 days before removing. No c02, No fish or invertebrates except hitchhiker snails. I am on day 30 of cycle and have NEVER seen a spike in ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates. All plants (except myrio) lost at least 1 leaf before producing new growth. The myrio is already gigantic and could be propagated as new stems and roots are forming everywhere. Currently tank is 1 ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrites 0ppm nitrites. What do I do?

@BenOchart Год назад

Slowly start adding fish and keep testing and treat water do a water change of ammonia shows up on a test. With plant growth you’re very close already.

@sk000p4 Год назад

@@BenOchart will do. Thanks for the help

@scottmoran1721 2 года назад

I have a 75 gallon African cichlids tank my nitrate stay at 20ppm

@HalfManHalfCichlid 2 года назад

Deep substrate of about 5 inches is sacrificing 15 to 20% of your tank volume to uninhabitable space that fish could otherwise swim in. That's very expensive real estate to dedicate to a deep substrate theory. We do water changes to remove a lot of other biological contaminants that the nitrogen cycle does not address- from hormones to metals and phosphates. Biohome in my experiments gets quickly encapsilated with a natural biofilm that effectively blocks the internal pore structure from water flow and the ability to consume nitrates anaerobically. if the ammonia laden water in your aquarium cannot penetrate to an anaerobic zone in the biohome how does it convert nitrates? This is very basic science and physics. On the subject of nitrate levels I do 80% water changes on my cichlid tanks, with plants (hydroponics and submerged) which keeps the nitrates at about 20 ppm+ and gets rid off all the other fish waste products.

@GSP-76 2 года назад

I've said the same thing for years...the media is less important and the environment the media is in matters more. You will never see nitrate reduction in regular canister or hob filters. You need a very low oxygen, low water flow area to have any chance at cultivating anaerobic bacteria. The deep substrate can aid in this but your better off doing a under gravel filter connected to an air pump set to a very low setting. The other way is to do it in a sump by utilizing the low flow section right before the return section. Even if you succeed in growing out an anoxic environment, nitrate reduction is a lot slower than it's creation. I think doing a sulphur reactor setup would be the best way to get a high nitrate reduction.

@k9feces 2 года назад

I’ve achieved zero nitrates ( ignore the plants in my tank).

@selamatcolin3482 2 года назад

is nitrate the only reason to do water change? If we have other reason to do water change, do we really need the full cycle?

@BenOchart 2 года назад

No. Water changes add minerals to the water that are vital and they remove hormones of pheromones that can impact the fish

@learningtocrash4030 2 года назад

I have high nitrates from the tap, 30 to 40ppm, so I need to try something. Huge weekly water changes to maintain 40ppm is probably more stressful than a more stable 60 to 80ppm. Plus I have to run the water for 2 days thru a water softening pillow to get my gh down to a reasonable level, it's off the chart from the tap, so having 70% of my tanks' water available and ready for the change isn't feasible. It's seems mostly controversial to those stuck in their ways.

@chrispixx Год назад

With that shitty water you should just have a water softener installed.

@learningtocrash4030 Год назад

@@chrispixx doesn't a water softener add salt? I made my original comment around the time I setup my first low flow UGF with SafeTSorb and its looking great. It had one 90% water change (an old CFL light I has above it shattered and the glass fell in and the contents went everywhere) but otherwise I've only cleared the duckweed and trimmed the plants a few times and added RO water to top it off. One Julii cory died but everything else has been thriving.

@chrispixx Год назад

@@learningtocrash4030 no a water softener does not add salt. The salt that is used to regenerate the media in the water softener gets rinsed away during the rinse cycle after the regeneration. I've been keeping fish 30 years and have a water softener with no issues, and the fish thrive.

@learningtocrash4030 Год назад

@@chrispixx the only experience I have with water softeners is helping my mother in law carry 40 lb bags of salt to her basement, so I wasn't sure how they worked. The hardness isn't an issue that I'm worried about anymore. If I want soft water I'll just buy distilled from the store since my biggest tank is only 20 gallons. Have you tried anoxic filtration?

@markhamilton2329 2 года назад

What happened to under-gravel filters?

@BenOchart 2 года назад

Not sure. They they lost the marketing war.

@fisharefriends598 2 года назад

Zero nitrates easy.. plants I’ve tried biohome. No success.. 5kg in 30g I add in a pot of sylvina into a tank of 40ppm. All nitrate gone in a few days. I have to add nitrate back in I really not sure about the Novak cat litter plenum, but not tried it..

@joejones56 2 года назад

My LFS the other day told me that if my substrate is too thick (over 1 1/2”), that my nitrates would never lower. Any truth to this ?

@frankiefingerz8047 2 года назад

I find what they told u to b true i keep a thin substrate in recent yrs cuz i had thick substrates yrs ago & always struggled to keep nitrates down but now i always have between 0-5 ppm

@loganmraz3511 2 года назад

Definitely, rock is the worst for trapping everything that’s why I prefer sand. If you use rock I would siphon a few inches of the substrate every time you do a water change.

@frankiefingerz8047 2 года назад

Well im using gravel now i did use sand in the past but got tired of my cichlids stirrin it up & goin in my filter

@loganmraz3511 2 года назад

@@frankiefingerz8047 it won’t be a problem, honestly just watch your nitrates if they start to climb and you can’t get them down with water changes I would start cleaning the substrate or use some media.

@frankiefingerz8047 2 года назад

I was thinkin of goin back to sand one day cuz i still have it in a container

@steveconnolly8078 2 года назад

In my saltwater tank I've had nitrate of about 30 without any issues

@loganmraz3511 2 года назад

Yeah it’s not a problem like most people make it out to be, some nitrate can be good. In my saltwater I keep mine elevated around 5-15 ppm.

@mikehunt4612 2 года назад

Just don't think about zero nitrates, it shouldn't even be an issue, water changes should and have to be done if you keep fish :)

@kevinator41 9 месяцев назад

This NITRATES thing is silly lol

@kevinator41 9 месяцев назад

My NITRATES are aways above 80ppm lol

@dedetreek8893 8 месяцев назад

Zero nitrates does not exist, except if you do a 100% water change!!!!!!!!!!!!! My nitrate level has been between 10.0 and 20.0. My fish are healthy and happy and i do 50% water changes once every two months, so do not stress my fish out with regular water changes. I have to admit, i over filtrate as i have two external filters (FX6 & FX4) with good media installed on my african cichlid tanks.

@markpaulson1346 6 месяцев назад

What sizes are your tanks?

@thomashynes4042 2 года назад

Question: Can a Deep substrate produce an anaerobic environment. YES, absolutely. Imagine an aquarium with a 6-8 inch thick sand bed, 180 gallons. A gentleman I knew set up such a tank, I told him a bad idea... NO NO NO it's great it's going to get my Nitrite and nitrates down to zero...I said bad idea, no you're wrong. Okay, your tank set it up as you wish. About 5 years went by and true, his nitrates, nitrites were all zero. Problem - his substrate was directly on the bottom of the aquarium... a dead end. One morning about 5 years later, while he was asleep... the sand erupted like a volcano releasing methane and hydrogen sulfide gasses into the aquarium... it killed close to retail value $4,000-5,000 worth of coral, $1300 worth of fish, couple hundred dollars of snails, shrimps, crabs. I had never seen a grown man cry so hard in my life. Having kept aquarium fish since 1977 - Working in Retail as an employee and at one an Owner - I can tell you this...THE CLEANEST TANK I ever had was a 20 gallon Long with an under gravel filter, live plants...swords, veils, and other plant species growing in gravel mind you, not soil, and all my levels Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates were zero. Now with regards to testing kits, test strips are fine, they give you a good solid foundation of what your levels are but the gold standard for any test is Lamott's test kits, but at a cost of $65 and up with the reagent replacements costing $35- and up, the average aquarist is not going to invest that kind of money into test kits. It is my belief and my philosophy that water moving through the aquarium is just as important as water moving through your substrate ...Water in a creek, stream, river, the lake is going to move through the soil down to the bedrock, it's going to move through the silt, soil, gravel, etc... it's not just a static thing..the other thing that is so misunderstood is that water has an electrical charge. Hydrogen and Two oxygen make up ONE molecule of water... so we all know that in essence it's shaped like a Micky mouse hat right... Okay well, oxygen has a positive charge and hydrogen as a negative charge... so water is charged by 1, therefore it's going to seek out anything with a negative charge.. using that property of water to deal with the bad things in the water can be used to your advantage. YES, it is possible to keep Nitrates to ZERO, but for those individuals using test strips and API test kits for Nitrate, my guess is that although it reads ZERO, you are most likely somewhere between 0.1-0.3ppm in nitrates. The rule with water is that it's going to find the lowest level ALWAYS, and it is going to take the path of least resistance, and it's a chemical with an electrical charge.

@obsessivecichliddisorder7258 2 года назад

Just don’t use API nitrate test kit and you will be surprised how low your nitrates are if you use a proper kit like Sera, JBL or Salifert.

@muhammadafiq2702 Год назад

Y tho?

@michaeljdt9235 2 года назад

Zero nitrates every week dude

@Mark9150 Год назад

It takes 6 months to develop them in the right conditions, proposterous amount of bio media and or a enormous deep sand bed, twice-thrice what this guy has if he hopes to let the substrate do it. And u cant use shit like seachem or declorinators that do anything else next to declorinate.