Nitrate Filter And Plants

[paw-paw 0]

So I have been reading about regular filters + water changes (even 50%/week) don't remove nitrates from the tanks...and there are filters available (nitrate filters) that do remove nitrates.

But my question is...if you have plants in the tank (that remove nitrate) can you still use nitrate filters or would that harm my plants by #starving# them since they use nitrate for food? Or do plants not need nitrates for normal growth?

Thanks

[koko 14,363]

Yeah if you have plants in the tank you dont want to use things that will remove there food or they will eventually die off

[Chrissy_Bee 144]

I think it depends on how high your nitrates are. I have some in my tap water, so even with plants it's hard to keep them under control. For that reason I do put a nitrate absorbing resin in my filter. I used it for years and the plants are just fine.

[yukoandk 0]

It is generally said that you should have at least 5ppm of nitrate up to 15ppm in a planted tank. Plants do help with nitrate, but with goldfish being such huge waste (ammonia) producers, unless your bio load is very low, nitrate will keep building up. Plants utilize ammonia more readily than nitrate, but I think plants are still useful in a goldfish tank by reducing ammonia level before it has the chance to turn into nitrate. In a nutshell, I don't think you have to worry about plants not getting enough nutrients in a typical goldfish tank. I'd be interested to hear more about this nitrate filter--keep us posted on your progress. Cheers!