# Nitrate: Shrimps vs Plants



## stan (Aug 30, 2010)

I'm having a hard time deciding what is an ideal level of Nitrate to keep in my tank.
My 33G
PH: 7.8
KH:3
GH:4
Nitrate:10ppm
Moderately planted, dosing the recommended excel ever other day and flourish comprehensive once a week.
I added Java fern the same time when I started dosing excel. My java fern are slowly melting away. My crypt also melted a bit (now the crypt seems to have stopped melting). I read that excel might melt plants? Or is my nitrate level too low?? but I also read that shrimps need near 0 nitrate? what should I do for a planted shrimp tank???CONFLICT?

also wondering what nitrate level I should keep in my 10G....
Plants barley grow in it.
PH: 7.8
KH:3
GH:4
Nitrate:~0ppm
No ferts
Should I stop doing weekly water change ?? bring up the nitrate??

Need some advice~~><


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

stan said:


> I'm having a hard time deciding what is an ideal level of Nitrate to keep in my tank.
> My 33G
> PH: 7.8
> KH:3
> ...


I currently EI dose on ALL my tanks. I also use Metricide on these tanks as well. My shrimp include:

SS and SSS CRS
Painted Fire Reds
Blue Pearl Shrimp
Amanos

Nitrates introduced (from Potassium Nitrate) at levels up to 20ppm should not be an issue with healthy adult shrimp. If you are trying to raise/breed shrimp... 5 - 10ppm should not be an issue either.

Your Java fern is melting because your nitrates are bottoming out (going down to 0ppm readings). Metricide 14 (.3ml every other day)/Excel (.5ml every other day) should not cause them to melt.

Best regards,

Stuart


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## stan (Aug 30, 2010)

If I'm hoping to breed shrimps, and keep health plants? what would be a good Nitrate level?


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

10 ppm of nitrates would be the way to go. The way to raise nitrates properly is not through lessening your water changes, but by adding KNO3, a dry fertilizer you can buy at hydroponics shops.

1/4 tsp of KNO3 will always raise your tank nitrates by 11.25 ppm
Concentrations of Stuff vs Time and Plant Uptake using The Estimative Index is a nice site to figure things out.
with a moderate to high plant load on medium lights, use 70% as a guideline from uptake, but measure the first few weeks doing your dosing to find out for sure.


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## stan (Aug 30, 2010)

oh~ I never knew I shouldn't do less water change in the attempt to increase nitrate. .. 
Well My 33 G is currently at 10ppm .. so I suppose I don't rally need to add KNO3~?
For my 10G shrimp tank. I don't really understand why I should be doing water change if my nitrate is near 0? Other bad stuff builds up?


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

My reasoning was more in regards to shrimp tanks having a low bio load so nitrates likely wont be rising high enough due to the plant uptake. Java ferns are indicators that your nitrates are bottoming out.

Some say java ferns are sensative to metricide and excel, but they are wrong. What is happening when you add them is accelerating the plants nutrient uptake, and java ferns react quite visibly to a lack of nitrates.


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

When you add potassium, you accelerate the plant growth as well. Potassium nitrate is a double edge sword in a low bio load and or low tech tank. The more potassium nitrate you add, the more imbalance the tank becomes. 

A good ratio for low tech and or low bio load tank is N-P-K 3-1-2 which works out to roughly 13 ppm NO3 to 2 ppm K. You will get good plant growth without signs of nitrate deficiency.

When you add potassium nitrate, You get 1 ppm K to .28 ppm N (1.23 NO3). 

Theoretically speaking, you will never add enough N with KNO3 and will constantly have signs of N deficiency in a low bio load tank because the potassium will create anion /cation imbalance + bottoming out the nitrate.

One of the reason you see ammonium source being added to the aquarium commercial brand fertilizer / substrate.


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