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0 nitrates ok with slow-medium growth rate plants?

536 views 1 reply 1 participant last post by  paperlilies 
#1 · (Edited)
My tank is moderately stocked with plants that have a slow-medium growth rate. I lowered my light intensity, no longer dosing Excel or ferts except root tabs. I have been attempting to find the right balance of light, Excel, and ferts in the past. I discontinued ferts & Excel since I took out the fast growth rate plants that were not doing so well.

My tank is 5 months old, cycled. Ammonia, Nitrites always 0 when I test 1-2x/week. Now that I no longer dose KNO3 the Nitrates stay at 0. My betta & snails seem to like it better with no ferts or Excel. (Yes I shake the Nitrate bottle and test tube vigorously.)

I placed parchment paper over the glass top to diffuse the light. My betta seemed a little stressed from too much light. I added a 2nd HOB filter for better water circulation and figured extra biofiltration couldn't hurt. The bioload is light - 1 betta, 2 snails, 2 ghost shrimp. Plants are java fern, anubias, crypts, dwarf hairgrass (I anticipate will not do well with change in conditions), pennywort, and christmas moss.

My question is with a light bioload, nitrates 0 could this cause problems eventually? Like blue/green algae (cyanobacteria) or the beneficial bacteria in the filter to "starve" and die off?

The pictures are before and after I diffused the light with parchment paper.
 

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