Discus tank with live plants, what are you doing about nitrate between water changes?
I run sword and anubias in my grow-out tank and the plants seem to keep nitrate lower than my bare tanks, but I still do big daily changes. Wondering if anyone with planted discus tanks has dropped to fewer changes without the fish sulking. Temp is 29C and I feed three times a day. Pic below of the fish room shelf where the air runs from, in case anyone wants to see the setup.
4 comments
i'd test nitrate right before a change for a week and see where it actually sits. swords are heavy feeders so they pull more than people think, but with three feedings a day i wouldn't cut changes much.
discusdan i'd second the testing idea. if your nitrate is sitting under 10 right before a change, the plants are doing more than you think and you could try going every other day for a week while watching how they eat.
good call brackishbabe. will test pre-change all week and try skipping one day at the weekend to see how they behave. temp stays at 29 so i'm not touching feeding.
at 29C i'd keep an eye on how they eat the day after the skipped change too. warm water makes nitrate climb faster than people expect, so a reading that second morning tells you a lot.
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