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Re: High Nitrate
>I have a 20 gal. tank with a few plants (not doing great but surviving)
>and a few fish
>(12 small, 3 cory cats, & 2 midium angels) which seem to be doing fine.
>NH3 and NO2 are
>not present, NO3 is 200 ppm (that's as high as the test registers).
(snip)
> What do I need to do to lower NO3? I suspect
>that I will need to empty the tank and clean the gravel (sweeping
>apparently isn't
>enough). Is there an easier way?
Let me suggest that you do not have a "few fish" but actually a good amount
of fish (I count 17). Regular small water changes won't lower nitrates if
more nitrates are being produced than are being removed.
Do a major water change--over 80 percent--along with vacuuming the gravel.
Then get your feeding under control.
Check your tap water too to make sure it doesn't come with a high level of
nitrates to start with. If it has no nitrates, then it's just your tank and
maintenance regime.
Greg. Tong
San Francisco, CA, USA
gtong at sirius_com
"Every infinity is composed of only two halves."