# Stocking question and high nitrates?



## Aqualung (Aug 20, 2014)

Hiya, My 45 litre tank has 2 Variatus platys in at the moment. It used to have a goldie but unfortunately he died, obviously still too small although he was 10 so perhaps just old age. 
So I've just got the 2 platys. The old filter packed in on me just before I went away, so I had to do an emergency dash to the shop and use my old sponge in a new Fluval U1 filter, now I'm back I'm running the old sponge with the new sponge and so far (a week in) haven't seen any Ammonia or Nitrite issues, both at 0.
Before all this happened, my nitrates were quite high (40ppm). My tap water however is 20ppm so my 20% daily water changes aren't really having much of an effect. 
I have two plants, a cabomba and dracaena, although the latter has grown roots it is losing leaves and doesn't look particularly healthy. The cabomba is quite new.
The only other thing I changed at the time my nitrate went high, is the food. Used to feed goldfish pellets, now I'm on temperate flakes. I feed once every 2 days, and only a small amount.

My question is, is 40ppm too high? I've read a thread below and one reply says most fish do ok at 40-80. Another article I've read says aim for 20 or below. So I'm confused as to whether I should be as worried as I am.




The other question is, depending on what peoples' opinions are of my nitrates... is what other fish can fit in my tank? And is it better staying as a temperate tank (16-17 deg at the moment, so a little chilly), or am I better getting a heater for these platy's and going tropical? Which is easier to maintain?
If temperate, I'd like some zebra/leopard Danios and maybe a couple more platys? If the Danio's like to be in higher numbers I could get 4 danios, maybe add 2 more platys? According to Aqadvisor that takes me to 89%. But I wondered other peoples views? And generally whether I'm better going tropical?

Thanks


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## Dragonlady (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi, I'm not sure about stockings levels.

As for nitrates in water, I've got already 25 ppm in my tap water. Not great for some very sensitive species but ok for most aquarium fish.

Try to keep as many live plants as possible as they use nitrates for their growth. 
Water sprite (hygrophila difformis), vallisneria and ludwigia repens - you cannot do anything wrong with the plants, they'll just grow.
Ceratophyllum is great to eat all the excess nutrients. It a pest plant in the nature, however in the tank it's the best way of algae protection as it competes with algae.

I use this method as well and put some non-aquatic plants into the tank. Here an example:


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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

I wouldnt be worried with a nitrate reading of 40ppm. Thats perfectly fine. Nitrate is actually perfectly harmless to fish, and having high levels will not impact them one bit. However, it is food for algae, so its always best to keep levels down. High levels can also be indicative of other, more serious issues. I would say try and keep it under 100ppm, which isnt that hard a task with regular water changes


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Personally I'd raise the temp slightly, doing it gradually over several days. Most 'variatus' platys these days are not pure variatus but have a mixture of other platy strains in them, and are therefore not as tolerant of cooler temperatures as the old variatus platys used to be.

Having said that, around 20 C should be fine if you want to maintain it as a temperate tank. Danios should be in groups of 6+, and although small, they're also very active fish, so may feel a bit constricted in your 45l, which can sometimes lead to fin nipping and general bullying. As you said, 45l is definitely too small for any type of goldie. Fish that you might want to consider for a small temperate tank include paradise fish and American flagfish, although temperment can sometimes be an issue with either of these species, so do plenty of research first and have a backup plan in place just in case! The other drawback is that both these species can be quite hard to find in local shops.

Personally, I'd think about upping the temp a bit further and getting some small tropicals. Depending on whether your water hardness and pH, other species to consider might include guppies or endlers (hard alkaline water) or neon/cardinal/ember/glowlight tetras (soft acidic water). These are just some of the more widely available options, but there are quite a few other fish out there that are suitable for nano aquariums.

And I agree with previous posters, nitrates shouldn't be a problem at those levels


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## Aqualung (Aug 20, 2014)

Thank you all for the responses. Good to know about the nitrate...I will definitely look out for some Hornwort/Ceratophyllum incase I get any algae. Is it common in the fish shops??

So if I switch to a tropical set up (as the temperature is only 15deg in there today despite having the radiators on!), we are in a hard water area, and my pH is 8.0. So good for guppies rather than tetras? What a shame, I'd always dreamt of tetras if I were to keep tropical.

Can anyone recommend a heater for a 45l? 

If I went for 3 male guppies, along with my 2 platys, anything else?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

The general rule of thumb for heaters is 50w per 50l. In my experience the brand doesn't make much of a difference, so any 50w heater should be fine, though it's worth getting a heater guard to avoid possible burns, especially with long-finned fish like guppies.

I do actually keep neon tetras in ph8 hard water, so it is possible, though I was lucky enough to find some particularly healthy stock (they can be prone to various diseases) and I got them before I knew about getting fish to match your pH. Endlers are nice as an alternative to guppies (it's best not to get both as they will interbreed). Javanese ricefish are another small shoaling species that thrive in hard alkaline water. But sadly there do seem to be less options for hard alkaline water than soft acidic water 

You haven't said how long your tank is, as length is just as important as literage for many of the more active swimming species, but if it's 60cm or more then there's a few more options you could consider such as threadfin rainbowfish or cherry barbs.

In such a small tank, I think it would be best to stick to just one other species along with the platys, especially most species except for the livebearers need to be kept in groups of 6+.


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## Dragonlady (Jul 5, 2010)

Aqualung said:


> Thank you all for the responses. Good to know about the nitrate...I will definitely look out for some Hornwort/Ceratophyllum incase I get any algae. Is it common in the fish shops??
> 
> So if I switch to a tropical set up (as the temperature is only 15deg in there today despite having the radiators on!), we are in a hard water area, and my pH is 8.0. So good for guppies rather than tetras? What a shame, I'd always dreamt of tetras if I were to keep tropical.
> 
> ...


Hi, 
The easiest way to but Hornwort is eBay. My local [email protected] doesn't have it, even my small aquatic shop doesn't sell them. 
Some fish keepers remove hornwort after the initial time as the plant can deprive other plants of important nutrients, but some keep it as it uses ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for its growth. Anyway, it's perfect at the beginning as long the tank is not fully balanced.

Well, I'm planning to keep tetras too, in a couple of months and I live in a hard water area as well (south England). There are ways to improve water quality for tetras, especially using peat in filtration. At the moment, I'm doing more research on tetras topic. Apart from that, tetras are not a beginner fish, so I have to wait and get more experience.:smilewinkgrin:

Why don't you consider rasboras? They're very pretty and hardier than tetras. Rasbora harlequin, espei, galaxy ... look amazing. If I hear from experienced fish keepers in my area that they've got problems in keeping tetras I'll decide to keep rasboras and corys (maybe dwarf gouramis) in my 2nd, bigger tank.

As for the heater, I fully agree with Naomi. 50 watt should be sufficient for 45l. In my 64l Juwel tank I had a 50 watt heater and unfortunately, I had to upgrade it to 100 watt as the water was too cold even in autumn.


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## Aqualung (Aug 20, 2014)

Hiya - What about Hygrophila polysperma? 
I'm definitely going to construct a list of fish suitable for my tank and numbers of, like rasbora, endlers etc. That way when I go to the fish shop I won't get distracted by the pretty ones that won't fit my set up. Thanks for suggesting them Naomi and Dragonlady.

I've looked at 2 heaters that come with guards (thanks for the tip), the 50w one says up to 38L? The 100w says up to 100L? Should I go for the 100w knowing it will be enough, or will it overheat in my 45l? Better to be over or under?

My other issue is with aeration...once I switched filters from my Aquael which seemed to give a nice aeration and could alter the spray bar 45degrees across the diagonal of my tank...this Fluval won't move, and I don't feel it's giving me enough surface disturbance. It's very fickle, it says the air input has to be 1cm above the surface, and the output 1cm below. There is no movement in the output to be able to alter the flow.

Here is a pic of the aeration it is providing. Too little?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I'd go for either 50w or 75w. With 100w I'd be concerned that it could completely fry my fish in the event of a thermostat malfunction!

A quick ebay search came up with this: Quality Tropical Fish Tank Aquarium Heater Thermostat & Guard 25-300w | eBay but I'm sure there's plenty more options out there 

Can't really tell from the pic about aeration (tank looks good btw!) but if it's breaking the surface it should be fine. If not, could you maybe run the old filter alongside the new one (if you still have it)? Extra filtration is never a bad thing 
Edit - sorry, just realised you said earlier that the old filter died. Possibly invest in a small second filter - maybe one of the little hang-on waterfall types?


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## Aqualung (Aug 20, 2014)

Hiya - Does the visitherm one have a guard? It says it has plastic to protect fish. Visi-Therm Aquarium Heater - 50w: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies 
I've learnt my lesson about buying cheap buying twice with the filter. It's either this one or the Marina, but that says 38L (50w) or 100L (100w), and according to people's reviews, it's not fully submersible.
The other consideration is that I'd like it to go from 16deg upwards, so I could gently acclimatise mine that are at 16deg, rather than sticking it in and being 20deg straight away.
Can someone please decide for me, between Visitherm, Tetratec, Jewel, Interpet and Marina? Want a 45L, bumper guard, 16deg, and fully submersible as there is no room to stick out the top. Basically one from seapets.co.uk as I'm trying to get my exsiting order over the free delivery 
So confusing! Although I'm sure I'm overthinking this :sosp:


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

The one you linked to looks like a decent one to me and looks like it has a guard, though not tried that brand myself. You can normally buy guards seperately anyway if the heater you want doesn't come with one. All I've had experience with are Juwel and a cheap unbranded one, and the Juwel is no better than the cheaper one IMO, except that if you're using it with a Juwel internal filter it slots in to the filter casing to heat the water as it's being filtered. If I didn't have a Juwel filter I wouldn't bother paying out for a Juwel heater. They're certainly not more durable - I accidentally left my first one switched on during a water change and it overheated and shattered as soon as it came into contact with the water again!


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## Aqualung (Aug 20, 2014)

P.s. I saw some Endlers today and I absolutely love them! Thanks so much for the suggestion. 
I'm hoping to get 3/4 Endlers and 2 Guppies? All male. Will this be ok with my 2 female Platys?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Aqualung said:


> P.s. I saw some Endlers today and I absolutely love them! Thanks so much for the suggestion.
> I'm hoping to get 3/4 Endlers and 2 Guppies? All male. Will this be ok with my 2 female Platys?


Sounds fine  I love endlers  I have occasionally heard of male endlers ganging up on male guppies, so just keep an eye on them just in case, but my endlers don't bother anything else in the tank apart from a bit of bickering amongst themselves. They really are the daftest fish I've kept though - they're dead easy to catch, as they invariably swim over to investigate anything that goes in the tank, including the net!


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