Plants and a tanks parameters.

[Raven]

I here plants have a slight impact onNitrate and nitrie levels, so i was wondering which would be best to buy to help eat up these levels? Ive a non aquatics plant, dont know its name, thats lived in the tank for months, i also required 3 new plants, which are list in the other post.

[IronDogg]

All plants are very good at absorbing nitrates. They are part of the "nutritional requirements" of growth for plants, aquatic and non aquatic. Just out of curiousity, what non aquatic plants do you have living in your tank?

[AndyL]

Generally plants like ammonia and nitrate (why terestrial ferts are based on ammonium nitrate) As for Nitrite the plants need to convert it to nitrate to use, and that's generally handled by a biological process outside of the plant (think biofilter - but in the soil).

There are many plants that work great to remove ammonia / nitrates - including algae. Some of the best are the 'anachris' types - Egeria najas and Egeria densa. Limnophilia sessiflora (asian abulia) is also a great one. I can tell you Guppy/Najas grass Guadalupensis najas is VERY effective at doing this - got some in the 10g with blkwolfe's angels - and its completely eliminated all the nitrates in that tank (heavily stocked now, and heavily fed). Grows like a darn weed too, only glitch is its growing so well, I have to do daily water changes just to keep the water parameters in line - modifies kh/gh by using up the Ca and Mg rapidly. Other good choices, are horwort, Riccia (but it gets messy), wisteria and many of the floating plants like duckweed, water lettuce etc.

FWIW two of the best choices would be Egeria Najas and Hornwort, due to the fact that they're both known to produce anti-algae compounds (hornwort releases an algaecide, Egeria najas releases an antibiotic which will help control BGA).

In one of my sumps in the basement, I allowed a few rhododendrons (available at any walmart/garden center) to grow roots into the sump - quite effective also.

Hope this helps.

[Raven]

The plants that i do have are Water Wisteris, a Rotala Indica, and a bocampa... im not sure if i got the names right, but ill try and get pictures off the web the look like them. As far as the nonaqatic one that i have, ive no clue what it is. Its stripped like a Acorus, but it doesnt grow like grass. Maybe iyou know what it is better then i do. Theres also hair algea growing on it. Then that black stuff you see some of the tanks at a walmart covered in... i dont know what it is but its on my fabric plants.