# Nitrate-absorbing plants?



## nightfury3 (Nov 30, 2015)

What plants are best for absorbing nitrates? I have tap water that has very high levels of nitrates, and already have plants in my tank, but I'm looking to get as much nitrates out as I can.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I've found that floating plants really help with nitrates. I bought some salvinia minima from someone on the forum, and it does wonders. It does better with lots of light and low flow tanks for me. If you get some, be careful and check your local laws. It's against the law here to let it go down the drain because it can cover the water surface and cause problems.

Another thing that's helped me with nitrates has been a common pothos house plant vine. I lower the water level a bit, remove part of the lid, and use the rest of the lid to prop the leaves above water. With the vine part under water, I now have a jungle of roots in the tank. It's not aquatic, so the leaves have to stay above water or they'll rot and make water worse instead of better.

Any quick-growing plant will really suck up nitrates, too. Most of the quick growing plants require medium or high lighting, so that's something to take into consideration.

I've attached pictures of my best pothos vine tank and my best salvinia minima tank. Both tanks use sunlight, and both tanks stay under 5 nitrates even if I miss a water change with snails in them. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos; I figured you'd get the idea.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

floating plants and riparium plants (terrestrial pants with roots in tank water, but leaves above water) are 2 good types for nitrate absorption as they have immediate access to co2 which is usually the limiting factor in plant growth. 
Floaters:
frogbit
duckweed
riccia
salvinia minima
anachris
hornwort
water sprite

Riparium plants: 
pothos
wandering jew
purple waffle
dragon's tongue
peace lily
dwarf pawl
arrowhead plant
lucky babmboo

There are more options but the ones listed above are fairly easy and cheap to find.


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## nightfury3 (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm thinking of filling my 10-gallon with more plants soon. 
I have a couple related questions: If at some point I start using another water source with almost no nitrates, would it be a good idea to mix it with my tap to make sure the plants get enough? And how are water changes handled since I'd be adding more nitrates by adding my tap to water that my plants have already cleaned?


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I don't know about those. You might try making a new thread about that in the Fish Care or Habitat part of the forum.


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## Talaitha (Jan 24, 2016)

I have had good luck with water lotus. The smaller species can work well in tanks that are around 10 gallons or more. They do need space though between water and any lids as mine flower from time to time and the flowers need to be above water. This is not an issue for me since I don't have a lid.


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