# How to raise nitrogen level...



## birbaliktanki (Jun 18, 2014)

could be due to not enough light


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## caique (Mar 16, 2012)

Hi Raymond,

What kind of light do you have, is it considered high light, are you dosing co2?

Im not sure I understand what you mean by other souces of nitrogen, bigger bioload will add nitrogen of course and feeding more, but if you want more just dose more.


Quote
(It's a 10g tank and I dose 1/16 + 1/32 tsp of KNO3)


Do you dose 1/16 nitrate on one day and then 1/32 on another day. 

So say you do a water change on Tue dose 1/16 then 2 days later dose 1/32, is that it?


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Sources of nitrogen for plants:

Ammonia (NH4) - most plants, but not all, will accept ammonia, but it is toxic to fish/inverts. Generated by fish waste, converted to Nitrate by biofilter

Nitrate (NO3) - all plants I know of will intake nitrate for nitrogen


If you need more nitrate, KNO3 is probably the simplest, fastest way. That said, i would test your nitrate levels before assuming you need more. No sense adding more if you have lots from your bioload.

Running it through the calculator on calc.petalphile.com, your current 3/32nd's dose in 10 gallons should be about 8 ppm of NO3 once a week. 

The calculator's EI low-light calls for 10ppm once a week (1/8th tsp KNO3 would provide 10.5ppm), but it isn't like you are hugely short (unless you are doing high-light and CO2).


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## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

I wanted it just short of the Low light/weekly to try to cut out a water change and just do every other week.
I have med light and no CO2/Excel. It was 100 PAR but I recently added two pieces of screen wire on top.
I just changed water and forgot to test for nitrates first but the mollies have only been in there for three days.
By Sunday or Monday I should be able to get a good test.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Fish are not the actual source of N in an aquarium. 
Fish FOOD is the source. 
Protein has nitrogen, and is broken down by fish and by microorganisms. 

No need to add more fish, just add more fish food if you wanted too. Expensive source of N, IMO. 

Just add a tiny bit more KNO3. Cheap source of N.


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