amazon swords

Question
my amonia is 0, nitrate is 5.0, nitrite is 0, ph is 6.8 haven't measured iron
everything seems to be fine

Answer
Hi Chris: The nitrate spike is probably from those products... Many plant products include nitrates since plants use those for food.  The use of plant products comes into play when an aquarium is heavily planted to the point that the fish and fish food, etc cannot support the plant colony.   Most keepers of the planted aquarium try to balance the two... plants to fish... to create a beautiful environment that is pleasing to look at... etc.  Consider for a moment the number of fish and the number of plants without the use of those products... Will they survive?  Think also on the tank from which the plants came from... was it a heavily planted tank... did it have fish?  some people who just grow aquatic plants do so in a crowded tank and they rely on plant products to make sure their plants are healthy and vibrant because there are few to no fish in their tanks.... could that be the case?   let me know... dave