Is this nitrate level ok in a planted tank?

I have a planted 20 gal set up since Feb 2020. Half the tank is java moss, I have 2 moss balls, 2 small java ferns, 2 big anubias I am unsure the exact species of, some baby anubias on lava rock, six unhappy pieces of frogbit, a tiny bit of duckweed that won't duplicate, and 4 chunks of hornwort maybe 5 inches each. I use Thrive for my fert and API CO2 Booster. Substrate is Flourite black gravel.

Livestock- 40 ghost shrimp (plus an unknown tag along shrimp), a nerite snail and a large mystery snail.

Been doing water changes every couple of weeks and they are due tomorrow.

Parameters are 0 for ammonia and 0 nitrite
40 nitrate

I been under the impression my nitrates should be much lower in a planted aquarium. Is this level okay with the water change schedule I have? I have had shrimp deaths but I think I solved that issue (high GH due to wondershell). That was removed about 2 weeks ago and I have had no deaths since then, that I am aware of.

 

A weekly 50% WC seems to make things healthy in my tanks. I know that a planted tank usually provides a nitrate safety net, but thats apparently not true in your situation. Maybe just up the WC schedule.

 

I agree with A201. Weekly water changes are beneficial in more ways than just reducing nitrates. With that said though, 40ppm isn’t a real concerning level, but I would do a 50% WC.

 

Even at 40 it’s not bad. That’s usually means time for a 50% water change. Only thing I can recommend is more water changes. Weekly 50% water changes will really help. All fish like fresh water and in about a month it will knock your nitrates down to nothing.

 

Ditto, ditto will everything said above!

 

Ferts push nitrates up (especially all-in-one ferts) - in general, if you use ferts it's recommended to do a 50% water change once a week to keep them down. I wouldn't worry too much about added nitrates though - we use an all in one that pushes ours up to 80 or higher by the end of the week with no problems caused to our fish or shrimp.
Which thrive are you using? There looks to be three - Thrive, Thrive C which has lower nitrates and is designed for low tech planted tanks and Thrive Shrimp with much lower nitrates and no copper.

 

I would also consider adding some faster growing plants in your tank if the goal is to soak nitrates. What you have listed is mostly lower light / slower growing plants, which won't take in as much nitrate as something you have to cut back every other week.

 

Which thrive are you using? There looks to be three - Thrive, Thrive C which has lower nitrates and is designed for low tech planted tanks and Thrive Shrimp with much lower nitrates and no copper.

I believe I use the low tech version. I used to do a full dose a couple times a week but I started to cut it down to a half dose twice a week (due to good old copper fears).

For my tanks with fish they get a water change weekly. When researching shrimp, a lot of people recommended not changing water as often due to their sensitive nature and the tanks usually being heavily planted and not needing changes as often...granted these are ghosts and not neocaridina we're talking about.

 

To only have ghost shrimp and a mystery snail with nitrates that high is odd. You may be feeding to much and in a planted tank with just a couple of snails and some ghost shrimp you shouldnt have to feed much at all.

 

To only have ghost shrimp and a mystery snail with nitrates that high is odd. You may be feeding to much and in a planted tank with just a couple of snails and some ghost shrimp you shouldnt have to feed much at all.

This is a possibility, because I feed them a little every day. I'm a sucker and feel like they're starving. They rush to their pellets every time and the snail cleans up the remains. I'm cutting down on that.

 

I’m with the thrive being the culprit. You are probably using just thrive. Does it recommend you change 50% of your water weekly on the bottle.

 

Maybe also consider switching to Thrive Shrimp instead of Thrive C ?