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A nitrate reading of 25ppm is normal for an established tank with water changes only every 2 weeks. If you increase the number of water changes to once/wk, you may see some fluctuation, just don't gravel vac everytime you do water changes, so you don't disturb too much of your bacteria culture.
If there is waste in the tank that is being broken down, from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, what you are seeing is a "balanced" system, where nitrates maintain a specific level. This means that your tank is stable with the amount of maintenance you are doing and the amount of waste going into the tank. As the fish grow, you will notice an increase in nitrate levels over time because the amount of waste will increase.
As for the plants, it sounds like a matter of insufficient lighting and possibly not enough nutritent level for that species. Nitrates isn't the "only" thing plants need to live. I would say check the light and the types of plants you are trying to keep... some plants need less light, some need very strong light, some need heavy nutrient levels, some need lower nutrient levels. Just like with the fish, the plants have specific needs also. Also check temps... some plants do better in warmer water, others in colder.
Can you describe what the plants are doing? Are they turning yell, losing leaves, "melting away", turning brown, holes in the leaves, etc etc?
I can do quite a bit of troubleshooting if I know the type of plant and the symptoms and current conditions.
Hope this helps...
If there is waste in the tank that is being broken down, from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, what you are seeing is a "balanced" system, where nitrates maintain a specific level. This means that your tank is stable with the amount of maintenance you are doing and the amount of waste going into the tank. As the fish grow, you will notice an increase in nitrate levels over time because the amount of waste will increase.
As for the plants, it sounds like a matter of insufficient lighting and possibly not enough nutritent level for that species. Nitrates isn't the "only" thing plants need to live. I would say check the light and the types of plants you are trying to keep... some plants need less light, some need very strong light, some need heavy nutrient levels, some need lower nutrient levels. Just like with the fish, the plants have specific needs also. Also check temps... some plants do better in warmer water, others in colder.
Can you describe what the plants are doing? Are they turning yell, losing leaves, "melting away", turning brown, holes in the leaves, etc etc?
I can do quite a bit of troubleshooting if I know the type of plant and the symptoms and current conditions.
Hope this helps...