Hello all, first post.
I've got a new 50gal tank and i've read and understand the cycle for the most part of establishing but i've got a few questions that I could not find the answers to.
First off as the title reads I would like to include live plants in this tank, although i'm not sure when is safe to add them? Do i have to wait for certain water quality or can they go right in at the beginning, in with the tap water. Also The part about the cycle I don't understand is, does it not start until a fish is added? If so why have a read the tank has to run for awhile before adding fish? Or do you put tap water in and add the chemicals for tap water and then let it run a little bit and then add the fish? Thanks for your help and sorry if there was an obvious thread for this.

I feel it is fine to add plants as soon as your tank has cleared up. I would use prime as a water conditioner whenever you do a WC. I usually just add food to the tank and I have had good results doing that to get the cycle going you can also use fitler media from another tank or even add some gravel from another tank to get the bacteria going. These are my ways and have had good luck and they are JMO.

Okay thanks alot. When you say add food to the tank I don't actually no what the plant food looks like. is it liquid and just pour it in?

I would put the plants in the same day that you fill the tank. Its easier to fill 1/2 way, put the plants where you want them then fill the rest of the way. The food he is talking about is fish food, using it to cycle the tank. But if you can fill the tank at least 50% with fast growing plants you can start adding fish slowly within a couple of days. This is called a silent cycle.

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220 Tank build
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I've got a 7" pleco I was going to use to break in the tank a day after I put the water in, and then fill the tank full capacity water and with the plants. Hows that sound?

I would put the water and lots of plants first then add the pleco. Remember to test the tank every couple of days for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. If the ammonia starts rising above .25 or not more than .50, same with nitrites do at least a 30% water change.

__________________
SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!!
220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html