Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster?

longtail4711 · 06-17-2010, 03:05 PM

I've got a 29 gal. tank cycling at the moment. It's been seeded with gravel from my established tank, and with a rotting shrimp in a nylon. It's been going for 3 days now and the ammonia reading is up to 1.0ppm.

I'd like to add plants to the aquarium, but I was wondering if I should do that now or after the tank is cycled?

NursePlaty · 06-17-2010, 03:19 PM

It wouldnt cycle faster because the plants would consume the ammonia, making less readily available for the bacteria to break down and multiply.

However, if you are cycling WITH fish, plants would be a good idea because it would prevent the spikes from hitting the fish hard (Keep in mind that this would require a lot of fast growing plants, not just a few stems). And all 3 nitrogen levels must be low to prevent health problems to fish. Keep it low with water changes.

If you are doing fishless, its faster and I recommend adding plants afterwards and using liquid ammonia to cycle, its faster than fish food and rotting materials and plus, you can control the ammonia ppm whereas it will be harder to do with fish food and etc. Keep it at 5.0-6.0ppm. Looks cleaner too .

longtail4711 · 06-17-2010, 03:33 PM

Thanks. I'm doing a fishless cycle. I tried to find appropriate ammonia without surfactants, but I struck out and gave up and went with the shrimp after looking at 8 different stores. :(

archer772 · 06-17-2010, 06:52 PM

Well you added some gravel from an established tank so you did add some bacteria so that should help it go quicker. I would just let it finish the way its going.

beaslbob · 06-17-2010, 08:04 PM

plants will prevent or eliminate the ammonia/nitrIte spikes with probably an initial nitrate spike.

Will it cycle the tank faster or slow? Who know and besides who cares.
Preventing the ammonia spike is all that matters and plants do that.

I cycle with a few live fish and don't add food for the first week. No ammonia spikes as all.

my .02

susankat · 06-17-2010, 11:47 PM

I add plants all the time to new tanks, plants will have beneficial bacteria on them also. And they do prevent a lot of spikes.

ellyabillion · 06-18-2010, 01:48 PM

I had plants in my tank when I was cycling it. I used pure ammonia (ACE hardware brand). I didn't exactly see a "spike" of ammonia. It stayed at about 5 ppm (with continual addition of new ammonia) until is abruptly dropped down to zero. It took about a month for the cycle to complete.

06-17-2010, 03:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
longtail4711 longtail4711's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 126 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 16 Times Said "Thanks" 13 Times Was Thanked 30 Times in 28 Posts	Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? I've got a 29 gal. tank cycling at the moment. It's been seeded with gravel from my established tank, and with a rotting shrimp in a nylon. It's been going for 3 days now and the ammonia reading is up to 1.0ppm. I'd like to add plants to the aquarium, but I was wondering if I should do that now or after the tank is cycled?

06-17-2010, 03:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
NursePlaty Queen Platy NursePlaty's Photo Gallery Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 610 Name: Annie Pham Location: Dallas Ft Worth, Texas Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 223 Times Said "Thanks" 10 Times Was Thanked 100 Times in 98 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? It wouldnt cycle faster because the plants would consume the ammonia, making less readily available for the bacteria to break down and multiply. However, if you are cycling WITH fish, plants would be a good idea because it would prevent the spikes from hitting the fish hard (Keep in mind that this would require a lot of fast growing plants, not just a few stems). And all 3 nitrogen levels must be low to prevent health problems to fish. Keep it low with water changes. If you are doing fishless, its faster and I recommend adding plants afterwards and using liquid ammonia to cycle, its faster than fish food and rotting materials and plus, you can control the ammonia ppm whereas it will be harder to do with fish food and etc. Keep it at 5.0-6.0ppm. Looks cleaner too . __________________ 20 Gallon Planted Tank 3.45wpg, Eco-Complete substrate, 6500k CFL, Pressurized CO2, Flourish Excel, Flourish Trace, and Flourish Platys, Oto Cats, Bumble Bee Shrimp, Crystal Red Shrimp and Red Cherry Shrimp Limnophila Aromatica Stargrass Red Wendtii Cryptocoryne Dwarf Hair Grass Baby Tears (HM) Dwarf Baby Tears (HC) Red Lotus Tiger Lily Red Lotus Dwarf Lily Java Moss Christmas Moss Last edited by NursePlaty : 06-17-2010 at 03:29 PM.

06-17-2010, 03:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
longtail4711 longtail4711's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 126 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 16 Times Said "Thanks" 13 Times Was Thanked 30 Times in 28 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? Thanks. I'm doing a fishless cycle. I tried to find appropriate ammonia without surfactants, but I struck out and gave up and went with the shrimp after looking at 8 different stores. :(

06-17-2010, 06:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
archer772 archer772's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 756 Name: Scott Location: Michigan My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 180 Times Said "Thanks" 8 Times Was Thanked 178 Times in 171 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? Well you added some gravel from an established tank so you did add some bacteria so that should help it go quicker. I would just let it finish the way its going.

06-17-2010, 08:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
beaslbob beaslbob's Photo Gallery Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 616 My location Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 105 Times in 98 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? plants will prevent or eliminate the ammonia/nitrIte spikes with probably an initial nitrate spike. Will it cycle the tank faster or slow? Who know and besides who cares. Preventing the ammonia spike is all that matters and plants do that. I cycle with a few live fish and don't add food for the first week. No ammonia spikes as all. my .02 __________________ fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g since 2002. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. Current tanks 10g FW leiden since 2002, 55g mixed reef since 2002, 20g FW leiden since 2007, 10 g fw leiden since 12/2008, 29g mixed reef since 2007

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06-17-2010, 11:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
susankat Planted tanks rule susankat's Photo Gallery Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,008 Name: Susan Location: Tulsa, Ok Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 583 Times Said "Thanks" 109 Times Was Thanked 648 Times in 514 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? I add plants all the time to new tanks, plants will have beneficial bacteria on them also. And they do prevent a lot of spikes. __________________ SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!! 220 Tank build http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

06-18-2010, 01:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
ellyabillion Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 68 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Re: Would adding plants now cycle my tank faster? I had plants in my tank when I was cycling it. I used pure ammonia (ACE hardware brand). I didn't exactly see a "spike" of ammonia. It stayed at about 5 ppm (with continual addition of new ammonia) until is abruptly dropped down to zero. It took about a month for the cycle to complete. __________________ Elly

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