Adding Plants & Wood During Cycle?

[metweezer]

 

 I am on day 11 of my cycle with 2ppm of Ammonia, 5ppm Ites and 0ppm Ates. My question is will adding aquarium wood and live plants to the tank interfere with my cycle? Will it either speed up or slow down the cycle? I am still waiting for my ammonia levels to reach 0 so I can add my second dose of ammonia.

 

[BiggTexx]

If the decorations/plants are from a cycled tank, it may actually help you cycle faster.

 

[metweezer]

These decorations would be bought in a pet store. I would probably have to boil the wood before placing it in the tank.

 

[BiggTexx]

Adding sterilized decorations won;t hurt your current cycle.
 
If you are adding live plants from a LFS, it should actually help your cycle process faster.

 

[Byron]

My caution would be if you are still adding ammonia.  This might kill some plants (ammonia is toxic to plants, fish and some bacteria at high levels).  Might also get into the wood.
 
As you are along the cycling road, I wold continue and add the plants and wood when the tank is cycled.  
 
For the future, as I would not change horses mid-stream: Another method that I always use is the so-called "silent cycle," where the tank is set up with live plants and the decor and when running the first fish are added.  Plants need nitrogen and they take up ammonia/ammonium faster than the bacteria so the tank cycles slowly and minimally, thus "silent."  There is no harm to fish with this, and you cannot detect ammonia or nitrite along the way with test kits.  Provided you have a good planting, including some fast-growing species, and the first fish are few, this works very well.
 
Byron.