Adding Schooling Fish

[CKutz]

good advice ^

 

[OldMan47]

A heavy planting for a plant filtered tank is not all that subjective. If there are so many plants that almost no light can reach the substrate, it is enough to keep up with typical fish loads. Most people would prefer to see their fish without having to search through the plants, but those plants don't just need to be present, they need to be growing vigorously. I will repeat that this approach is best left to a more experienced plant and fish keeper. Someone who has had good results with plants using no artificial fertilizers may be ready to tackle it and win.

 

[CKutz]

he's still going to filter the tank though, just going to skip cycling by relying on the plants.
so it's ok right?

I mean...i don't think it would be my first choice..i think i'd start a fishless cycle at least..maybe wait a week or two, and now that i know of this method, then add fish. or once it was obvious ammonia was being processed.
but now that i know about the whole concept i feel much better about going planted, and moving my tank back to school..i don't think i'll have to worry about a mini cycle.
the concept is dependable. i think it's just a matter of whether you do it right or not. like having plants that grow fast, and not overstocking. and w/e else may be required for this to work.

 

[OldMan47]

If he doesn't cycle the tank, it won't be cycled, period. I will continue to insist that this is a terrible idea for a plant beginner because the plant knowledge needed to succeed is just not there. I don't know how to make this any plainer for ease of understanding.

Crisis management on the internet is not going to make that plants only biofilter possible but would usually be good enough for someone doing a fish-in cycle without the plants and with a filter. Many of the people in places like this that can help a lot with a fish-in cycle are not really experienced enough with an NPT to give good advice to a newbie. That includes me although I have had some success using this method myself. I am barely experienced enough to make it work when I can see the tanks in front of me and I know exactly what I have done with them, including the things most people would not think worth mentioning, like how much and how often I am feeding. Try describing in detail how much food there is in that last pinch of food you put into the tank and comparing the quantity to the minimum requirements for the same number of fish in a conventional setup. That is just one of the factors that needs to be taken into account.

 

[CKutz]

i'm about to start a planted tank. and the walstad method was suggested to me. this method sounds similar to what he would be doing. are you saying that from your experience this method is not a very good option for someone just getting into plants? because then i'll scratch it off the list of possibilites for myself.

here's a link to the walstad method. i'm reading up on it now.

oneonion are you still there? haha. it seems the general idea is that you shouldn't just rely on the plants. set the tank up with the plants, add your shrimp. you don't have a choice really with that. treat it as a fish in cycle. (would the shrimp make enough ammonia to even feed the plants and create a biofilter?). i think if you're planning on dosing ferts, for the plants you should probably do that, as i doubt the ammonia from the shrimp will be enough to feed them.

 

[OldMan47]

I am very aware of the Walstad NPT approach. I have her book and use it for reference when I am not sure what to do next. Embarking on an NPT, or call it a Walstad, is still not a brilliant idea for a plant newbie. Instead, cycle the tank with filter and all and then try to get the plants going right and learn from the experience so that you can attempt an uncycled tank using the method in the future. The learning from doing the first NPT with a filter to back you up will give you the experience to try to do one without a cycled filter later. I always find it better to learn before placing my fish's health at risk with a new method.

 

[CKutz]

sounds good, thanks for the advice.

good luck oneonion.