cycling using plants

[maui]

So i posted yesterday asking about how i should cycle my new tanks (fishless or not) and i think now i've come to a conclusion: i am going to cycle my tanks using plants as outlined on this web site: http/www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm
Now im just wondering if any of you folks have given this a shot and if so how did it go?
Im so neverous and excited about this project (so much so that i wake up in the middle of the night wondering how everything is gonna work)
Any suggestions/info would be so great! Thanks in advance.

 

[Chasing Puck]

Other than a minor technical point (plants do not utilize nitrites), the article is an excellent reference. Make sure the lights you use will provide ample light for the plants. Also, there are several DIY CO2 options that will work, so you do not have to use a pressurized system (these can be pricy, and while worth it in the long run, possibly an expense to delay until you are sure you want to make the investment).

 

[Da_Oz]

In 20 years of haveing fish tanks. I have never cycled a fish tank. I have alwas just planted and a few days latter added what fish I want. And so far so good. The main thing is to make sure you got enought plants to do it this way. I have done this with sand, rocks, and planted tank substrait. The info in that story you posted is very informative.

 

[maui]

excellent!
thanks for the replies guys
i will be setting up two 15 gal tanks as well as one 25 gal tank and i'm planning on constructing a DIY CO2 injector of each tank.
How many plants should i use (approx) for each tank?
Im sure it depends on the types of plants but i'm just looking for a rough idea so that i know how many to buy.

 

[Dubby]

It depends on how thickly planted you want your tank to be. I use a thumb rule of 1plant per gallon as minimum. Go for the Co2 only if you've got lighting of more than 2W/gallon.

 

[maui]

thanks dubby
1 plant per gal is a lotta plants - i'd be afarid i'd never see my guys if i did that.
if i'm only keeping 3 fish in each of the tanks (they're divided betta houses) would that mean that i wouldn't need as much of a bacterial colony? and therefore need less plants for it to work? (is there any correlation between the number of plants and the number of fish?)
thanks for the info on lighting, i think i will have more then 2watts per gal so some co2 should be arlight.

 

[Da_Oz]

Really matters on the plants. And how much work you want to do. Some plants get very large while some stay very small and grow very slow.

A good mix of about 3 Amzon swords alone the back. With 2 hornwort bundles in midle of the swords. With some low growing plants in the front. Like java moss. Some internal water lillys in the middle of the tank could work good too.

Wal-mart sales fresh water plant bulbs next to the food. They are great and easy to grow.

 

[Dubby]

maui:

You need to get a nice collection of plants making sure you have plants for the foreground (dwarf sag, java moss, pygmy chain sword..), some mid ground (hygro, small types of sword, crypts) and background (vallis, large swords, egeria, bacopa) and floating (hornwort). Since the foreground ones are quite small you need more & hence the count looks large

The advantage with having such a large number of plants is that it absolutely outcompetes algae !! So with the help of a few helpers (SAE, Ottos, shrimp) you can have a clean aquarium.

Take a look at what can be achieved even in a small tank in this link AGA showcase

I hope this helps.

 

[maui]

thanks for the info dubby and da oz.
i think i will pick up my plants tonite - how long can they live in the plastic bags? Im asking as I am taking my new tanks and setting them up in my new house so that i dont have to move them when i move a wk and a bit from now. They wouldnt be left in the bags for more then 24 hours.

the link you posted is amazing dubby, what a stunning underwater garden.

 

[Dubby]

you can always pop them into a bucket once you get home