Filtering/cycling

[brown metal-head]

I am leaving for vacation Friday and I am coming back on the 30th. When I get back though The first thing on my to do list is set up a 50-55 gallon fish tank. I pretty sure I am going to use a UGF And a canister or just a canister. Probably I am going to put a plate down in case I decide to use it. Would this be a problem? The most imparitive thing is it gets done before school which starts end of August. that is according to my mom. After looking she got my last report card it was hard to get her to let me have one. Even though I missed a B average by 2 percent. IMO it would be better for me to be home schooled because my mom didn't realize I should have been in honors classes freshman year now its junior year and harder to advance. I know my grades hurt because of it. I will do more homework to get that honor roll up but other than that I really don't give a @$%#. When I go to college I'll still be able to get into the ones I have looked at that I may want to go to and its local and my entire immediate family graduated there and my dad works there so we will see. This summer I have probably taught myself more than I have in almost all but 2 or three class. ). Gotta stop about school. . Alright I need a quick way to kick start the cycle. It will have a loads of live plants so it may be controlled a bit faster. I was thinking maybe the starter cultures. Are they worth it and is one brand better than the other? I Certainly will not rush my fish in 2 hours after its set up but if the sooner the better though maybe early to mid September to have the ones in the 10 gallon in there. And maybe finish it off in another month following. So I can get my efforts into school rather than waterchanges in my overstocked 10 gallon that really does tell u its over stocked with nitrates at 40-80 with weekly water changes. I have been doing more during this summer as I don't have much to do except some stuff around the house and the nitrates are around ten. Sorry for the rant about school but I need to let it out.
Thanx.

Ps. I was only able to even get permission to get this not to long ago but I convinced my mom and possibly myself that the fish will die if it is not done this summer so now my mom makes the terms for when and that is after vacation.It was my second tank and I didn't expect babies or that my mom would have made me get a fish because "I hadn't gotten 1 in a while. While we are here get 2 because the other fish is lonely" I am sure some of u have been there.

Pss. Sorry for the rant again. It is cheaper than talking to my counsiler. lol.

THanx a billion

Thanx again.