Fishless Cycling With Plants In

[festo]

Hi all
Any advantages/disadvantages with fishless cycling with plants and rocks in tank?
want to put java moss/xmas moss when i set up,
would this cause too many problems?
thanks.

 

[KittyKat]

It is better to cycle without plants and lights, because ammonia + light = algae and plants to need light to survive. Having said that, Java moss should be fine without lighting for a month or two (with just the background light from windows, ceiling lights in the evening, etc), in my experience.

 

[festo]

It is better to cycle without plants and lights, because ammonia + light = algae and plants to need light to survive. Having said that, Java moss should be fine without lighting for a month or two (with just the background light from windows, ceiling lights in the evening, etc), in my experience.

OK thanks,
i know light means algae but was thinking could get away with it by having variouse mosses,
thanks.

 

[KittyKat]

Well, it is possible if you plant the tank really well (not just mosses), but then one might as well silent cycle (which is not recommended for beginners or anyone without a lot of experience with plants).

 

[festo]

Well, it is possible if you plant the tank really well (not just mosses), but then one might as well silent cycle (which is not recommended for beginners or anyone without a lot of experience with plants).

I see you have the aqua one tanks,
are the built in filter that comes with the tank ok?
or would you suggest fitting an external,
and if so is it easy to change
thanks.

 

[Warehouse]

If you must put plants in during a fishless cycle, (I have), then it is definately better to wait until the ammonia is dropping quickly so there isn't as much in the water as early on in the cycle. When the Ammonia is dropping to 0 in a 48 hour period was my own preference and, (touch wood), I've been lucky so far.

 

[KittyKat]

I see you have the aqua one tanks,

are the built in filter that comes with the tank ok?

Yeah, it's fine. Nothing wrong with it at all, except that the tank must be on the fuller side to have it running (so may be bit awkward when moving house if you're low on water/don't have time to fill the tank to the top).

or would you suggest fitting an external,
and if so is it easy to change

I prefer externals. I run the Eheim Professional 3e (model 2076) at 1700 lph during the day and about 800-900 lph during night time (the latter is an estimate based on visual observations). The main reason I have externals is because they're easier to clean, I prefer to have more bio media and less sponge, I like spray bars and I like to be able to aim the flow.

Eheim and Fluval externals will fit without modifications on the 850 and 980 models, but they do require the removal of the pump for the wet/dry filter. Depending on how you run the wet/dry filter, moving the media underwater can potentially cause a filter crash so you'd need to be careful about swapping filter on a running tank.

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Kat

Sorry to disappoint you but 1700lph is the max pump capacity only. 1000lph is the max flow rate with media and hose setup recommended by eheim.

I have the 2078. They are great filters.

Do you use the stream function on yours and if you do hoew do the fish respond to it?

How often do you change the white pad and clean the blue pad? Obviously every setup is different but the lowest yellow light has illuminated when the six green lights were on indicating that flow has been restricted and needs cleaning. This is after just under six weeks of running with fish and after 50 days of cycling without fish.
What is your cleanining routine?
Thanks.

 

[KittyKat]

[quote name='BIG BAD BARRY' date='14 March 2011 - 03:24 PM' timestamp='1300112663' post='2956567]
Sorry to disappoint you but 1700lph is the max pump capacity only. 1000lph is the max flow rate with media and hose setup recommended by eheim.[/quote]
Not disappointed: I'm not flow rate obsessed just think it's a bit silly that it gives one, but is actually another.

So, 1000 lph and 500 lph then..

[quote name='BIG BAD BARRY' date='14 March 2011 - 03:24 PM' timestamp='1300112663' post='2956567]
Do you use the stream function on yours and if you do hoew do the fish respond to it?[/quote]
I tried it, but I think it was loud and it felt like it was cutting the lifespan of the filter short. So I now use the "bio" function, which is 12 hours one setting, 12 hours another.

The fish didn't seem to be affected by the first, but do seem to react well to the second.

[quote name='BIG BAD BARRY' date='14 March 2011 - 03:24 PM' timestamp='1300112663' post='2956567]
How often do you change the white pad and clean the blue pad? Obviously every setup is different but the lowest yellow light has illuminated when the six green lights were on indicating that flow has been restricted and needs cleaning. This is after just under six weeks of running with fish and after 50 days of cycling without fish.
What is your cleanining routine?
[/quote]
I have never changed the white, I clean the polishing wool same as I clean the pre-filter once every 2 months or so. I pull apart the whole filter every 4-6 months and swoosh all media in a bucket and then pop it back in. The most trouble I have is actually with plant matter and not really anything else. I do clean the inlet every week as that does get rather blocked.

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Unlike most manufacturers Eheim actually tell you both.
It works great so who cares!

Thanks for the cleaning tips.

PS sorry for hijacking post!