Non-Hardy Fish Cycle?

[Rorie]

Plants help a bit but you need a seriously planted jungle before no filter is an option like thick plants back to front and full height of the tank basically and even then you can only stock lightly.

However plants and filters together are fine, the main reason I have live plants other than for the appearance is that they use up nitrate which is the end product of the nitrogen cycle.

If your doing a fishless cycle you can add plants but its quite common to get a bit of algae early on so you need to be careful that your plants dont get covered with algae and its easier to wipe algae off the glass then add the decor and plants near the time when the fish come as the plants will just starve any alage out when its in small amounts and should not arise as too much of an issue during the life of the tank.

Wills

So just to clarify, the suggested method is to run the 'adding ammonia' method, and then when my readings hit 0 over the 12 hour period, add my fish and plants at the same time?

The article which is linked above suggests that with a planted tank, while doing the ammonia cycle, you can add fish earlier than you can without plants....correct? If so, when is it that i can then add the fish? I gather the reason for this is that the plants then act as a filter before the filter is fully developed?

If i add the plants before i add all the ammonia, i gather the ammonia levels will drop much quicker, but the down side is the plants getting covered in algae?

thanks

 

[Wills]

To speed things up in the filter add some of your dirty filter media from the 90 liter tank. Plants will help but not 100% to be honest and I wouldnt trust this is the link to this forums guide on a fishless cycle http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

Wills

 

[Rorie]

To speed things up in the filter add some of your dirty filter media from the 90 liter tank. Plants will help but not 100% to be honest and I wouldnt trust this is the link to this forums guide on a fishless cycle http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

Wills

Ok. I've read that one before and will follow it

So if I start the ammonia cycle, and while doing so, add some plants, they will survive the high ammonia? Then after about 6 weeks, I can add 80% of my stock level. Right?

And as for my co2, I should just keep that running through my ammonia runs at the level I will want after the process is finished... Rather than the elevated level?

Sorry for asking for it in black and White, but I like to make sure it always makes sence after I have done it, but it's the before hand part that worries ne

 

[Wills]

Ah no problem Im more than happy to help out.

With some mature media from the small tank you might get the cycle stage to about 4-5 weeks. Plants will survive the cycling stage no problems. I think but am not 100% but Co2 affects the cycle in some way? Not sure.... perhaps do the cycle without the Co2 unless someone chips in otherwise

Wills

 

[JoshuaA]

i think some of the media from the 90L would help a little bit.

The media will help a lot, I've cycled all my tanks my girlfriends and my friends of my own media which originated from a member of this forum who posted it to me.

If you take a chunk of your media from your 90L, possibly even a quarter if you're filter is mature (6 months+ Ideally) then place it in your new filter for your 300+ litre tank if you place it as the first piece of media the water passes through... my theory is that any bacteria that breaks of that media is likely to land on fresh media down stream. In reality I don't know whether this happens but it sounds logical. Anyway that is how I have cycled my tanks by taking well matured media and placing it as the first sponge to seed the filter.

If you really want to stock without fishless cycling I would recommend at a bare minimum of moving some media from your 90L tank and stocking very very very lightly to begin with, leave it for at least 2 weeks for your filter to settle.

 

[Rorie]

Ok that all sounds good.

I will add some filter media, start the ammonia, and add some plants throughout. I guess the best thing with this method is that if I am adding loads of cardinal tetras, I can bulk buy them online which will save me some pennies