Planted Fishless Cycle With Media!

[cat scrap]

Hi, I am setting up a new tank, a 170L Juwel Panorma 100. I have been reading up and am planning to do a fishless cycle, I am almost ready but I am a little confused on the planting issue.
I am thinking of planting up the tank with a plant collection from Greenline for a 90cm tank
http/www.aquaticplants.eu.com/acatalog/info_425.html
Should I plant the tank out before I start cycling or after? If I plant before cycling will the plants consume all the amonia and slow or stop the process?
I have another tank with a small fluvial power filter so I can seed the new tank to start off with.

Thanks for any help

Mat

 

[scubadoo]

Hi

The plants should not affect your fishless cycle. In fact they may help as some root systems contain amounts of the nitryfying bacteria you'r trying to colonise.

I'd plant up before you start - its just easier to plant up a tank which is half full than trying later either when its full, or if you empty a lot of water out of it then you have to be careful you dont take too long or you could suffer a die off of your bacteria if you have to switch the filter off during the planting process.

The only down side I can see to planting up front is that at the end of the cycle you will have brown algae in your tank and it'll probably cover your plants making them look a bit unsightly for a while. It will disappear, or you could get some shrimp or snails to munch it for you.