Planted tank cycling

[Medic87]

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[Essjay]

Actually, plants take up the ammonia made by the fish, they only use nitrate if there's no ammonia.
Plant cycles depend on the tank being heavily planted with fast growing plants. Just a few plants or slow growing plants will help but won't be able to remove all the ammonia.


It is difficult to say how close the cycle is to being complete. But I would leave adding sensitive fish until the tank has had zero ammonia and zero nitrite for 6 months - a mature tank rather than a cycled tank - as a newly cycled tank is still subject to fluctuations.

 

[Beastije]

BTW, hillstream loaches absolutely should not be the first fish to add to a new tank. Much like otocinclus, they feed of algae films and stuff inside the algae film and you need at least 4 month setup, with stones and intense light to get the good kind of algae and biofilm so they can feed naturally.
I am getting them as well in my tank and I plan to get the other fish first and wait at least 3 months with intense light cycles to get what they need, before getting the loaches

 

[Slaphppy7]

What size tank is this?

These loaches not only require a well-established tank, but lots of water flow and high turnover rate, as well...and temps in the 68-75F degree range

See here: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/sewellia-lineolata

 

[Essjay]

You mention doing a fish-in cycle - what are the fish in there now? They may or may not appreciate the temperature and water flow needed by hillstream loaches.

 

[Byron]

Zebra danios, gold cloud minnows, dwarf corys.

I would not include the dwarf cory species here. First, the strong currents the loaches require is going to be troublesome for the cories. Second, they will likely be outcompeted for territory and food. The two cyprinid species (danios and minnows) are fine, good choices with the loaches.

 

[Essjay]

Cories are not 'clean up crew'. They need to be fed their own food, they don't live on left overs. If there is any uneaten food on the bottom of the tank, there is too much food going into the tank.

If you really want hillstream loaches it would be best if you rehome the cories. Or keep the cories and forego the loaches.

 

[Byron]

I do feed my corys their own food, but I assumed (possibly incorrectly) that they would also pick up some bits that got missed. I also do my best to not overfeed. Thanks for the advice.

Cories might eat the odd flake food that falls to the bottom, but this is not a staple food because in most cases the ingredients are wrong. So it is better for the cories that you do not feed so much flake that it reaches the substrate. Manufacturers of most fish foods tell us to feed several times a day, which is nonsense (except for fry). And what is fed should be gone within seconds. That applies to upper fish; substrate fish naturally take much longer, a couple of hours sometimes, because they are feeding from pellets, tabs, and similar. Bug Bites, which is the #1 food for upper and substrate fish that are carnivores or omnivores (herbivores are different) won't last as long unless you overfeed.