Substrate

[clos]

I've even added sand over the gravel in my tanks

that can be bad idea cause if there is any waste in the gravel and the sand is added ontop then gas pockets can form under the sand and then burst an create a huge spike

 

[JustKia]

Not sure why anyone is saying you have to add plants after the cycle?
Get them in and you can probably reduce the time it takes your tank to cycle, after all the plants use the ammonia.
More plants = less bacs in the filter but better over all filtration - your plants will keep on processing ammoina even in the event of a power cut.

 

[waterdrop]

Isn't it nice that the sun never has a power cut? Days could go by that I don't think of that.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Dave Spencer]

Not sure why anyone is saying you have to add plants after the cycle?
Get them in and you can probably reduce the time it takes your tank to cycle, after all the plants use the ammonia.
More plants = less bacs in the filter but better over all filtration - your plants will keep on processing ammoina even in the event of a power cut.

An awful lot of people cycling tanks with plants in seem to get algae. The plants should definitely go in at the end, because a fishless cycle should be done without lights.

Light + ammonia = algae.

Add unhealthy plants to the equation and you are off to a very bad start.

Get rid of the light and you get rid of the algae. If I ever did a fishless cycle, I would have a blanket over the tank.

Dave.

 

[pippoodle]

I've even added sand over the gravel in my tanks

that can be bad idea cause if there is any waste in the gravel and the sand is added ontop then gas pockets can form under the sand and then burst an create a huge spike

i've had no problems at all - the gravel was well vac'ed before adding the sand and i have lots of corys that continuously stir the sand around
with regular tank maintenance and vac'ing then people shouldn't have that problem

 

[JustKia]

Light + ammonia = algae.

OK I can understand that but the plants are going to be processing ammonia...
I think this is going to be one of those things where it's going to depend on your set up as a whole big picture rather than a bit of this or that.

If you've got plants you're going to need lighting.
If you've got half a dozen (probably less) spindly little plants and your shoving the ammonia in and the lights are on then yep, it's going to be algae central...
OK probably best left there, as far as newcomers to the hobby are concerned, as they are unlikely to be adding enough plants to process enough ammonia to be able to add the lighting that the plants require.

So, in short - basic fishless cycle = add plants afterwards - K.I.S.S.
But, that isn't the only way.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Light + ammonia = algae.

OK I can understand that but the plants are going to be processing ammonia...
I think this is going to be one of those things where it's going to depend on your set up as a whole big picture rather than a bit of this or that.

If you've got plants you're going to need lighting.
If you've got half a dozen (probably less) spindly little plants and your shoving the ammonia in and the lights are on then yep, it's going to be algae central...
OK probably best left there, as far as newcomers to the hobby are concerned, as they are unlikely to be adding enough plants to process enough ammonia to be able to add the lighting that the plants require.

So, in short - basic fishless cycle = add plants afterwards - K.I.S.S.
But, that isn't the only way.

Plants can only process so much ammonia, and during a fishless cycle there is going to be excess ammonia even with plants, where as algae can use a lot more ammonia.

If you have a fairly high level of Ammonia in your tank, regardless if you have plants or not, and there is enough light, your are most likely going to see algae.

Also, Ammonia in a fishless cycle tank, and plants are okay, and good, but algae is also going to be determined by Co2 levels, and how much water current there is.

More water current is going to help "push" the patches of ammonia around in the tank and get processed by the filter sooner.

But it is true, that Ammonia + Light = Very High Potential of an algae outbreak.

-FHM

 

[Dave Spencer]

If you've got half a dozen (probably less) spindly little plants and your shoving the ammonia in and the lights are on then yep, it's going to be algae central...
OK probably best left there, as far as newcomers to the hobby are concerned, as they are unlikely to be adding enough plants to process enough ammonia to be able to add the lighting that the plants require.

This is the angle I tend to assume people are coming from when they are new to this.

My advice is that if you are adding a few plants for the effect, add them after the cycling, which should be carried out with no lights. If you are going for a tank that is a planted tank first and foremost, then read up on not having to cycle the tank.

Dave.

 

[Tish Fank]

If you've got half a dozen (probably less) spindly little plants and your shoving the ammonia in and the lights are on then yep, it's going to be algae central...
OK probably best left there, as far as newcomers to the hobby are concerned, as they are unlikely to be adding enough plants to process enough ammonia to be able to add the lighting that the plants require.

This is the angle I tend to assume people are coming from when they are new to this.

My advice is that if you are adding a few plants for the effect, add them after the cycling, which should be carried out with no lights. If you are going for a tank that is a planted tank first and foremost, then read up on not having to cycle the tank.

Dave.

this souds very intereting, do you know of any articles on this subject?? thanks in advance