Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[Dieses Madchen]

Well, when you originially tested the tap water, it was dark blue. Try doing to the high pH on the tap water as it looked like it was at the top of the chart on the oriniginal test.

Also, I see you added live plants to the tank, prior to cycling. Won't this affect the test? Plants feed off ammonia.

 

[snazy]

Well, when you originially tested the tap water, it was dark blue. Try doing to the high pH on the tap water as it looked like it was at the top of the chart on the oriniginal test.

Also, I see you added live plants to the tank, prior to cycling. Won't this affect the test? Plants feed off ammonia

I had tested both the high and low ph range on the API test yesterday. On the low it was dark blue, on the high it was brown as if 7.4. I know that colour very well, as it is the same as my other tanks. So I am certain the Ph rose for one reason or another as it is no way near 7.4 on the high PH test.

Plants may affect the results, but I doubt it they will cycle a tank in a week. They feed on ammonium from what I know, not ammonia? And with so high PH, there is probably little ammonium.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

No they actually do feed off ammonia...

http/www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/basic-freshwater-aquarium-principles-filters-heaters-biocycling-live-plants-feeding-cleaning-and-chemistry-69589.html

http/www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

and the many more like it. It may not be how plants normally get their nitrogen, but in the absence of nitrates, this well pull what they need from live ammonia. I am not saying that it is going to intantly cycle your tank, but it may speed it up some. If you are trying to test validity of the bacteria in a bottle, then plants may falsely prove you to be right. Just saying.

 

[snazy]

Let's say the plants eat the ammonia/ammonium, shouldn't I then get decrease of ammonia on the API test and no change in nitrites or nitrates?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Possibly. Depends on how many plants you have and how much they need to survive

Once again. I am just saying that it will probably decrease the ammonia slightly faster while you are conducting this "experiment." Rendering your results possibly useless. You cannot prove a product works unless you remove all factors that could possibly alter results. Welcome to science.

 

[snazy]

No they actually do feed off ammonia...

http/www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/basic-freshwater-aquarium-principles-filters-heaters-biocycling-live-plants-feeding-cleaning-and-chemistry-69589.html

http/www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

and the many more like it. It may not be how plants normally get their nitrogen, but in the absence of nitrates, this well pull what they need from live ammonia. I am not saying that it is going to intantly cycle your tank, but it may speed it up some. If you are trying to test validity of the bacteria in a bottle, then plants may falsely prove you to be right. Just saying.

The first link doesn't say much from what I can see.

The second link is referring Diana Walstad at the bottom of the article. I have read half of her book. On page 107(Ecology_Of_Aquarium_Plants_-Diana_Walstad, pdf version) it says plants eat ammonium(NH4),nitrite(NO2) and nitrate(NO3). She explains that it is presumed plants even prefer ammonium from other nitrogen products like nitrite and nitrate, although she mentioned there is no scientific proof for it yet.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

See snazy? I told you you were going to get grief for using plants. Bad snazy!

 

[snazy]

Well, if the plants speed the cycle, even better
You can see on the pictures what is planted and I'll post some pictures to show the progress.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Well, if the plants speed the cycle, even better

In the general scheme of things, definitely. However, when your aim is to prove that the Safe Start works as advertised, very much a bad idea.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Exactly the point I am trying to make Prime. When I did the experiment with Biozyme, I had controlled conditions. Empty tank, not plants, no substrate. Just water and a brand new filter cartridge, and a filter cleaned with tap water. There were no environmental factors to interfere with the experiment. If you are going to use plants in an attempt to prove this tapsafe works, then you need to have a control. Like an empty tank, and run the same experiment on the empty tank as well. In the end, if you tank cycles, great. But it gives no validity to your claim that your product works.

 

[snazy]

I understand your point of view guys. It wasn't my idea to get plants before the cycle, but it is done now.
But even if according to you the plants cycle my tank in a short period of time, and not the tetra safe start, then everyone else can just get plants and do the same instead of waiting numerous weeks to cycle a tank. So it will be useful for something.

I am certain that there are people around here that used only plants to cycle a tank and can give more experienced opinion on how fast this goes.

From what I have read so far, a tank that uses purely plants to cycle a tank takes several months to be able to fully process toxic substances and this is with very light stocking as far fish/ammonia source is concerned.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Yeah, I do not think that plants can fully cycle a tank. I do think that it helps keeps ammonia and nitrites a little lower during a fishin cycle. I haven't done either so I do no know from experience.

 

[snazy]

If the plants start eating my ammonia, then I'll just keep dosing the tank with ammonia.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

You can 'cycle' a tank immediately if you use enough plants and a low stock level. That's essentially the Walstad method.

The real cycle, i.e. the development of bacterial colonies in the filter, continues as normal. The filter just processes much less ammonia and nitrite.

 

[snazy]

You are talking about a fish-in cycle with lots of plants.
In my case I can control the ammonia level and I would kind of know what happens if one nitrogen product goes down and another doesn't rise.

Diana Walstad method takes months from what I read so far and she doesn't use a filter,aerator, power head, water changes, etc.. as this affects the way her type of cycle works. She uses special type of substrate that can keep it aerated to kick in the multiplying of the right type of bacteria in the gravel, and also lot's of rooted plants for the same purpose.
Just sand can never really work that way.