Adding plants during a fishless cycle?

[bevoholic]

Come Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, I'm going to be starting the fishless cycle on my new 20g. I'm wanting to do a heavily planted tank, but I'm not sure how to go about it during a fishless cycle.

Should I wait for the cycle to be done before adding any plants, or can I add the plants at the beginning?

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Come Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, I'm going to be starting the fishless cycle on my new 20g. I'm wanting to do a heavily planted tank, but I'm not sure how to go about it during a fishless cycle.

Should I wait for the cycle to be done before adding any plants, or can I add the plants at the beginning?

I'm not all that knowledgable when it comes
To fishless cycles, but I do know that plants do help them along nicely. It's best to start with fast growing plants, again someone else will have to give you names because I'm not knowledgable on plants either.

 

[phishfriend]

I planted my 40 a few days into my fish less. Just don't crank your heater past 80.

 

[bevoholic]

I planted my 40 a few days into my fish less. Just don't crank your heater past 80.

Wouldn't that make for an extremely long cycle time then? I know plants eat ammo/nitrites slowly, so wouldn't that slow it down?

 

[phishfriend]

Wouldn't that make for an extremely long cycle time then? I know plants eat ammo/nitrites slowly, so wouldn't that slow it down?

You still dose ammonia. I can tell you I seeded my filter pretty heavily from the other tank. I started on Nov 23 and was done on dec 9 Th.

 

[Rivercats]

The heavier you plant your tank with fast growing plants like Water sprite, Wisteria, and fast growing stem plants the faster your tank will cycle. And when I say heavy I mean a minimum of 80% substrate coverage.

 

[bevoholic]

I'm just worried that with a heavily planted tank the BB won't be large enough for when I put plants in it.

 

[Rivercats]

You don't need any BB to put plants in.

 

[bevoholic]

You don't need any BB to put plants in.

Sorry, that should have said I'm worried that a heavily planted tank won't grow a large enough biological filter for when I put FISH in...not plants...

My mistake.

 

[marsh]

If you add many fish you could have problems, can you add a fish per week or so? What type of fish matters too

 

[Rivercats]

Once again your BB will still be building up and when you start adding fish once again the plants will be absorbing ammonia keeping fish safe and your BB will continue to slowly grow. I added 14 adult angels into the 220g 14 days after the tank was set up using the silent cycle. And as stated above you won't be adding all your fish at once.

 

[bevoholic]

I was planning on doing a fishless cycle with this tank so I wasn't going to add any fish until the cycle was complete. But good to know that I can add plants and it won't mess it up. Thanks guys!