Hi russrimm,
What is your nitrite level? I would wait till it is also 0. The bacteria that consume the ammonia seem to work faster than the bacteria that consume the nitrite. So you'll see your ammonia peak faster than the nitrite does. Do you have any type of aeration in the tank? That may help the nitrites get to 0 faster.
When you do the first water change, were you going to use the hose outside? I guess that will fill the tank faster than the faucet. So, since the water from the hose will be colder, let it sit in the room to get a bit warmer. I wouldn't put the heater in until the water temp is about 10 degrees off from where you want it. If the tank water temp will be at 78, then put the heater in when the water temp comes up to 68 or 70. Let the heater sit for a while in the tank before you plug it in so that the glass on the heater is about the same temp as the water.
While you're waiting for the temperature of the cooler hose water to even out -- especially if it takes a few days -- you do need an ammonia source. You either need fish, or you need to keep adding your ammonia. The fish won't be ready to go in while the water is cool, so I would add some ammonia. You are adding ammonia to feed the bacteria, not really to keep the nitrates alive. If the bacteria die, then you'll lose your cycle. The bacteria that cycle the tank must be kept alive. If the cycle progresses like it should, the ammonia will feed the bacteria until your fish get in the tank. Then you stop adding ammonia. The ammonia and nitrites continue to break down, leaving you with nitrates. The nitrates will be lowered by the water changes. So just keep the bacteria alive with either the fish or added ammonia until the fish get there, and the cycle will keep progressing. I hope this makes helps!
About plants -- I only have a few that I got recently. I don't have
CO2, but I have low light. All planted tanks benefit from
CO2 injection, but if you have a very low light tank with low light plants, you can get away with not having
CO2. The plants are doing ok now, but if I got
CO2 they would do better and grow faster.
CO2 may be a project for the future!
Live plants aren't hard to keep, but they do best in plant gravel like Flourite or Eco-Complete. The type of plants you get depends on the lighting you have. Some plants, like the ones I have, don't require high lighting. The size of your tank is a factor too. I have 5 gallon tanks. I saw a nice plant that I maybe wanted to get. Someone else posted a picture of this plant in their 90 gallon tank, and it was as big as half that tank! So I didn't consider that plant anymore for my small tank!
