help with cycling

[quadrider5953]

Hi im new here and i need a little help. I am going to start a 10 gal planted tank and i need to know if i plant the plants before or after the cycle. Please answer ASAP.

Also if any one has those 5 in 1 test strips if they can give me some. if you are willing to please send me an email or aim message and i will give u my address. thanks in advance.

 

[greenmaji]

If your going to do heavy planting you could do it before the cycle (over 75% coverage of heathy plants will replace the cycle)
But if you want to be on the safe side you could cycle the tank first.

 

[greenmaji]

btw..you really need to invest in a liquid test kit.. the test strips are bad for inaccuracy..

 

[TygGer]

Definitely invest in a test kit. You should be able to find a basic kit, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH for under $15 online. It will last you a long tme and is money well spend.

Agreed with magi. Start your cycle and your plants should live through the cycle fine, esp. if you bought your plants from a cycled system. The plants should help speed up your cycle by seeding your system with bacteria.

 

[greenmaji]

most plants perfer ammonium for uptake.. and will uptake all forms of nitrogen so yes they will most definatley help the cycleing process.. you will likely need less bacteria to do the job of filtering the tank.

 

[quadrider5953]

Well since i'm fairly new to this hobby and after thinking for a while i decided to just use plastic plants. after i gain some experience i will do a planted tank.

So between now and my first post i bought some gravel ( 15 lbs. of Nutmeg) and rinsed it. I then filled my tank and added some chlorine/chloramine remover. Filter works good. I will buy some kind of test kit once i get the money. In the meantime i will do 20% water changes daily. If anyone has any suggestions they are appreciated. thanks.

-Kyle

 

[quadrider5953]

OK, i have finally made up my mind. I am going to get real plants. What are good looking plants that are easy to take care of? My hood has 2 25watt tubular bulbs. That would mean 5 wpg which is too much right? I will buy 2 10 watt bulbs so it is 2 wpg. Is it ok to have no heater while it is cycling because when i bought the tank it only had the tank hood, and filter. What is the best heater i can use.

-Kyle

PS- sorry for all the questions

 

[greenmaji]

What kind of lights put out 25 watts over that short of a distance? and 5 wpg isnt too much for a planted tank it is just a higher maintance and harder to maintain..
there is a debate about small tanks needing higher lighting for medium to high light plants 4-8wpg. but Im not sure you want to start out with high light plants wich will require CO2 and fertilization right from the get go.. I would think of 2wpg being low light for a 10 gallon.. check out this site for reaserch purposes.. (make sure to visit his favorite links as well) Steve Hampton is a planted tank Guru (he posts here on AA sometimes!) http://www.aquariaplants.com/index.htm

 

[id10t]

That's an incandescent bulb. You need to replace it - mine would spike my water temp about 1 degree F per hour. 2 15s do the same, and 1 just doesn't look good. However, I found *flourescent* replacement bulbs for it at walkmart and my tank temp hasn't moved since.

As for easy plants, try to find some elodea or similar. Water equivalent to weeds, they can just be floated on top, or bind a few pieces together and weight it down to make a "standing" plant.

 

[greenmaji]

Not only are incandescents warmer.. They dont put out enough light..

 

[mishi8]

That's an incandescent bulb. You need to replace it - mine would spike my water temp about 1 degree F per hour. 2 15s do the same, and 1 just doesn't look good. However, I found *flourescent* replacement bulbs for it at walkmart and my tank temp hasn't moved since.

As for easy plants, try to find some elodea or similar. Water equivalent to weeds, they can just be floated on top, or bind a few pieces together and weight it down to make a "standing" plant.

id10t, are you saying you can get flourescent bulbs to put into an incandescent hood? Do those flourescents produce enough light for live plants? I would love to replace my incandescents just to keep my 10 gal tank temp from rising so much...if I can replace them that easily, then I will!

 

[quadrider5953]

I have a perfecto light from a perfecto hood. i can use that instead of the one that came with the tank. It takes an 18 in bulb. What is the best bulb to use with this hood for my tank?

I also added 3 hikari algae wafers to try and speed up the cycle by creating ammonia( hopefully). Should i still do water changes even though there isnt any fish yet?

thanks
-Kyle

 

[quadrider5953]

I also stopped doing the pwc because i had read one post wrong and i will stop changing the water as it is a fishless cycle so i dont need to keep the ammonia down.

-Kyle