Wow, am I late to this party or what?
I was going to try to respond with some sort of a well put together statement, but instead, I'm just going to point out what is wrong with some of the things you said.
*if you want you can add frogs or something that eat access decaying plant matter.*
Guess what happens to the waste that the frog eats? It's digested and excreted into the water column as waste and ammonia. What would otherwise happen to the leaf? It gets broken down by bacteria etc and transformed into waste and ammonia. Nothing gain other than adding another bioload to your system.
Ya walstad didn't really know what she was talking about
Diana Walstad has a degree in microbiology and has spent years doing
actual research in aquaria. She also wrote the book on planted tank ecology (called "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium", actually). She currently serves as a technical adviser to the ADA.
Plants only use oxygen at night when it's dark and the same goes for algae. That's why you would turn on the overhead light at night
No lights are on at night until before you go to bed. That's not safe to leave them on 24/7
Totally, completely untrue. Plants are constantly using oxygen (else you wouldn't see plants grow or move during the day), but during the day photosynthesis trumps respiration. Since there is no photosynthesis at night, respiration takes over.
BUT
If you can manage to gas your fish with CO2 w/o injecting CO2 (either pressurized, or DIY for that matter), that would be a feat for the ages. There is no real threat to leaving the lights on other than algae.
The "Dark Reaction" is a bit of a misnomer. It simply does not need light, rather than needing dark.
Elodea plants are used and even if you just ad one, it will grow over an inch a day and is a vary hardy plant and removes alot of toxins from the water.
Only if you have the
light to drive it. Plants only take up enough nutrients to satisfy that drive. One plant in a tank gets the same amount of light as several (assuming shading isn't a significant factor, which it usually isn't), therefor will grow the same amount. Mere presence of nutrients is not enough for faster growth. They're autotrophs, not heterotrophs. If your plants are at their nutrient capacity, you're already running into other issues.
u need to cycle with fish and plants so the nitrogen fixing bacteria can establish themselves
What, on the fish
? On the plants? Bacteria develop in aquariums because their is an excess of ammonia. Excesses of ammonia is bad. Every time. Period. It's like smoking. People smoke, but it takes years for them to develop symptoms. Ammonia is worse for fish than smoke is for humans, and it will damage their gils. Allowing fish to 'adapt' to this environment is like letting a human adapt to starvation or dehydration. Sure, you body will eventually accommodate to some extent, but really?
You would be better off adding plants ammonia first and letting your bacteria grow, because those little buggers grow SLOW. THEN add plants, and allow them to acclimate and start sucking your nutrients, and THEN add fish. Wait, doesn't that process sound familiar.....
fishless cycling is usually for beginners*
This statement, more than anything else, discredits you. Fish in cycling is for amateurs and the uninitiated. Fishless cycling is the advanced technique for anyone serious about the hobby.
And finally:
Dont trust wiki anyone can edit it it's all bs.*
Don't be hating on wiki. It's more accurate than most people give it credit, and has a team dedicated to keeping it accurate.
