Started a new tank, plants ok?

[chinoanoah]

Just started a new 10g that I plan on planting with some GBR's. I have never cycled with fish before but so far I have some bacteria in there from my professor's tank, as well as 5 lemon tetras. I put in 5+ stalks of lucky bamboo (more since the photo), is that ok to do while establishing the tank? If the bamboo is ok, can I plant even more while cycling?

-Noah

 

[Lager]

The lucky bamboo is not an aquatic plant. It needs its leaves above the water line. Cycling with plants is fine.

 

[jsoong]

The bamboo is OK, but the leaves needs to be out of the water or it will rot eventually .... it is not an aquatic plant, but can be grown with the stalk in water.

You can cycle with plants in the tank ... If you have a lot of fast growing plants, you can undergo a "silent cycle" - the plants takes up all ammonia directly & you never see any spikes. Otherwise, plants will moderate the ammonia spike, perhaps slowing things a bit but certainly better for the fish. But since you are seeding your tank with media, I doubt that it will be a problem.

 

[chinoanoah]

How long do you think the bamboo will last? It looks awesome so far..


On a separate note: I've always used media from other tanks when starting new ones. If you were to start one completely fresh, how would the beneficial bacteria ever get in it?

 

[Johnny Tuttle]

By putting in an ammonia source and letting them develop on their own.....

The lemons are very pretty--that's a nice fish for a 10.

The bamboo here is actually a form of dracaena. I looked it up the other week when I saw another form of dracaena for sale at a LFS as a complete submersed aquatic plant. I was dubious, but if it were possible, I would have wanted it. Of course, it's not possible to keep alive completely submersed. These "bamboos" will look great in vases around your place, but you'll need some more plants for here

I'm not sure you can do GBRs in a 10 with 5 lemons already there. You might be able to do a pair although certainly some here wouldn't recommend it in a tank that small.

 

[jsoong]

How long do you think the bamboo will last?

Not too long, weeks perhaps ....

In the long run, it is better to have true aquatic plants .... try plantgeek.net for comprehensive listing of suitable plants.

 

[chinoanoah]

Johnny Tuttle said "By putting in an ammonia source and letting them develop on their own....."

But, where does the bacteria come from? It doesn't originate from nothing. Is it airborne?

 

[newfound77951]

No, the bacteria naturally occur in the water, at low concentrations. With the proper food source they settle on surfaces (like your filter media) and divide as fast as the food source will allow. That's why filter media with lots of surface area is great....more surface area = more homes for bacteria = greater ammonia/nitrite processing capability.

The bamboo will not thrive underwater. It may appear to "grow" for a while but that's a last-ditch effort to get its leaves out of the water and into the air where they want to be. Not sure what kind of light you have, but if you want some similar looking plants try some Cryptocorynes, they are pretty non-demanding plants and will be OK with most any light. They do appreciate some root tabs, though.

 

[chinoanoah]

thank you all!

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

you can float the bamboo on a chunk of flat Styrofoam, it grows nice if you don't mind the floater in the tank.