Plants?

[Moonaar]

I really like the idea of having live plants in my tank, but I have one question. Does having enough plants to keep the ammonia lvls at 0 mean I dont need to cycle the tank?

[flowerslegacy]

Hi Moonaar,
There are a lot of variables when it comes to the planted tank. In general, using plants to avoid a cycle is not reccommended, except for the experienced aquarist. The plants first have to be established and start growing before they start to assimilate the ammonia. It's not a quick process. Under Betta Fish and Fish Care there is a great "sticky" titled "The Basics of a Freshwater Aquarium Cycle". It explains the various methods to cycle your tank, as well as the use of live plants. I have quite a few live plants in my tank, and while they helped keep the ammonia levels lower, my tank still went through a normal cycling process. I am new to the planted tank and I am still researching daily. It requires time, funds, research and knowledge. There are a lot of knowledable people on this forum that can help you get started. I reccommend live plants and I love them - my fish do too! I'd start with the sticky and then branch out from there. There's a lot to learn! Good luck!

[Moonaar]

I tried to undurstand how to cycle it but it just didnt make sense :( Could you or someone else break it down for me?

[Moonaar]

bump- sorry if im impatient!

[Draug Isilme]

I know for me, one of the easier ways for me to understand it was to know the basics as to how the cycle works. This goes over a fish-in cycle, but it still explains how the ammonia eventually develops to the good bacteria needed for cycling..

http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/cycl...r-dummies.html

I'm not absolutely sure if it'll be helpful, but I know for me, when I learn the basics on how something works, it's easier to learn how to do the methods...

[Moonaar]

oh this could help thank you draug!

[flowerslegacy]

Before I begin, let me first start by explaining that cycling is only required with tanks 5 gallons and above. All tanks under 5 gallons cannot establish a stable "cycle" and will simply require frequent water changes to keep the water clean. A "cycled" tank means that beneficial bacteria live on the rocks, decorations, etc. to help keep the water clean. Therefore, such frequent water changes are not necessary. I'm not a water chemist but I'll try to explain it in the easiest format I can: In a fish tank, fish poop and any waste will produce ammonia in their water. Ammonia is lethal to your fish. After a couple of weeks, a good bacteria will appear in the tank and begin to eat the ammonia. This good bacteria will in-turn poop nitrites. Nitrites are lethal to your fish. In a couple more weeks, another good bacteria will appear in the tank and eat the nitrites. Once these two bacteria are established in your tank, the water is livable for your fish. This is what is termed "Cycling". As you'll read from the "sticky", some people cycle their tank without fish aka. fishless. This requires that ammonia has to be introduced to the tank. Some folks use fish food, dead shrimp, or bottled ammonia. Some people cycle their tank with fish in the tank aka. fish-in, therefore the ammonia is introduced to the tank through the fish's waste. However you choose to introduce the ammonia to the tank, the ammonia will start the cycling process. The nitrites will just appear naturally. The most important part of cycling is to understand that ammonia and nitrites are lethal for your fish. That's why a lot of folks choose the "fishless" cycling process. There is so much more information to help you, but it's impossible to list it all here. I'm hoping this general overview will assist you in understanding the "sticky" and any other cycling information you find to research. There are methods and test kits and water changes and other factors that will all come in to play. That is why most folks tend to stay with the smaller tanks/bowls. Bettas are easy to care for because they can thrive in smaller tanks, and therefore allow people to avoid the cycling process.

[Moonaar]

Thank you sooooooo much that cleared things up! In your opinion should I cycle a 10g tank?

[flowerslegacy]

If you have a 10 gal, you'll need to cycle it.

[Moonaar]

Ok I will try thanks again.