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Best Way To Start A Planted Tank?

Brenmuk said:
Hi Mark4785

Sounds like your mind is made up to do the fishless cycling - good luck with that let us know how you get on.

Yes. I've not started the cycle yet as I found that the priming handle that came with my external Fluval 406 has snapped off. Fluval have dispatched out a replacement so when that arrives I'll get filling the tank and dosing pure ammonia.

I think someone (sorry forgot your name) before your reply stated the fishless cycle isn't scientific. I never said it was fully scientific, it's just a more comfortable process that is more easily controlled and you usually know where you are with it. For instance, in hard water (8dh), with a total alkalinity level of 5dh and a PH of 8.4, you usually achieve a consistent 0ppm of ammonia 24 hours after the 7th/8th day of dosing pure ammonia. It's trends like this that I think make the process more friendly than just leaving it to the plants.

If I was going to be putting a much more hardy fish in the water then I'd be more inclined to just start planting but the Mikrogeophagus Ram is exceptional.
 
Fishless cycling is a good choice - planted I've found it speeds it up quite dramatically too.
 
There is always a tendency to overcomplicate matters. I have just returned to the hobby after over 25 years absence and all this gubbins about fishless cycling etc and the science behind it was largely unheard of, despite dedicated periodicals such as Tropical Fish Hobbyist and The Aquarist, and I always managed perfectly well without fatalities.

The science behind a biochemically balanced aquarium is not easily understood by many, but in my humble opinion much of it is common sense. Plant moderately - heavily with the plants you know you can grow, and then add the fish one or two at a time over the space of a month or so.

The plants will instantly start to take up any available Ammonium from the water column through their leaves along with other sources of nitrogen and therefore meet the shortfall whilst the filter cycles.

I often place fish straight into a newly planted tank on the same day it is set up, the only additive I use is water conditioner, but I have had equally successful results without. The key is to load the system gradually so that the water purifying quality of the plants combined with the filters capacity to meet demand is not overwhelmed. You also have the safety net of water changes.

Hope this helps
 
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