Cycle with plants and fish?

[SeaLady]

If I read the sticky for newbies correctly, I can cycle a new tank with plants and a few fish?

Plant heavily and put the fish in immediately?

Would someone expand on this for me? Would appreciate info, thanks!

[Slaphppy7]

You can cycle with fish, but it causes them stress and harm. A fishless cycle, IMO, is a much more humane approach, and can certainly be done with plants.

[Stlouisfish]

Cycling with fish in the tank is a longer process than doing it with ammonia (fishless).

Cycling involves providing a source of ammonia to grow & feed bacteria in your filter. The ammonia is "food" for bacteria.

If there are fish in the tank, they produce ammonia themselves but until enough bacteria are grown, the ammonia will build up in the tank and needs to be kept at a low level to protect the fish until the cycling is completed.

Without fish, you can "spike" the ammonia early on and grow bacteria faster - once the bacteria are grown, fish can be added and there is no worry that their ammonia will harm them because the bacteria break it down.

May I add that there is no timeline to know exactly how long the cycle will take no matter how you do it - you will need to monitor your water parameters and understand what the cycling process involves.

[mommy1]

The sticky explains how to cycle a tank with an unbalanced amount of fish to plants. You have to monitor the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels very closely until everything balances out and the tank cycles. This way is usually a lot of work because of all the water changes needed to keep the ammonia down to tolerable levels. This can take a long time, 2-3 months in some cases and if not not exactly right the fish suffer.
There is another way called a silent cycle which Diane Walstad explains in her book. With the Walstad method, from the start, you plant very heavily and stock very lightly and the plants use up the same amount of ammonia, nitrite, and often nitrate the fish are producing. This takes a bit more research than a regular cycle, but if you are willing to do the brain work it might be an option for you.

[SeaLady]

Ok. I was puzzled about the general reference to it and thought it seemed too easy and why wasn't everyone doing this?! LOL

Its another method, but its very involved and I'm not interested in putting any fish in a situation that causes them stress and/or pain.

So I will stay the course with the fish less cycle....I get the new(old) tank today!!!

Thanks for quick replies and information.

[SeaLady]

Just to make sure, I CAN stock with plants as I am doing a fishless cycle?

[Slaphppy7]

Just to make sure, I CAN stock with plants as I am doing a fishless cycle?

Certainly.

[SeaLady]

Thank you....