Cycling Question

OrangeCones · 08-21-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jingles

alright, sounds good. Also (once the plant trimming take root) will moving some plant into the tank affect the cycle?

Plants will consume ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

FroggyFox · 08-21-2009, 04:33 PM

Yeah, but unless you pretty much fill the tank with quickly growing plants you probably wont see much affect on the chemical levels during a cycle. If you were to get the ammonia too high I have heard of certain plants "melting", but if you see any of your levels going down a lot and another one not going up...the plants may be causing it.

jingles · 08-21-2009, 08:13 PM

um.. Plant people can call me out on this because I only really know about unaquatic plants but the same should apply. Well aquatic plants would have a higher tolerance of ammonia I think. Plants don't consume ammonia and high doses hurt plants(thus the burning affect), plants consume Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus. In the air(or water I guess) they absorb C02. So they might help break down ammonium but I doupt it I'm sure they just take in N02/N03. BUT this is just my theory that my father help me with (horticulture major) and I have no proof but I am a chem. eng. so I do know a little bit about chem.

anyways I got the NH3/NH4 and I was going to dose the tank but it is still super clouding and brown from the flourite so I guess I'll wait till it cleans up

OrangeCones · 08-21-2009, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jingles

um.. Plant people can call me out on this because I only really know about unaquatic plants but the same should apply. Well aquatic plants would have a higher tolerance of ammonia I think. Plants don't consume ammonia and high doses hurt plants(thus the burning affect), plants consume Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus.

Aquatic plants do indeed consume ammonia/ammonium (depending on the pH of the water). They can get Nitrogen from it. If the levels were very high, I guess they could cause 'burns' on the plants, but I've never encountered any levels that high.

Plants, infact, prefer to consume ammonia first. If they have nitrites, they must expend energy to convert it to ammonia/ammonium to be consumed. Same for nitrates, must be converted to nitrites and then to ammonia/ammonium to be consumed (backwards of the process of nitrifying bacteria).

This link explains the process in much more detail, and is more for the 'chemist':

Aqua Botanic - Plants and biological filtration

jingles · 08-22-2009, 10:37 AM

thanks for setting me straight. That website was really good too, thank you.

My tank is still brown so I guess I'll do a water change and then start trying to cycle it. I guess I should have rinsed the flourite first but I didn't think it be this bad. oh well

jingles · 08-23-2009, 10:45 AM

Do I need to have my filter going while the tank is cycling? I figure I should but I don't want to stir up the dust from the flourite, because my tank looks like chocolate milk, gross. Should I wait till the waters clear to start cycling?

littletankbigworld · 08-23-2009, 10:47 AM

I strongly recommend buying some low maintenance plants. Java fern, anubias, dwarf grass, and sword plant are all beautiful plants that are hardy and easy to take care of. Sword plant and anubias are literally indestructible.

jingles · 08-23-2009, 11:19 AM

yea I have some swords, dwarf lilies, and some banana plants. They're easy to maintain, low light plants.

Ravenstar · 08-24-2009, 06:53 AM

Yes, your filter needs to be running during the cycle. If it's not running, the bacteria aren't going to grow in it; they can't just hop out of the tank and onto your filter media. :3

Cloudiness can be caused by a number of things. You said you had driftwood, didn't you? A brown/rusty color water is from driftwood releasing tannins into the water. It's not harmful, it's just a bit unsightly. If you're concerned it's your gravel, it may be, especially if you didn't rinse it first. A good idea is to always rinse anything you're about to put in your tank in warm water to ensure that any leftover gunk is gotten off before it cruds up your tank. A milky cloudiness is a good thing, it means you've got a bacteria bloom and your cycle is getting right along. A green cloudiness means you have algae, and you should take proper steps to get rid of it. :3

I've never had fluorite for gravel...is it chunks of polished semi-precious stone or is it just rocks that have some fluorite in them?

homebunnyj · 08-24-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenstar

I've never had fluorite for gravel...is it chunks of polished semi-precious stone or is it just rocks that have some fluorite in them?

It's flourite, a planting medium that goes in place of gravel.

08-21-2009, 04:33 PM	#12
FroggyFox Forum Manager Join Date: May 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 8,479	Yeah, but unless you pretty much fill the tank with quickly growing plants you probably wont see much affect on the chemical levels during a cycle. If you were to get the ammonia too high I have heard of certain plants "melting", but if you see any of your levels going down a lot and another one not going up...the plants may be causing it. __________________ 29, 46 & 55FW 29 SW + dog + horse + catYou can view info & photos of my critters here...

08-21-2009, 08:13 PM	#13
jingles Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 76	um.. Plant people can call me out on this because I only really know about unaquatic plants but the same should apply. Well aquatic plants would have a higher tolerance of ammonia I think. Plants don't consume ammonia and high doses hurt plants(thus the burning affect), plants consume Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus. In the air(or water I guess) they absorb C02. So they might help break down ammonium but I doupt it I'm sure they just take in N02/N03. BUT this is just my theory that my father help me with (horticulture major) and I have no proof but I am a chem. eng. so I do know a little bit about chem. anyways I got the NH3/NH4 and I was going to dose the tank but it is still super clouding and brown from the flourite so I guess I'll wait till it cleans up __________________ 29g-Female Betta(CT), BN Pleco, ABN Pleco, Blue Crayfish, 6 Serpae Tetras, 3 Pristella Tetras, 3 Otos(Amazon Sword, Cabomba, Java Moss, Marino Ball, Red Ludwiga) 10g-Male Betta, Snails(Cambomba, Marino Ball, Red Mangrove, Red Ludwigia)

08-22-2009, 10:37 AM	#15
jingles Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 76	thanks for setting me straight. That website was really good too, thank you. My tank is still brown so I guess I'll do a water change and then start trying to cycle it. I guess I should have rinsed the flourite first but I didn't think it be this bad. oh well __________________ 29g-Female Betta(CT), BN Pleco, ABN Pleco, Blue Crayfish, 6 Serpae Tetras, 3 Pristella Tetras, 3 Otos(Amazon Sword, Cabomba, Java Moss, Marino Ball, Red Ludwiga) 10g-Male Betta, Snails(Cambomba, Marino Ball, Red Mangrove, Red Ludwigia)

08-23-2009, 10:45 AM	#16
jingles Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 76	Do I need to have my filter going while the tank is cycling? I figure I should but I don't want to stir up the dust from the flourite, because my tank looks like chocolate milk, gross. Should I wait till the waters clear to start cycling? __________________ 29g-Female Betta(CT), BN Pleco, ABN Pleco, Blue Crayfish, 6 Serpae Tetras, 3 Pristella Tetras, 3 Otos(Amazon Sword, Cabomba, Java Moss, Marino Ball, Red Ludwiga) 10g-Male Betta, Snails(Cambomba, Marino Ball, Red Mangrove, Red Ludwigia)

08-23-2009, 10:47 AM	#17
littletankbigworld Large Fish Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 682	I strongly recommend buying some low maintenance plants. Java fern, anubias, dwarf grass, and sword plant are all beautiful plants that are hardy and easy to take care of. Sword plant and anubias are literally indestructible. __________________ 29 gallon tank-2 orange Mickey Mouse platies, 2 white Mickey Mouse platies, 2 dalmatian mollies, 3 bleeding heart tetras, 2 serpae (blood) tetras, 1 peppered corydora catfish, 1 upside down catfish, 4 otocinclus catfish -hornwort plants, sword plant 5 gallon tank-molly fry, platy fry -hornwort plants 1.5 gallon hospital tank-empty Updated: 1/20/10 R.I.P. Mimzy 9/20/09 R.I.P. Oreo 9/22/09

08-23-2009, 11:19 AM	#18
jingles Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Auburn, AL Posts: 76	yea I have some swords, dwarf lilies, and some banana plants. They're easy to maintain, low light plants. __________________ 29g-Female Betta(CT), BN Pleco, ABN Pleco, Blue Crayfish, 6 Serpae Tetras, 3 Pristella Tetras, 3 Otos(Amazon Sword, Cabomba, Java Moss, Marino Ball, Red Ludwiga) 10g-Male Betta, Snails(Cambomba, Marino Ball, Red Mangrove, Red Ludwigia)

08-24-2009, 06:53 AM	#19
Ravenstar Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 56	Yes, your filter needs to be running during the cycle. If it's not running, the bacteria aren't going to grow in it; they can't just hop out of the tank and onto your filter media. :3 Cloudiness can be caused by a number of things. You said you had driftwood, didn't you? A brown/rusty color water is from driftwood releasing tannins into the water. It's not harmful, it's just a bit unsightly. If you're concerned it's your gravel, it may be, especially if you didn't rinse it first. A good idea is to always rinse anything you're about to put in your tank in warm water to ensure that any leftover gunk is gotten off before it cruds up your tank. A milky cloudiness is a good thing, it means you've got a bacteria bloom and your cycle is getting right along. A green cloudiness means you have algae, and you should take proper steps to get rid of it. :3 I've never had fluorite for gravel...is it chunks of polished semi-precious stone or is it just rocks that have some fluorite in them? __________________ 2.5G Sirius - the most exquisite specimen of male CT betta ever :3 2.5G Taken down 15G Under construction! Tiger barbs maybe? 29G 3 female betta, and tons of space to fill