Cycling Question

B

Bucky Katt

AC Members
Jun 6, 2006
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I started my cycle a week a go today (fishless). I added enough ammonia to the water to read about 4 ppm.. I started out without live plants and then 2 days later I needed to add some ammonia to the tank to get my level back up to about 3 ppm. I then added some live plants to the tank and since then daily water checks have given the following reading

Ammonia 4ppm
Nitrite .5ppm
Nitrate 5ppm

I do have some leaves floating around the tank or stuck the the filter screen (possible ammonia source?). It has been pretty conisistant. Should I keep going and see how it does in another week?
 
Adding plants to a cycling tank is not recommended because the plants consume the ammonia you're adding every day instead of your filter. As a result, your filter can't really build up a large bacterial colony. In fact, adding plants can throw the whole cycling process off. At the very least it complicates matters.

Also, adding large amounts of ammonia to your tank and leaving your lights on for 10-12 hours a day (which is what your plants require for healthy growth) can lead to algae outbreaks.
 
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