Temperature for a cycling tank

I'm cycling a new glass 10-gallon tank with plants (mostly anarchis, two amazon swords, a java fern, some hornwort & some water sprite, all rather small), as well as rocks, gravel, HOB filter, prime, and some snails. No fish, because I did a fish cycle on my 6-gallon in August and while 2 out of 4 of the H&T Tetras survive to this day (plus another H&T & two black neons), I realize now I really put a strain on 'em. So I'm trying to be patient with tank #2.

The ammonia in the new glass tank was down to 0 by Sunday morning (after it being set up for a week), but the nitrates were and remain sky high. I know cycling will take time, but I'm wondering if I should put in the heater I got for the tank. Ambient air at this mild time of year has been keeping the tank at a consistent 75 degrees. If I put in the heater and up the water to, say, 78 to 80, would that please the bacteria and make converting nitrite to nitrate easier for them? Or should I just sit back and try to figure out how that one redish snail got air in his/her shell so that she keeps bobbing up to the surface and floating around on her back until she finds something to grab on to? :joke:

Sorry! Hi nitrItes! That's what I get for typing on the fly... They're still high this morning. Oh, well, patience is a virtue!

However, my LFS finally got in some new plants. While maybe I shouldn't add more, it's taken the store weeks to get new plants in, so I'm likely to visit them after work and pick up some more if I see any I like. Currently the cycling tank is medium planted and I think I can fit in a few more, which will be good in the long run if I decide to get a Betta to keep some not-yet-bought-either black neons company. They can hide from each other. Good thing it looks pretty now without fish since I may not be able to add any for a long time. Snails don't move at a snail's pace, do they? The float-happy red one (about the size of a pencil eraser) is still cleaning along, which is good since I'm in the "that sure seems to be a lot of green algae it makes me nervous" stage...

I read some where that fishfood flakes could be added to a cycling tank to give some ammonia. I soaked some flakes over night and added the water (just a tablespoon or so) this morning; I didn't want to add the flakes themselves to avoid having to clean them up later. I'll check tonight if that made any difference at all (probably not, too little). The snails will be, um, defacating (I once saw a snail with a tiny trail of poop from the interior/center of its curling shell, very funny!), but there's not much ammonia production there -- not nothing, but not much at the moment. We're due for cooler, wetter weather by the end of the week (in time for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, yikes!), so I'll probably put my heater in if the water temp drops below 75F. The idea that too-high temps might hurt plants does not appeal, but maybe a rise to 80 will be okay. Eventually I'll have fish in there and that will really balance things out.