The Walstead method is pretty much along these same lines negating the need for water changes or filtration. Take a look at it and see if that help you make sense of what we are saying.
can ading too many live plants at once cause a cycle crash?
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Plants dont release ammonia. The BB turns ammonia into nitrites and nitrates, which are used by plants as food. Plants dont take ammonia directly from the water like the bacteria does. The only difference you would see in a heavily planted tank vs not planted is the amount of nitrates (which tell you how often to change your water). In an understocked heavily planted tank, you can get away with not doing water changes for a very long time, since the bacteria takes the toxic ammonia and turns it into toxic nitrates, then the plants take the toxic nitrates out of the water and convert it into growth of the plants. When we do maintenance water changes, it is generally to take the nitrates and ugly solid waste out of the tank so it doesnt promote algae growth and poison the fish. Plants do some of this for us. They generally dont excrete anything but carbon dioxide in the process. Perhaps if you had rotting plant debris in the tank that might add something, but thats another story and you didnt mention your plants dying. If you have ammonia in your tanks that isnt being converted, you lost your bacteria somehow and your tank is no longer cycled. Maybe you had some chemical accidentally get in on your hands or a cloth or something, but I would think that the fish would show signs of that first.
I think you're thinking of ammonium, which they can use as a nitrogen source, but in aquarium settings it is more likely to be converted by the bacteria into nitrates before the plant has a chance to use it in that form. When cycling is first starting, plants may take in ammonium, but unless the tank is very heavily planted, I doubt the little they can take in in that form will impact the growth of BB.
i had to read and re-read ur post a few times, but i think i get it now. fish/food/poop make ammonia, bb eats ammonia & nitrItes, plants eat nitrAtes, which eliminates the need for weekly water changes because every part is used up. plants cant eat ammonia, so the bb wont starve. and plants dont add to the bioload unless they die. so, i put those live plants back in the betta tank. as for the bb, i wont be removing any more filter media, even a little bit, unless i already have a seasoned back-up piece ready for the exchange. thanks so much fellers. betta is doing fine, btw, he's a champ.
Decaying plant matter will turn into ammonia along with decaying food and detritus. Saying that ammonia converts to toxic nitrates completely misses the fact that it becomes toxic nitrites long before it becomes nitrates and at a toxic level. There are certain plants that are known for being "nitrate hogs" and will zero out a tank in no time.
Any organic matter will create ammonia as it breaks down.
What you may have intended and what you actually said are not very close in this application. The information you gave is off base and Jpappy and I are trying to clear it up.
Any organic matter will create ammonia as it breaks down.
What you may have intended and what you actually said are not very close in this application. The information you gave is off base and Jpappy and I are trying to clear it up.
I didnt skip the fact that it turns into nitrites first. I said that in the second sentence. But it is moot if your tank is cycled; BB turns nitrites into nitrates, so I simplified the process in my later explanations, hoping the OP would be able to make the connection. Nitrates are a toxin, though at low levels it doesnt cause harm to fish (though safe levels depend on the fish or invert species). Its similar to how ibuprofen is a toxin, but humans can consume it at low levels with no real ill effects. The reason a heavily planted tank can balance out the waste production and extend the time between water changes is the nitrate level, assuming you have a cycled tank with enough BB to take care of the ammonia and nitrites. However, you have to have it very heavily planted and understocked to ELIMINATE the need for water changes, and frequent testing should be done to make sure that the tank is in balance. Also, you would have to be careful about adding tap water to top off evaporation, since tap water isnt just water, it contains dissolved solids, which dont evaporate with the water. If you never change the water and top off with tap water, you could increase your kH and GH (hardness). I would top off with RO or distilled in that case.
