Phanmc, I just have regular gravel....I simply stuck the plants in the gravel per the lfs girl. Do I need to go out and purchase liquid fertilizer?....flourite???? co2????
Cycle almost complete...added 2 live plants....
- Thread starter Morbius
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With fishless cycling, we are growing primarily the bacteria needed for noitrogen compunds (Ammonia nitrite and nitrate) we largely skip out on the multitude of other bacteria that grow and thrive in our tank. some of these microorganisms have an effect on diatom algae and specifically green water blooms. There is therefore a much higher risk of green water with a fishless cycle than with pretty much any other method that comes into play. Fish and plants are both capable of importing most if not all of the little organisms that are normal fare in our tanks. With a fishless cycle and a small number of plants, we set ouselves up for big risks, if you convert to a heavily planted tank with proper balanced ferts, carbon and light you will likely avoid the green water bloom. anything in between no plants and heavily planted will likely result in green water. Of all the types of algae available to our tanks Green water is the easiest IME to deal with, so Don't get overly concerned, just be aware there is a good likelihood of it happening. If you get your tank planted well and the plants grow well for several days then you can go ahead and add your fish.
As far as ferts light and what you need, read the fertilizer sticky, and then see where you are at. with low-medium light, most likely all you need is macro's and traces, and as soon as you put in fish and start feeding them you can probably drop back on the macros or stop them altogether.
With no mulm or fertilizer of any type in the substrate things can be more difficult but not at all impossible, youll just have to pay more attention to Macro nutrients at first is all.
Scout. Sorry man...where can I find this fert sticky????Hell...should I just Take the live plants out and continue my cycle without them??? Because now I'm getting concerned...If i keep the lights on too long,I run the risk of an algae bloom...if I keep the lights off too long the plants will more than likely die...and cause more problems.....crap....Impulse buying....it'll kill ya!!!!!!!
Sorry, I should have been more informative on that. The fert stickey and other useful information can be found at the top of the page in the plant forum.
The decision is yours, but I can tell you I'm not one to just pitch plants I've bought, and they may stay alive quite well in a bucket. I know anachris will survive four days in the dark, not sure about frill I've never owned any.
Scout.You know what man.....there is just WAY too much info on plants for me to digest @ this time,especialy since I'm a newbie so I took them out.Also...in the time it took to turn the lights out when I turned them back on I saw a snail crawling on the back wall.I tried to scoop it out with the net,but when it fell off the side it was so small I lost it in the gravel.Will i now be overrun with pond snails?????
snails are IMO a blessing to any tank, and although populations can get out of control this is usually an ndicator of other problems, and can be dealt with easily.
Here is agood article on that subject as well.
a beginners guide to snails
Here is agood article on that subject as well.
a beginners guide to snails
Something else I thought I'd add, Don't let the fert sticky scare you too badly. remember it was mostly written by folks who have been keeping plants for an extended amount of time, and a good many of them study this stuff as a proffession as well. Take it one step at a time.
It is probably in some ways wise to get your tank cycled and set with fish and then dive into the plant world, but don't let the plant world scare you, it can be fairly simple, and low tech tanks are often just as gorgeous as the global warming set-ups
It is probably in some ways wise to get your tank cycled and set with fish and then dive into the plant world, but don't let the plant world scare you, it can be fairly simple, and low tech tanks are often just as gorgeous as the global warming set-ups
