Cycling and other questions

[iktomiwicasa]

I am in the proccess of setting up an 80 gallon, and my wish is to go planted on this one. My main question: It will be a week or two before I have my substrate materials assembled as well as my lighting system. Is there a downside to filling my tank now, and starting a fishless cycle sans substrate in order to ramp up my filters and thus get a head start? I am using a filstar xp3 canister, plus a AQ70 powerhead pulling through a sponge. Does this sound like a reasonable amount of filtration for a planted tank? I will be adding CO2, and I am also wondering if a high flow rate will gas off my CO2, or do I need to be concerned only with surface agitation?

 

[djlen]

I am in the proccess of setting up an 80 gallon, and my wish is to go planted on this one. My main question: It will be a week or two before I have my substrate materials assembled as well as my lighting system. Is there a downside to filling my tank now, and starting a fishless cycle sans substrate in order to ramp up my filters and thus get a head start?

IMO, no there is no downside, but if you wait and plant the tank fairly heavily and add just a few fish initially, it will 'cycle' itself. A fishless cycle without substrate will give a bio-colony less area to colonize in, but it will colonize in the filter media.

I am using a filstar xp3 canister, plus a AQ70 powerhead pulling through a sponge. Does this sound like a reasonable amount of filtration for a planted tank?

I use an xp2 and a power head in one of my 55's and am not impressed with the xp2's power for that size tank. In fact the xp2 would be inadequate for that volume of water without the circulation that the power head brings to the table. I hope your xp3 is strong enough for your tank.

I will be adding CO2, and I am also wondering if a high flow rate will gas off my CO2, or do I need to be concerned only with surface agitation?

Good circulation should not significantly affect the CO2 effectiveness as long as it's low enough to keep the surface in a slight roll as opposed to a chop, IMO.

Len

 

[Goatman]

When you add plants to the tank, the necessity to "cycle" a tank as a fish-only keeper has to is tossed out the window. You introduce a colonized media (plants leaves), along with the plants themselves to take up nitrogenous waste. Just make sure you have your fertilizers on hand from the get go (I highly reccomend EI dosing with Greg Watson dry ferts), as you want your plants to get the upper hand before algae enters the picture.

 

[Aquabum]

What about mulm from an established tank? This, with all of the above should jumpstart everything.

I've tried this method, and it has worked well for me.


Lissette

 

[iktomiwicasa]

Thanks...

...for the replies. I've decided to fill and cycle the tank ahead of time. If nothing else it gives my filters a head start. My filstar combined with the powerhead give me roughly 600-700 gph flow rate. Sound like a reasonable flow for a planted tank?