# Cycling with plants



## Wakenbake (Mar 25, 2013)

Hey guys, new to plants and starting a new tank. How should I go about cycling with plants? I've read to add a fish or two for the ammonia otherwise the plants will just take it all and wont cycle?


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

No the plants will use some ammonia that you add but your tank will still cycle. Putting fish in a tank that you are adding ammonia to will kill the fish or leave them permanently damaged


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## Wakenbake (Mar 25, 2013)

Im not actually adding pure ammonia. I just read that the plants will use the ammonia and nitrites if I were to add a fish and cycle it. It said there would never even be a spike of Ammonia or nitrites because of the plants. I plan on having about 20-22 plants.


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Well I have added plants before fish without adding anything else. The plants will carry bacteria with them. So you can actually speed up the cycle a little bit. Or at least make it fish safe faster.


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## rtmaston (Jul 14, 2012)

I added a couple of plants when I first started the tank and now are about a year old now.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

the plants will probably not eliminate cycling.It is true they use the nutrients that are harmful,but they won't use them all.Plants eat nitrAtes also,but we all still have to changed water?
The plants may help speed up cycle or limit the amount of nutrients in your water but if I had to bet,I'd say you could still get "toxic" with plants during cycling.


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Wakenbake said:


> Im not actually adding pure ammonia. I just read that the plants will use the ammonia and nitrites if I were to add a fish and cycle it. It said there would never even be a spike of Ammonia or nitrites because of the plants. I plan on having about 20-22 plants.


Plants definitely help someone who has made the mistake of adding fish too soon, but they will not be enough to stop the cycling process. If that was true then all heavily planted tanks would never have cycled filters!! No point exposing your fish to this if you haven't bought them yet. Plant the tank get it decorated to how you want it add the filters follow this link http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/fishless-cycle-15036.html . While you are cycling, your plants will root in and not be disturbed. Although the waiting is frustrating all you have to do is read some of the horror stories and extra work people who have had fish suffering or dying because of improper cycling.


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## Wakenbake (Mar 25, 2013)

Thanks for the responses guys! Ill just plant them and add some decor from my cycled tank and hopefully help speed it up!


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

If you have a cycled tank, if you can steal some of the filter media that would be even better to help speed things up than some of the other decor.


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