Dirted Tank Cycling

[ls10454]

Hello! I am trying the walsted method for the first time in my 55 gallon aquarium. It has been almost a week and the parameters are a very high. Should I be concerned? Do I need to do a water change?
The tank has two filters that have established media in them from my other tanks. Thank you in advance!

 

[Stan510]

Just add plants,not fish. Everything the fish provide later is there from the dirt you are using. I presume its potting soil? Maybe you might have added more than needed? If you add JUST plants and some kind of algae breaks out,then you have the luxury of making 100% changes.
Its down the road when you add fish and things are stable the dirt with fish waste will settle things down.

 

[ls10454]

Just add plants,not fish. Everything the fish provide later is there from the dirt you are using. I presume its potting soil? Maybe you might have added more than needed? If you add JUST plants and some kind of algae breaks out,then you have the luxury of making 100% changes.
Its down the road when you add fish and things are stable the dirt with fish waste will settle things down.

It's got a bunch of plants in it at the moment and some driftwood. So no water changes yet?

 

[Stan510]

I don't see any reason to make a water change. You might add more plants...get two more bunches of Ambulia or what you have that resembles it.
The driftwood you might remove and wash off that white fungus. That's from wood not fully cured and can make an aquarium smell. Sometimes Ancistrus will eat it..or Plecos.
This is a good time to get the plants off to a great start..then add the fish.

 

[ls10454]

I don't see any reason to make a water change. You might add more plants...get two more bunches of Ambulia or what you have that resembles it.
The driftwood you might remove and wash off that white fungus. That's from wood not fully cured and can make an aquarium smell. Sometimes Ancistrus will eat it..or Plecos.
This is a good time to get the plants off to a great start..then add the fish.

Thank you! I will just let it go its course and then once the levels have come down I will add the fish!

 

[Byron]

Be prepared for a long wait, depending upon what is in the soil. If it is fairly high in organic matter, it can take a few months before ammonia will be zero. Even the plants cannot use it all, and fish in the tank can be killed. This is one of the downsides to soil.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

I agree with @Byron.
For dirt or soil, you will need to wait at least 1.5 months as some dirt will leach ammonia.
Add more fast growing plants like Hornworts, Anacharis Elodea, Cabomba to absorb the ammonia or nutrients from the soil.

 

[itiwhetu]

Thats not enough plant, you need your tank to be filled 30-50% of the volume in plant. Then wait for those plants to start growing, then add fish slowly. about two weeks or so. You also need the right combination of fast-growing plants for your system, which may take some trial and error.

 

[Byron]

Subsequent posts have reminded me that whereas terrestrial plants take up nitrogen as nitrate via their roots, aquarium plants (with a few exceptions) take up nitrogen as ammonia but through the leaves, which means the ammonia has to diffuse into the water, which is why it is so risky.

 

[ls10454]

Thats not enough plant, you need your tank to be filled 30-50% of the volume in plant. Then wait for those plants to start growing, then add fish slowly. about two weeks or so. You also need the right combination of fast-growing plants for your system, which may take some trial and error.

Any advice on where to get plants cheaply? I know I need a lot more, but I am running out of money!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

In my dirted tanks, it usually takes about 6 weeks before the water chemistry settles down. That seems to be about how long it takes a tank to cycle anyway, so to me it's just cycling the natural way. As soon as Amonia and Nitrite are at 0 and the plants are growing robustly, I know it's time to add fish.

For affordable plants: In Washington state, check out TheWetSpot. They have a great selection of plants and shipping shouldn't be too much. I've also had great luck with Buceplant.com. Amazon, Ebay, and Etsy are worth a look, too, though they're a risk. Make sure you only buy from sellers with really good rep, and make sure they're in North America. I have mistakenly ordered from East Asia or Europe a few times, and they tend to not thrive on the journey. Ebay and etsy plants tend to be infested with snails and other interesting inverts. I like inverts so this isn't a problem for me; anything parasitic or pathogenic will be long gone by the time six weeks has gone by. But some people hate snails and worms and such, so if that's you, be aware.

 

[ls10454]

In my dirted tanks, it usually takes about 6 weeks before the water chemistry settles down. That seems to be about how long it takes a tank to cycle anyway, so to me it's just cycling the natural way. As soon as Amonia and Nitrite are at 0 and the plants are growing robustly, I know it's time to add fish.

For affordable plants: In Washington state, check out TheWetSpot. They have a great selection of plants and shipping shouldn't be too much. I've also had great luck with Buceplant.com. Amazon, Ebay, and Etsy are worth a look, too, though they're a risk. Make sure you only buy from sellers with really good rep, and make sure they're in North America. I have mistakenly ordered from East Asia or Europe a few times, and they tend to not thrive on the journey. Ebay and etsy plants tend to be infested with snails and other interesting inverts. I like inverts so this isn't a problem for me; anything parasitic or pathogenic will be long gone by the time six weeks has gone by. But some people hate snails and worms and such, so if that's you, be aware.

Thank you!

 

[itiwhetu]

No, I.m sorry I'm on the otherside of the world.