Plants While Cycling

[Primous]

@mark love those tanks. I've seen a few on ukaps and plantedtank densely planted with co2 and no filter just a pump or two to keep the water oxygenated and algae at bay. Great stuff...

@SteM Please post pics and keep us updated. Adding plants to a cycling tank is something we see on a regular basis on fishforums. It aways ends the same way and with your lights on at 12 hours a day, while there may not be algae at this moment in time I'm willing to bet you my 125L that algae is most certainly on the way.

 

[SteM]

That's it now,

Do you think I should reduce the lighting period?

 

[mark4785]

I have a good amount of plants now since Friday and I've been giving 12hours of lighting and there's no algae whatsoever in the tank

If your lighting is low you may avoid algae development. It usually takes about a week for diatoms (brown circular algae that develops in newly cycled aquariums) to appear and around a week for plants to deteriorate in inadequate conditions. I would recommend, and a lot of others would recommend a lighting period between 6 and 8 hours; when you reach a period of time beyond 8 hours certain plants like the Sessiliflora begin to shut their buds up indicating they've 'had enough' of the lighting period.

@Primous - Thank you!

 

[SteM]

I have 2 25w tubes in, plants seem to be doing fine, should I reduce it to 8 hours lighting?