Should I NOT put plants in my...

[MemphisEcho]

I have been cycling my tank for about 2 weeks now, the ammonia is waaay up but no nitrates or nitrites are showing up. I thought I read somewhere where you could get good bacteria from plants, so a couple of days ago I bought 3 plants. Now I'm reading in posts that plants may slow down the cycling pocess?? Should I chuck the plants?

By the way I have a 75 gallon set up for Malawi, lots of rocks and coral substrate.

 

[Dragonslair]

No don't chuck your plants away. They will help the nitrogen cycle once fish are introduced. Plants are always nice to have in a tank. You may need to feed the plants in the early stages until the roots get established.

 

[sinistral]

You're right that they also import beneficial bacteria (generally speaking). A heavily planted tank means that a smaller bacterial load will grow, because less ammonium and nitrates are available. In my experience, even more lightly planted tanks seem to help a cycle along.

Are you planning on discarding the plants after you finish cycling? If so, you will lose the benefit that they provide and will lose some ability of your tank to process nitrogenous wastes in the short term.