When To Add Plants

[Rhiny]

Ive nearly completed my fishless cycling. My filter has been processing the ammonia within 12 hours, just waiting for the same to happen to the nitrites. Been processing the ammonia now in 12 hours for 4 days.

When would the best time for me to add live plants to my setup?

I have a 126 litre Fluval 800 Deep with an external Fluval 205 filter.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

No reason why you could not add plants now.

I'd definitely recommend getting advice from the plants section, so you find out what demands different plants need in terms of lighting intensity; carbon dioxide or carbon source like Easycarbo; substrate long term fertilisers; weekly fertiliser liquids etc.

 

[Rhiny]

Excellent thanks for the advice. I will let them know in plants section what I want and see what I need.

 

[Primous]

Do not add plants now it'll be a waste of money and your time. High ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate will turn your plants to mush. The levels of ammonia you need to add 5ppm and the resulting nitrite and nitrate is simply way to high at this stage. The fluctuating ph levels during a cycle will also have an adverse affect and to accompany that, adding light with levels of A/N/N is an open invitation to more than a few types of algae.

Also, I'm afraid you are quite some way off from being nearly finished with your cycle. Nitrite consuming bacs develop at a far slower rate than A consuming bacs. I know it seems like a boring process but you're going to be in a better position once it's completed.

 

[Rhiny]

Thanks for your advice. It is a very slow process but it has been speeded up by my filter media donation.

Hopefully my nitrite munching bacs are developing nicely.

Two different views on the last two posts about adding plants at this stage