Cycling of tank ?

[emmanuelwoon]

I have question on how to cycle a planted tank.

if I were to start planting HC using DSM or plant plant it with no water water in it .

Once I am satisfied with my HC and I flood my tank ,doesn't this way means that I will not be cycling my tank ?

I am quite confuse on cycling of tank if this is the case. After flooding the tank what precaution I should take to prevent excessive nutrients as I have minimal beneficial bacteria .

What kind of routine should I be doing to prevent algae ? What are u guys doing for your tank ?

Thanks much

[wongce]

you can flood your tank after HC has grown to the extend you wanted.

just cycle the tank normally...nothing more, nothing less

With regular wc and some fast growing plants like hornwarts/frogbits, you should be ok.

Tie the hornworts into a bunch somewhere behind the tank..they will survive...

don't worry about algae... no matter what you do, you will get them ..... concentrate on growing plants not eradicating algae...you will be fine....

[thebaldingaquarist]

for DSM, once you flood your tank, your tank is considered new. by that time, your tank will have minimal amount of bacteria.

To help cycle, you may want to start your filter with a pail elsewhere. place in some ammonia and starter bacteria. this way, when you port the filter over to the newly flooded tank (probably 3 weeks DSM?), whats let is to build the beneficial bacteria in the soil in the tank.

[Urban Aquaria]

My experience with DSM is once you get a nice dense HC carpet (usually after 6-8 weeks), a good amount of ammonia and nutrients would have been absorbed by the HC over the many weeks of growth, and with an established plant mass covering the substrate, the plant roots will also help keep the soil intact (less chance of it getting tossed around and clouding the tank), so the initial ammonia levels after flooding will tend to be abit lower to start with.

In addition, during the DSM period, some beneficial bacteria are already multiplying in the soil itself, so you may experience a slightly quicker cycling period too.

That being said, you'll still need to make sure the tank is fully cycled before adding fauna.