# CO2 on new still-cycling tank



## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

first, I'm guessing that you do have some fish in the cycling tank with the plants? 

Hooking up CO2 will help the plants. The better the plants are, the less you need a bio-filter. The extreme case would be no filter except the plants, but having the filter is really a good backup.

So, it will mean that less development is required in the bio-filter, but that means that you have enough bio-filter sooner. So, is that slowing down or speeding up?

The plants create a silent cycle. Small short spikes, maybe no nitrates at the end if it is all consumed. Happy fish. 

I suggest adding the CO2, but no fertilizers yet, don't worry about the bio-filter, worry about the plant filter.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Stacey,

Somewhere you did something strange. In a planted tank you should never see a nitrite spike. When I set up my 55 gallon (Oh boy, here he goes again!  ) I just loaded it up with plants, turned on the lights and the CO2 and never saw any ammonia, or nitrite. In fact within a week I was having to add nitrate. I had a full fish load inside two weeks. The plants will eat up any ammonia before the bacteria get a chance. I did seed the tank with filter material from the other tank though.


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## geekgirl (Feb 4, 2003)

yeah, I did do something strange. Decided to try fishless cycling. I guess it works well in theory, but when there are lots of plants in the tank it gets wonky cause the plants do such a good job eating the ammonia. 

I have this nitrite spike that just won't go down. In the past I've set up the tank, added fish slowly and did frequent water changes. Don't know what possessed me to do it this way.  Some idea that I would save the fish from stress. But now that I think about it, my old way didn't stress them out, and except for my very first try I never really had new tank syndrome.

Now I'm just trying to determine the most efficacious way to get the nitrite to process and keep the plants happy in the meantime. 

I just want my FISH!

Stacey


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

I think I can help. Take some filter media from one of your other tanks and rinse it off in the tank with the problem. Also if possible gravel vac one of your other tanks real well and get the mulm from the bottom of the bucket and add it to the tank. This should give the bacteria the needed boost. Bacterial colonies in moderate to heavy planted tanks build up rather slowly due to the fact that the plants eat most if not all of the ammonia available. That seems to be what has happened in your tank. The plant load has broken the normal cycle and you are stuck with a nitrite spike. So do as large as a water change as you can manage on that tank. If fact do a couple of them. Then follow my other suggestions and see if that helps. And next time don't use the fishless cycling theory on a planted tank.


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## SNPiccolo5 (Oct 6, 2002)

Actually, there are 2 monerans (bacteria) responsible for the "cycle". The first breaks down ammonia into nitrite, and the second breaks down nitrite into nitrate... So, the first bacteria (the one that eats ammonia) is probably building up slowly, but you would just have to wait for the second bacteria to multiply, no doubt you have enough "food" for them.

Rex's suggestion of putting some filter media from another tank in will help by adding the second type of bacteria, but the nitrite would eventually go down by waiting, but the filter media will speed things up.

-Tim


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## geekgirl (Feb 4, 2003)

This tank was seeded with filter material, gravel, mulm and seeded caves and rocks, plus the plants. The thought occured to me yesterday that maybe my nitrite was so high that my test kit couldn't read the actual ppm. 

I did two 60% water changes and got a more reliable reading of 2ppm nitrite. This morning I tested and the tank had (finally) polished off the rest of the nitrite. I just get the merest trace reaction.

I think it was actually cycling well, just the nitrite had built up to such a level that the consumption was still indetectable. 

Still, I learned from this experience. I'm not sure that I would do a fishless cycle in a well planted tank again. Just slow stock it. This method would have more value in a hardscaped tank (like African cichlid) where there are no plants to take up the ammonia/nitrites.

As it is, I do FINALLY have a cycled tank, but I will be fighting algae in a big way from the imbalances. 

So... that's my $.02 on my experience with fishless cycling. Whole new ball-game in the planted tank:hehe:

Stacey


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