To plant or not to plant during a set up cycle?

Much has changed in the aquarium hobby since I last owned one as far as cycling a newly set up freshwater tank. Back then, all one did was to fill your aquarium...add chlorine drops....and run the tank for a day or two before adding your fish. So, I've been doing a lot of research online and talking to an expreienced aquarist to re-educate myself with the hobby.

I recently set up a 10 gallon to be used as a breeding and fry tank for fancy guppies and also have a 15 gallon (not set up yet), for my community tank of all males. I plan to do this in the next few days.

When I do set up the 15 gallon, I would like to include live plants, but I seem to be getting conflicting information on whether to add them immediately or to wait til the cycle is comlete. Has anyone incorporated live plants into their initial set up? What would be the hardiest to start out with?Would the ammonia buildup be harmful to the plants or would the plants be benificial to the cycling? Can anyone recommend a good plant source online...someone who sells healthy aquatic plants? I've been reading a lot of bad comments about buying plants ( and fish) from PetCo and Petsmart, and unfortunately, these are the only two stores in my town who sells fish and the supplies...no independant aquarium shop.

I have many more questions but will kind of ask them on an "as need" basis. Any help is greatly appreciated. Don M.

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Permalink Reply by nick on January 30, 2012 at 6:23pm

ERR MAYBE PALNT IN A WEEK OF CYCLE OR STRATE A WAY TO MAKE THE CYCLE MORE FAST.

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Permalink Reply by Don Mattingly on January 30, 2012 at 8:21pm

Thanks for the info Alec! Can you recommend other plants along with the duckweed? Right now I have no plants at all.

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on January 30, 2012 at 8:29pm

Plants don't care if the tank is cycling. Add them as they will aid in removing the byproducts of the cycle.

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Permalink Reply by Don Mattingly on January 30, 2012 at 8:32pm

So I can add pretty much any type of aquatic plant? rhe ammonia won't hurt them at all?

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on January 30, 2012 at 8:56pm

Yep, they'll be fine.
Is don mattingly just a tag, or your real name? Are you THE Don Mattingly? Lol

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Permalink Reply by Don Mattingly on January 30, 2012 at 9:12pm

Nope..it's not a tag. This is my real name. And here's the answer I give to everyone asks that question.....YES..I am THE Don Mattingly....I'm just not the former Yankee Don Mattingly. lol. I bet I've been asked that question a 1000 times and always get a kick out of that!

Do you think it would be safe to buy my plants from PetCo or Petsmart? These are the only 2 pet shops in this town who I can buy from unless I order online and I'm reading that a lot of people don't trust these stores...saying there's a high risk of bringing in parasites or diseases into the aquarium....or would the high ammonia levels kill whatever's on the plants?

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on January 30, 2012 at 9:51pm

Haha. I bet that must get annoying. Sorry.
If those are the only places then yeah you can get from them. They probably get there stock from the same wholesaler that many LFS get them from. Just be careful with them because most of the employees don't know specifics. They sell a lot of not true aquatic plants too. They only last a few months then die when kept submersed. I would order online to be honest. Getting plants from Dustin or another forum are the best. They're grown in people's tanks and you can see exactly what you will get.
Dipping new plants in a 20:1 bleach water solution should kill off any parasites or disease hitchhikers. Ammonia wont do anything to them. The ammonia is only dangerous to the things you want to keep alive like fish shrimp etc.

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Permalink Reply by Don Mattingly on January 30, 2012 at 10:10pm

No need to apologize...I really do get a kick out of it. A good friend of mine who lives in a different state has a son who was a huge Yankees fan. He told his kid that he went to college with Don Mattingly and the kid freaked... He led Jim on for years! Now that"s cruel...lol.
I'll take a look at Dustin's site... Just joined fish tank last night and would rather get plants from someone trusted. I would never thought of dipping the plants in a bleach solution. Great advise!!

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Permalink Reply by Barca on January 31, 2012 at 5:02am

I have purchased plants from PetSmart, both from their tanks and the pre-packaged ones that come in the plastic cylinders. The plants that I got from their tanks did not do very well for me, on top of the risk of parasites. The one's that are packaged from an independent company did amazingly well.

The only thing to be careful of with the pre-packaged plants is researching the plant first. Even though they're shown as aquatic plants, not all of them can survive completely submerged long-term.

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Permalink Reply by Don Mattingly on January 31, 2012 at 7:16am

Thanks Barca.....will make a list before going over there today.

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Permalink Reply by Fabrigas O'brian on February 3, 2012 at 3:42am

plants seem to do pretty well in cycles amonia is basicly plant food so no harm done though the ammonia might make the water slightly cloudy making the lights appear dimmer and the plants would probally suffer from lack of light is there is too muck amonia and its not just ammonia after the ammonia cycle there if a nitite cycle that is even more deadly to fish scince it suffocates them and after the nitrte cycle you will have nitrite and if you have enough plant they will keep the nitrate levles down when nitrate is being produced this is the best time to get fish and "more" plants also when u get fish do you reaseach on wich fish first dont thet petco or other cheap shops trick u into buying an oscar for a 10 galllon they and some other fish would really like to be in a 55 gallon and up fish for a 15 gallon would be a single male betta with some sort of small tetra like cardinalls 'or neons or u can have 3-4 corydora catfish but unless its tetras only get a few fish a week and five or six tetra at a time

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Permalink Reply by Paul V. Rotondi on February 3, 2012 at 1:09pm

Hi Don,

If you have live plants in an already cycled tank, move them into the new tank, making sure NOT to rinse the roots. The roots and the substrate it carries with it that the roots might be attached with will be teeming with Nitrifying bacteria, and will greatly help in speeding up the growth of these beneficial bacteria in your substrate.

I've recently done this in a new 210 Gallon aquarium I am in the process of setting up, and it greatly accelerated the cycling of the tank by at least several weeks.

I hope this helps, Don...have a good Friday.

Paul Rotondi

"The Aqua-Nut"