Ozdude wrote:
"Nikki Casali" wrote in message
...


Ozdude wrote:


You really need the tank cycled completely and plants and fish in it
before you start with the CO2.


Set up an aquarium with enough quick growing plants, light and CO2, and
the tank will even skip the cycling process altogether because the plants
will consume the preferred ammonia directly.

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm


Sometimes It depends on the number of plants. I think they are talking a
really dense planting, to be honest.

Most people start of with nowhere near enough plants at the beginning of a
tank, well not enough to outcompete algae and act as chemical sponges.

If there is one plant I can recommend if you are going to try this it would
be Hornwort, and lots of it.

Oz


It usually works because there are almost always active nitrifying
bacteria on the leaves of the plants which seed the tank. This is
because there are fish, snails, shrimp, or other forms of
ammonia-producing aquatic life in the plant tanks of most fish stores.
Start with enough plants and you get enough bacteria to avoid a "cycle".
The plants also directly absorb ammonia, but I honestly don't believe
that's why you can get a cycle-free tank with enough plants.

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