How to: Cycle a Planted Aquarium - The Nitrogen Cycle in the Fish Tank | EP2 Planted Tank Overview

[@BucePlant]

Thanks for watching! 🌱 We'd love to hear from you- What aquascaping topic would you like us to cover next?

[@bilalmulla5364]

How to select hardscape material for aquascape.wood or stones

[@UkiahTheTurtle]

Thanks for helping so many people learn how to easily care for their aquarium

[@OVHabitats]

I'm very impressed with your explanations. I have been in the hobby for more years than I care to count. I wish I had had your explanations when I first started. You make easy to understand and much less daunting than the scientific explanations. Great job!

[@matthewlynch2388]

Oh yes, make more of these. Very informative

[@dualfirecatgaming]

my 55 gallon tank crashed after years of saving for all the plants and substrate and is filled with dead plants and cyano because i planted all of it day 1 and the swings killed the plants over months i think your video telling people to wait is wayyy more helpful than most fish youtubers as they all say add plants right away and it just mostly doesnt really work

[@dackerman123]

Great video, thanks! Couple of questions: I'm using Contrasoil for my new 10g tank with ~15 or so plants. Would you recommend a fertilizer in addition to the beneficial bacteria?

[@Ichthyofile]

Oh yeah! Take me to aquascape town Logan!

[@neilmartin99]

Hey, new to live plants. I just received Vallisneria plants from BP. They came with the foam wraps on the bottom along with weights. Do I leave those on or remove them before planting in substrate? Thanks

[@BucePlant]

Hey there! Definitely remove the foam and weights, then plant directly in soil. Throw away the foam, save the weights. The weights are aquarium safe and can be used to weigh down epiphytes like Bucephalandra or Java Fern 😁

[@neilmartin99]

@@BucePlant As well as hold down slices of cucumber or zucchini for the snaily guys. Thanks for the Vallisneri. I'd swear they have already grown 3" and I just planted them about an hour ago. 😆

[@valliore.fm1]

thanks! :) what are your thoughts and recommendations on a dark start for cycling a new tank?

[@BucePlant]

This is a great option if you have the patience! It allows beneficial bacteria to build up and ammonia levels to drop without risking any plant melt.

[@valliore.fm1]

@@BucePlant 💙💙💙

[@scottfishing2948]

I'm starting a new planted tank and would like to take some of the bio rings from the old planted tank's cannister filter and put it into the new tank's filter, but the old tank did suffer from a lot of blue-green algae. Is this a risky move? Maybe if I just visually inspect the rings and remove any algae i see, would that help?

[@BucePlant]

This will most likely result in cross-contamination. Unfortunately, there's not an easy way to completely get rid of the algae on the bio rings without also killing the beneficial bacteria.

[@williamminh3361]

thank for the really informative video, I have a question how to cycle with a only sand tank ?

[@BucePlant]

Hey there! Set your tank up with the sand, hardscape, and filter, then let it run without any livestock (plants, fish, shrimp, etc.) until it is established. You can perform occasional “ghost feedings” so the uneaten food will produce ammonia and cause the beneficial bacteria to colonize the tank. This method may take up to 1-2 months. If you use SL-Aqua Nitrifying Bacteria, it can cut cycling time to 1-3 weeks.

[@skankined]

Thanks for your video! If I’m using taking the media from an existing tank to use in a new tank (43 gallons), how long would you suggest I need to cycle for?

[@BucePlant]

If you are using used media from a running filter and it goes directly from a running filter into a new filter that will be running immediately, you should be safe right away. We would still give it a few days to a week before adding livestock just to be sure.

[@skankined]

@@BucePlant Perfect - I had hoped you'd say that! Thanks for letting me know :)

[@4loveoffish]

What type of plants to use where in the aquarium and what lighting they need

[@AgxntAqua]

The light is what is primarily going to determine what type of plants you use. As a general rule you’re going to want between 0.5-3 watts per gallon for a low tech setup. Once you buy your light look up some beginner aquarium plants and their light requirements. Floating plants are really easy if you have a slow flow and they’re great for sucking up all the bad stuff.

[@boonwhaz-up4160]

thank you

[@JTCT371]

This has been my experience. Let plants acclimate for a week, then begin adding life. Never had an ammonia or nitrite reading. Got first nitrate reading a week ago and its holding firm at 5 ppm. Plants do it all, make sure you have the right ratio to gallons. Ive got 2 per gallon. Never needed to do a water change during the nitrogen process. Awesome to witness!

[@desireagreenwod3243]

Two plants per gallon of your tank?

[@JTCT371]

@@desireagreenwod3243 Yes....Ive barely had to do anything because of them. Watching them grow like they are CO2 infused is the proof. Never ammonia or nitrite readings. Nitrates have been 5 ppm at most.

[@desireagreenwod3243]

@@JTCT371 do you think using Carib eco black and then topping it with fluorite black sand and capping it with decorative black sand is a good combination for my semi planted tank?

[@JTCT371]

@@desireagreenwod3243 i replied my thoughts to you, but this feed didn't allow my response, which was detailed....

[@desireagreenwod3243]

@@JTCT371 im not sure if you are trying to be rude or helpful. Regardless I’ll ask my question elsewhere. Thank you though.

[@YoosufMo]

What’s that brand of that cute filter

[@nat50866]

Hi! This might be a silly question but if I set up a 40L cube scape and then decide I want to change things up (have aqua soil in a medium-sized mesh bag which is capped with a fine river sand - as I saw another aquascaper use this method to stop his substrates from mixing), would this mean I’d need to restart the cycle all over again? Or does the cycling mainly refer to the beneficial bacteria in the filter rather than the tank/ water? I’m just wondering whether I’d be best off layering the substrate like normal rather than having it in a a mesh bag. The tank has only been running for around 2-3 weeks but I’m wondering if it’s worth changing things now rather than a few months down the track! Love your videos, they’re so informative! Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺☺️

[@BucePlant]

Hey there, thanks for watching! 😁 To answer your question, beneficial bacteria doesn't just house in the filter, but your substrate and hardscape as well. Making a drastic change like swapping your substrate can definitely affect the cycle you already have going. Any NEW aquasoil added to an aquarium will leech excess ammonia into the water column for the first week or two, which can also disrupt your cycle. That being said, if you're set on making the change, it's better to do it now while things are fresh rather than a few months down the line when things are completely established! Just be sure to keep up with weekly water changes and maintenance. Regularly dosing liquid beneficial bacteria will help as well.

[@bayareacarnivores]

I would love a buying guide!

[@chithao9603]

For the SL aqua products.., there are so many bottles. Is there a recommendation for pure beginners?(first timers?) Or what each one actually do? Plant and fish nano tank. Thanks.

[@BucePlant]

For the purpose of cycling a tank you'll just need the bottle used in the video which is the "SL-Aqua Black More Nitrifying Bacteria for Fish" here is a link for convenience :) buceplant.com/products/nitrifying-bacteria-for-fish?variant=23109283479633

[@chithao9603]

@@BucePlant thank you

[@ryuu5534]

Hi beginner here! I've been cycling my 20 gallon tank for 3 weeks now, (my mistake was that I already put the plants 🤦🏻‍♂) and I still don't see any ammonia or nitrates even after using nitrifying bacteria and ammonium chloride. What should I do? 😭

[@BucePlant]

Hey there! It's okay to put in plants right at setup. You may experience minor melt, but they should bounce back in time. Just be patient and keep up with consistent weekly water changes. If you'd like us to better assess your tank, please send us photos and any questions on Instagram (@buceplant) or to [e-mail]. Happy to help!

[@e.rosehuttner2681]

If you use bacteria solution to cycle, and hold off on the plants, do you need to do every other day water changes for the first few weeks? I would think that without any planta in there you don't have to change the water nearly as often during cycling.

[@BucePlant]

If you don't have plants or livestock in the tank then hold off on the water changes so the bacteria can establish itself in your system!

[@benhopwood5321]

For me the best way was to aquascape, add the water with dechlorinator, leave for a few days and then add several dead fish. The dead fish will help jump start the good bacteria to the tank. Shortly after when the fish are nearly fully decomposed you will get an algae bloom. I DO NOT REMOVE THE ALGAE, the tank will balance itself, just give it another week or 2 after the tank has cleared the algae itself before adding a few small fish/shrimp.This will then give the tank to self adjust with the bioload. After 3-weeks add some more fish and your tank is done!. Just remember that the more fish you add especially all at once the bigger the bioload is on your tank. I never clean my tanks, they self clean and I only top up water when required. I NEVER take water out of the tank as this removes the good bacteria (nitrates) and you need as much of the nitrates in your tank as possible to survive!

[@sharirHariparsad]

Too bad buce plant doesn't ship to south africa 😞, do you guys ship to south africa? Nice vid nonetheless 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@BucePlant]

Thank you! Unfortunately, we can only ship plants to areas within the US. However, feel free to reach out to our support team for any hard good requests: [e-mail] 👍

[@Cougar139tweak]

@3:25 no, that means you system is not balanced....you are adding something that needs to be removed or....something in there already should be removed...Fish etc whatever is not using the Nitrates and is creating them in excess need to be removed from the system, otherwise it isn't a true cycle, cycles are self sustaining if you have to remove it, it is a process as it has a beginning and an end....your water change BTW most of Mother Natures water has Nitrates in the 300ppm range with fish happily living in it

[@stoneysscapes7544]

Do you have a great recommendation for a testing tool that can help with the process 😀

[@BucePlant]

The API water test kit works great!

[@khurtwilliams]

You recommended cycling the hardscape for several weeks before adding the plants. Then you recommended waiting a few months after planting before adding the fish. This is supposed to video for beginners but I already feel overwhelmed about waiting for what appears to be almost three months before the tank is ready.

[@BucePlant]

Don't be discouraged! I'd like to reassure you that it's completely okay to add everything (except fauna) right at the start. We only recommend waiting before adding the plants if you have the time and patience. This is because an uncycled tank _might_ cause sensitive plants to melt, especially without proper maintenance. Also, note that adding liquid beneficial bacteria daily can cut the total cycling time down to 1-3 weeks. However, we always add everything right from the start and just keep up with 1-2 water changes a week to remove the excess ammonia. Keep in mind that we do recommend waiting until the tank is 100% cycled before adding any fish or shrimp.

[@khurtwilliams]

@@BucePlant thank you.

[@Constantine_Cvl8]

You're getting overwhelmed by... waiting?

[@khurtwilliams]

@@Constantine_Cvl8 of course not. Overwhelmed with the amount of stuff one has to do for a "beginner".

[@khurtwilliams]

@@BucePlant thank you for the encouragement.

[@JB-dd2qw]

Your idea is good for advertising certain products but it doesn’t explain how the load changes when fish are eventually added. It is very possible to build up very slowly so there is balance and zero Ammonia.

[@BucePlant]

Great point!