Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fishtank Filtration and Cycling => Topic started by: Jwc on September 20, 2014, 06:57:22 PM

Title: Plants and cycling
Post by: Jwc on September 20, 2014, 06:57:22 PM
M in the middle of doing a fishless cycle, but I'm also a newbie so everything is literally something I'm not clued up on. I purchased a few plants before the cycle and planted them but now they are literally dying.... Is this normal during the cycle as they are high in ammonia and nitrites but also getting quite a heavy dose of algae now. Is it best for me to just let the plants do their thing and if they die so be it or should I be doing something to save them?
Title: Re: Plants and cycling
Post by: dbaggie on September 20, 2014, 07:30:17 PM
Quote from: Jwc on September 20, 2014, 06:57:22 PM
M in the middle of doing a fishless cycle, but I'm also a newbie so everything is literally something I'm not clued up on. I purchased a few plants before the cycle and planted them but now they are literally dying.... Is this normal during the cycle as they are high in ammonia and nitrites but also getting quite a heavy dose of algae now. Is it best for me to just let the plants do their thing and if they die so be it or should I be doing something to save them?

Hi JWC, I wouldn't worry about the plants during cycling. It could depend on what type of plants you have as some are more hardy than others but it's also entirely probable that they could die bank and then come back.
Title: Re: Plants and cycling
Post by: Puffin on September 20, 2014, 07:51:32 PM
Hi JWC,
As above really, I founds a lot of my plants had leaves that died off when I first planted them, only for them to grow new, greener healthier looking leaves. They mostly did this within days or a week or so of planting them, but some of mine have only just started dying off, so am hoping this is going to be the same for them too. Will have to wait and see.
Title: Re: Plants and cycling
Post by: Jwc on September 20, 2014, 08:01:38 PM
Oh right, I will keep them in for the time being then just in case they do come back. It is only the leaves that have blackened and fallen off.
Title: Re: Plants and cycling
Post by: Munchy2007 on September 21, 2014, 04:08:41 PM
Counter intuitively, too much light can cause plants to drop leaves, melt and eventually die.

Unless you are adding CO2 or a liquid carbon supplement as fertiliser, you should keep your lighting quite low, something like about 1 Watt Per Gallon for 5-6 hours a day maximum.

Melting plants can almost always be attributed to insufficient CO2 and ferts compared to the amount of lighting.