Can I add plants during a bacteria bloom?

DC_84

Registered Member
May 1, 2009
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I've got some cloudy water going on (tank has only water, substrate and rocks for two weeks now) and I also have some plants coming in this week. Is it safe to put the plants in during a cycle/bacteria bloom?

Also, after I add the new plants to the tank do you think I should put the old water back in...or replace all of it or some of it?


:turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle::turtle:
 
Plants can go in pretty much whenever. How are you cycling? I had some leaf damage/melting when using ammonia this last tank but it may have been due as much from different light & temp.

You don't need to change the water or save the old water, plants don't care. I wouldn't bother.
 
i think you should be fine.

what do you mean put the old water back in?
I changed the tank water about 3 times already and it always reverts back to a foggy white, so my assumption is that it's a perpetual bacteria bloom caused through water changes. :confused:
 
I changed the tank water about 3 times already and it always reverts back to a foggy white, so my assumption is that it's a perpetual bacteria bloom caused through water changes. :confused:

not sure you said this, but are you adding ammonia?
or is the cloudy water simply coming from the water?
what you may have is simply some very dirt Substrate.
And yes, plants may be added at any time, BUT if you are adding plants do not add ammonia, add fish instead assuming you have added enough stemmed or floating plants, there will not be a cycle in the traditional sense, Plants consume Nitrogen NH3 NO2, NO3 etc so there will be no "spike in NH3 and NH4, however as the Bio Load increases the bacterial colony will increase in-spite of the presence of plants, just slower as the plants are consuming N as nutrients.

so a reasonable fish load can be immediately applied, however in your case i would first ID the source of the cloudiness before adding fish.
With plants in and no fish you will need to feed the plants somehow.

Please nte the above is an over simplified process for the "Silent Cycle" method of cycling a tank.

http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm

The info above was originally taken from the Krib

hope this all helps a tad
 
Also depends on which "silent cycle" you mean. If you're referring to being able to start stocking - albeit slowly - straight away, then I've found that you can avoid ammonia and nitrite peaks with quite modest planting. Putting a full load on is of course completely different.
 
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