# Cycling with Live Plants



## geonut (Jun 24, 2012)

Is it possible to cycle an aquarium using live plants only ?

If so, how is this done ?


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## fyns (Dec 22, 2011)

No, not really. If the plants died, then decayed, it might start the cycle.

Best bet is to use pure ammonia.

Google fishless cycle,(or check the sticky in this section) it's quite simple, and IMO is the best way to start a tank. You can use this method with live plants in the aquarium, it would take a large concentration of ammonia to kill them.


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## charlie1 (Dec 1, 2011)

Actually it is possible, it`s also now as the silent cycle.
Thankfully some info from Rex Grigg`s site was archived before it was closed.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120531154758/http://www.rexgrigg.com/cycle.htm
Regards


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## MBen89 (Jul 24, 2015)

No. Why? because plants aren't really producing poop or waste that helps beneficial bacteria spread. Yes you can place plants in the tank from day one, but the cycle would still take about 4 weeks to be completely stable. Otherwise, you can get Zebra Danios or feeder comet fish to speed it up to 2 or 3 weeks. They're very hardy fish, and the zebra danios especially don't seem to mind. I used them to cycle a tank and they started breeding the next day  I eve got fry after 5 days.


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## Pocky (Jun 20, 2015)

I've done it before. Add a LOT of plants. Even better if it's plants that come in a pot with that cruddy gunky wool at the bottom of the roots. Keep that wool and stick it in the tank. Stock your tank with a few fish after. There should be established bacteria all over the plants. 

If you want to be safer, get plants from a few sources. 

Then test the water. 

I did this on a 90gal with a bunch of plants. Added tons of fish and have been feeding heavy. Test kit shows 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20ppm nitrates. 

It works. But I'd recommend a test kit.


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## geonut (Jun 24, 2012)

*Cycling with plants*

Thank you Pocky.

This is very interesting and helpful information.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

It's called silent cycle, and it follows a different philosophy from the fishless cycle. The idea is that instead of waiting until you have an established bacteria colony, you use live plants to absorb the toxic ammonia.* The key is lots of plants, very few fish.*

Silent cycling is only useful if you really, really want to have fish in your tank right away. Even then, you might want to wait a couple of days for your plants to establish themselves before putting in fish.

If you don't mind waiting a few weeks before having fish, there is nothing wrong with just doing a fishless cycle with plants. You just need a source of ammonia and watch out for algae.


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## Puissance (Dec 17, 2015)

I'm about to cycle my tank using the silent cycle method. I have just planted it and will wait a week to see how the plants are doing. If there is growth, I will add one fish, so it can release some ammonia. I will then be testing the water to make sure there are no spikes for a week or two. Then i'll slowly add more fish, no more than 3 at a time I'd say. I think if you have a large tank, it would be easier as you can have more plants and a more stable environment.


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