Plants as media

[Justin David]

I haven 125 gallon african cichlid tank with 10 cichlids 2 featherfins and a pleco. The tank is bare bottom with an eheim 2217 on one end and a 2215 on the other. Here at college i have a 29 gallon with 12 africans that im growing out. This tank is also barebottom. My concern is that once i add the fish to the main tank, there wont be enough beneficial bacteria to handle the new bioload. I feel like there is not enough surface area for more to grow either as the tank is bare. I am thinking of putting in many fake plants to create more surface area for the BB to grow on. Is this a good idea or is somthing better? Also i am thinkning of using an HOB filter and putting some sort of media in there...maybe even some fake plants?? I am also considering putting in a few sponge filters.
Basically:
1 would putting in a bunch of plants help?
2 what is the best way to increase beneficial bacteria in an aquarium( i prefer not to use gravel)
3 if i go with the sponge filters. How many would support most of the BB colony in a 125?
Thanks

 

[greenSD]

add a sump

 

[skjl47]

Hello; The population of bb depends on the ammonia amount produced by the fish in a tank and to some degree decay of things in the water and /or things like snails. Use the HOB's or sponge filters and the bb will grow on the surfaces. As I have run tanks with no filtration at all, it seems to me that the bb will colonize surfaces of even a bare tank. I do not see how fake plants can hurt if you like the look.

One thing i have done in a tank with a pleco was to throw in some hornwort and ramshorn snails. The snails ate the undigested plant matter in the pleco fecees and broke in down from the long unsightly strings. The hornwort grew like crazy and the placo grazed on that. The snails soon became numerious to the point I used them as fresh live food for other fish. Just a thought.

Here is a link about bb and cycling.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/nitrogen_cycle.html

 

[duanes]

If you have a window(?) you could use the 29 gal as a sort of refugium for real plants, either aquatic, semi-aquatic, or even terrestrial. In this way you would not only be providing extra space for beneficial bacteria, you be adding a nitrate reducer. I use 20 gal tanks in windows to grow emergent plants such as papyrus to reduce nitrate, and add shrimp and snails, that as skjl47 suggested provide extra food, and help to break down organic matter even further. I like to plumb them so water enters from the main tank, to the planted tank, and then back to either the sump, or falling by gravity beck into the main tank.

 

[Justin David]

Thankyou for your response, but i am looking to do somthing in the tank