Setting the “Cycle”
Live Plants
Live plants provide your fish a natural food source with the ability to replenish. By far the biggest benefit that live plants provide for your aquarium is that they produce oxygen (O2) and absorb the carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) that your fish generate.
It doesn’t mean you can get away with not removing decaying food and axi poop or avoiding a water change, it means that it will keep a natural cycle going for you producing O2 and removing harmful ammonia for you.
Editors note: I have a constant balance of ammonia 0.25ppm Nitrites 0ppm and Nitrates 0ppm, this has been the way since day one (with plants), i will be keeping an eye when the baby axis go in the separator in the Aquarium. My aquarium has 9 plants and 4 moss balls in (for one Axi). I have struggled to get 6 minnows to produce enough waste in a 125 lt tank…
Featuring live plants in your aquarium not only makes it more attractive, but is much healthier for your aquarium’s inhabitants. Live plants provide your fish a natural food source with the ability to replenish.
By far the biggest benefit that live plants provide for your aquarium is that they produce oxygen (O2) and absorb the carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) that your fish generate. Adding live plants in your aquarium helps recreate a natural ecosystem in miniature, and may be one of the most beneficial ways to keep your fish healthy.
Plants provide shelter and security for the fish. Because they compete with algae for nutrients, they can help to reduce algae growth. Live plants enhance the appearance and provide a much more natural environment for the fish. By improving water quality and reducing stress, live plants are a great way to improve your fishes’ health. Adding live plants, however, does not reduce the need for water changes. When selecting live plants, make sure that you select species that are true aquatic species and that are suitable for your specific water type and fish species.
source:
https://www.liveaquaria.com/article/93/?aid=93
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle makes it possible to keep fish in aquariums for more than a few days. In the nitrogen cycle, fish produce ammonia — a toxic byproduct of their metabolism. Various bacteria break this ammonia down into nitrite, then nitrate. Plants can assist in this process by absorbing these nitrogen products at each step of the cycle.
Plants and Nitrogen
Unlike animals, to plants ammonia is a food source, not a poison. Depending on the exact aquarium plant, they can absorb nitrogen compounds like ammonia and nitrite through their leaves and root systems. Plants use these as starting materials to build nitrogen compounds of their own for energy and structure. So under ideal situations, plants can be used as a “nitrogen sink,” a place to dump these compounds and get them out of the aquarium water where they can harm fish.
Silent Cycling
The process of establishing the bacteria that run the nitrogen cycle is called cycling an aquarium. The original method of establishing these bacteria is to add a few hardy fish at a time to give the bacteria colonies time to expand to the nitrogen load. However, a variation on cycling, called silent cycling, takes advantage of plants’ ability to absorb nitrogen and ammonia. In this process, fish are added as they would in traditional cycling. However, in silent cycling, you densely plant the aquarium. Plants absorb excess nitrogen. This speeds the cycling process and softens ammonia “spikes,” which can be hard on the fish.
Caring For Plants
However, you can only reap the benefits of this process if your plants are thriving. Aquarium plants require good nutrition, lighting and carbon dioxide supplements. Only use fertilizers designed for aquariums. Aquarium plants usually need different ratios of nutrients — partly since they have so much nitrogen available. **Aquarium plants need powerful lighting, ranging from 1.5 to 5 watts per gallon of aquarium volume. Additionally, most plants benefit from the addition of carbon dioxide to their tank. You can add carbon dioxide with injector systems or liquid supplement.
https://pets.thenest.com/aquarium-plants-absorb-ammonia-12314.html
**Editors note: just be wary that Axolotls need a certain temperature of water (lights cause heat) and also they have no eyelids! – 28/10/19, See my update below on heat! Ed.
My plants
Heat or no heat, that is the question.
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