do not use a fish to cycle a tank weather it be salt water or fresh water it is just cruel to the fish to make it go through thoes conditions. If it is a tetra tank you want them I assume that you are thinking of planting the tank also. in that case if you do it right there will be no cycle at all.
by this I meen that if you buy the right plants and enuf of them they will adsorb all the amonia befor you get a chance to even detect it on a test kit.
as mentioned 2 to 3 watts per gallon is about a good happy medium. if you stay that low don't waist mony on onix sand or florite ect. just get a substrate that is 2 to 3 mm in size and do it 2 to 3 inches deep to give lots of room for root development. if you think that laiter you might bump the light up to 5 to 10 watts per gal and go for high light plants and get serious about the planted side then buy the better substrate. but at this light level you will most likly have to add CO2 and fertalizer also.
the key to doing the plants and havign them live is to pick the right kind of plants, giant hygro, most anuibus, jungle vail, hygro stricta, are all good low to medium light plants, for starting the tank focus on *fast growing stem based plants* these kinda are a large intaker of nutrents from the water, I trim mine down once a month and they are growing out of the water by the next time to trim.
Steve
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 *everything said above is just my opinion, and may or may not reflect the views of this BBS, its Operators, and its Members. If cornered on any “opinion” I post I will totally deny having ever said this in a Court of Law…Unless I am the right one*
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