Planted take

Question
I asked a similar question of another expert and got some good recommendations, but since then, have stumbled across your profile and noticed that yours indicates knowledge of planted aquariums, so I wanted to see if your advice differed at all?

I have a new 31 gallon (long) aquarium and I need help figuring out how to cycle the tank so I am ready to add the permanent fish (which will be used for small ~2" discus and angels until they outgrow the tank, at which time they will be moved to a larger tank). I do not want to cycle the tank with either of these extremely sensitive & expensive fish.

Tank history:
2 weeks ago:
- added substrate (spectra stone)
- filled up the tank with tap water
- added stresscoat, per directions for dechlorination
- added heater (set to 80 degrees F)
1 week ago:
- added single betta (female)
4 days ago:
- added 2 more betta (female)
- added jungle vallisneria plant (Vallisneria americana)
- added mix dwarf water onion plant (Zephyrathes candida)
3 days ago:
-installed Fluval 203 filter
(ceramic noodles in the bottom basket)
(activated charcoal in the middle basket)
(sponges in the upper basket)

Note: I do not plan on keeping the bettas in this tank, however I am using them to help cycle the tank before returning them to a different tank.

I have not done any water changes to this point.

I'd like to know if I have enough fish to cycle the tank, or if I will need more? I've heard that different amounts of fish can affect the cycle time. I've also heard that plants like ammonia and planted tanks cycle differently than non-planted tanks. The other expert recommended a fishless cycle, however my tank already has fish in it and I really don't want to start over if I don't have to, but I can't find any information about removing fish mid-cycle, so I think I might just stick with the fish-included cycle for this particular tank. Do you know how the plants affect the cycling of the tank or if my specific plant choices will have any effect? There is only one "clump" of each type of plant (costing around $4 US each, if that indicates size at all). Do you recommend adding any additional fish to help the cycle or do I just need to wait? I do not want to buy fish for use in cycling that have nowhere to go afterwords...I have another tank with fancy guppies, betta females, and neon tetras, ghost shrimp, and 1 small pleco. Ideally, I'd like to cycle the 31 gallon tank with some of these fish from my other tank and then recycle them back to their normal tank, but my LFS said that guppies and neon tetras are not very good for cycling usually, especially with the type of filter I have. I don't know enough about this stuff and I need some help. Do you have any recommendations?

I've started a log to track the water chemistry changes. 4 days ago: pH (which maxes out at 7.6 was tested and read as 7.6/+, so I used the high pH test and that one (which measures up to 8.8  high pH also read as 7.6. Ammonia read as 0.75 and Nitrite read at 0.125. I have a nitrate test also, but I didn't test that yet. Today pH tested at 7.6+, high pH at 7.8, ammonia at 0.50, and nitrite spiked at 1.5. How often should I test each of these? When should I start testing for nitrates? Is there a specific test I can get for testing water hardness? I think the fish I want to get need soft water. Ideally, the fish I want to put into this tank like slightly acidic water so I will need to eventually lower the pH. I am planning on adding more live plants, as my tank is pretty sparse right now and I like planted tanks - I don't like the plastic ones, but I don't know what type to add at this point and haven't researched it much (can plants affect/change the pH of the water?). I also like the plants that float kind of toward the top of the water rather than being actually planted in the substrate.  Will adding more plants now mess up the cycle or help it? Should I wait until after the tank cycles? What do you recommend?

Also, the tanks are setup away from heat sources and windows, however the room itself gets a pretty decent amount of sunlight, but the tanks are not in direct sunlight. I do have a fluorescent light for the cover of both tanks, but I'm not sure of the wattage - both came with the tanks. I'd also like to know how often the light should be on (for the betta/tetra/guppy tank, as well as for the 31 gal, which will have small discus & angels). I'd like to add live plants to my tetra/beta/guppy tank (10 gallon) - can you recommend any small plants for this tank also? Based on the plants I have, do I need a special type of light? Any recommendations? Note: if the plant species I have in the 31 gallon aren't good for that setup, I can always move them to the smaller tank

Any additional information you can think of would be most helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

Answer
Hello, First of all I like to thank you for all the information you provided as many people do not provide any. Your three bettas isn't very sufficient in your tank unless you add about three more to it. Your plants over time with remove the ammonia from the tank and will help cycle it so keep the plants in. Your PH is rising so add some pH down and get it to 7.0 for now. Add some "cycle" to the tank because it will help balance everything out. There is a testing kit for hardness but I don't know where you can get one. Test every three days till your water is conditioned to your requirements. The stress coat you use are you sure it is a declorinator? I would get some declorinator just in case it isn't as chlorine or chlormine can damage your plants.

Lights for both tanks should be 8hrs to 13 hrs for primary use of light. You don't need a special light although a canopy light (very expensive) would make your plants grow nuts. Some nice plants to have is Java fern and Java Moss as it is an amazing plant, both are hardy. Cuban Grass is neat to have for a carpet effect. I suggest getting a Bio wheel or Bio balls to help remove the nitrite over time. You'll know when your tank is fully cycled by the water reaching your requirements you set for it. I hope you tank goes well! Please send me pictures when you have it all set up and running as I would love to see it!