The-Wolf
Ex-LFS manager/ keeper of over 30 danio species
Cycling with fish food.
You will need
Fish food
Ammonia test kit
Nitrite test kit
A filter
A dechlorinator
Once the aquarium has been set up to your own requirements, with the filter, lights etc positioned. Add the water, with the dechlorinator, and then you are ready to start the fish food cycling process.
1. Add fish food (flakes are best) to the water filled tank.
2. Start your filter and leave it running.
3. You need to now test the tank daily (from day two) for ammonia and nitrite. As the food decays it creates ammonia which will begin the Nitrogen Cycle.
4. Once the ammonia and nitrite spikes have happened, due to the growth of the beneficial bacteria and the levels of ammonia and nitrite once again read 0ppm. You will need to perform a 50%-75% water change, cleaning the substrate as you do so.
5. Your tank is now ready to add some fish.
This method takes about 6-8 weeks on average. You can leave the lights off during this process, unless you have live plants in it.
Cloning an aquarium
You will need;
An existing mature aquarium or access to one.
1. Siphon some tank water (from the mature tank) into a bucket.
2. Rinse the filter media (of the mature tank) in this bucket of water
3. Take you new filter media and also rinse this in the bucket.
4. Now add this new media to your new filter in your new aquarium. It now contains some of the beneficial bacteria.
5. Take some of the substrate from the mature tank and place it in some stockings (new preferably) and lay this on the new tanks substrate. The bacteria will multiply and migrate to the clean substrate.
6. After a few days remove the old substrate from your new tank and put back into the mature tank, without the stockings of course.
7. You now have a cloned tank and are ready for fish.
This process takes 2 to 3 days to complete. However be aware that adding too many fish at one time could overload the bacteria, causing the aquarium to re-cycle.
The basic cycle
You will need
Fish food
Ammonia test kit
Nitrite test kit
A filter
A dechlorinator
Once the aquarium has been set up to your own requirements, with the filter, lights etc positioned. Add the water, with the dechlorinator, and then you are ready to start the fish food cycling process.
1. Add fish food (flakes are best) to the water filled tank.
2. Start your filter and leave it running.
3. You need to now test the tank daily (from day two) for ammonia and nitrite. As the food decays it creates ammonia which will begin the Nitrogen Cycle.
4. Once the ammonia and nitrite spikes have happened, due to the growth of the beneficial bacteria and the levels of ammonia and nitrite once again read 0ppm. You will need to perform a 50%-75% water change, cleaning the substrate as you do so.
5. Your tank is now ready to add some fish.
This method takes about 6-8 weeks on average. You can leave the lights off during this process, unless you have live plants in it.
Cloning an aquarium
You will need;
An existing mature aquarium or access to one.
1. Siphon some tank water (from the mature tank) into a bucket.
2. Rinse the filter media (of the mature tank) in this bucket of water
3. Take you new filter media and also rinse this in the bucket.
4. Now add this new media to your new filter in your new aquarium. It now contains some of the beneficial bacteria.
5. Take some of the substrate from the mature tank and place it in some stockings (new preferably) and lay this on the new tanks substrate. The bacteria will multiply and migrate to the clean substrate.
6. After a few days remove the old substrate from your new tank and put back into the mature tank, without the stockings of course.
7. You now have a cloned tank and are ready for fish.
This process takes 2 to 3 days to complete. However be aware that adding too many fish at one time could overload the bacteria, causing the aquarium to re-cycle.
The basic cycle
