fish_master
Fish Crazy
I have no idea about cycling is it a must do and if so how do i cycle my tank i wish to put tetras in it any help would be great
clay roper
clay roper
Cycling ?
- Thread starter fish_master
- Start date
bobbicus
Fish Crazy
cycling is a must!!!!!
depends whether you want to do a fish cycle or fishless??
i followed this !!!
hope it's some use to ya - others will give u more advice i'm sure but we all start somewhere
http
/www.ratemyfishtank.com/article2.php...fc34baf58220c8f
there are some REALLY good posts/topics on this forum about cycling - so it depends how much reading / research u wanna do
depends whether you want to do a fish cycle or fishless??
i followed this !!!
hope it's some use to ya - others will give u more advice i'm sure but we all start somewhere
http
/www.ratemyfishtank.com/article2.php...fc34baf58220c8fthere are some REALLY good posts/topics on this forum about cycling - so it depends how much reading / research u wanna do
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
Cycling is without a shaddow of a doubt a must do. If you dont it will happen anyway, probably killing off your fish in the process...
here is some guidelines (yes i know they are long but its worth it):
Conventional cycling
The conventional way to cycle a tank begins with adding a few hardy fish to a newly set up aquarium. The low levels of ammonia given off by the fish will act as a food source for nitrifying bacteria. During this period, the beneficial nitrifying bacteria convert the toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrite, and then into fairly innocuous nitrate. The stress from conventional cycling, if not done with a high degree of due diligence, is known to weaken fish predisposing them to pathogens, which will potentially shorten their lives. It is recommended that you first review Cycling Safely to gain a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle and the conventional cycling method before attempting to fishless cycle.
Fishless Cycling
Dr. Chris Cow, Ph. D. in Organic Chemistry, first made fishless cycling methods popular with his Cycling Without Fish web publication in 1999. The concept is to add an “artificial” ammonia source into a tank (without fish of course) to establish the beneficial bacterial colony. Fish or other aquatic creatures are introduced into the tank after the nitrogen cycle has completed and biological filtration is firmly in place.
Test kits are a must for cycling safely
Common myths and misconceptions
Fishless cycling is faster than conventional cycling:
This simply isn’t true. The only way to speed up conventional or fishless cycling is to seed the tank with nitrifying bacteria from another system. It is important to be patient with either cycling method.
Fishless cycling is the only safe method for cycling a tank:
This is not completely true. The conventional cycling method is safe but it does carry some major caveats. Stocking levels must be light, ammonia must be detoxified with AmQuel, nitrites must be detoxified with chloride (NovAqua or salt), and nitrogen levels must be monitored closely for safety. Corrective action must be taken immediately at the first sign of trouble. Fishless cycling eliminates the potential for undue stress on the fish and fishkeeper alike!
You should never change the water while fishless cycling:
It is true that you do not need to change the water in the conventional sense, but in certain circumstances (as described later) you may want to perform some water changes. Too much ammonia or nitrite may actually slow down the process. It is said that the filter media and colonizing surfaces in the tank, or oxygen levels are simply insufficient to sustain a large enough bacterial colony that can convert all of the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. Another possibility is that the ammonia levels are so high that bacterial growth is inhibited, through a biofeedback mechanism, rather than promoted.
Fishless cycling will allow you to stock more fish in your aquarium:
This is not only false, but is a very dangerous assumption. An aquarium’s stocking capacity is independent of the method that was used to establish the biological filter. Note that the general stocking guidelines for aquariums should not be exceeded no matter how you cycle your tank. One gallon per inch for slim bodied fish, and three or more gallons per inch of wide-bodied or larger sized fish is a good starting point.
Ammonia source
There are various sources of ammonia available. Some enterprising souls have used various materials such as dead shrimp, chunks of meat, fish food and even their own urine! The use of the latter is definitely not advised. Some sources have recommended using straight ammonium chloride. This article will focus on the most widely accepted and available source of ammonia for fishless cycling, which is pure bottled ammonia. Most local drug, hardware or discount stores sell various brands of household cleaning ammonia. Finding 100% pure ammonia is somewhat trickier because many of the common brands contain additional cleaning agents or perfumes, which are unsuitable for aquarium use. Make sure you read the ingredients and look for one that is labeled “Pure Ammonia” or “100% Ammonium Hydroxide”. Added ammonia-chelating agents are ok. If you are still not sure about the purity of a given bottle of ammonia, try shaking the bottle, pure ammonia will not foam, while doctored ammonia will. Top Crest, Whirl Clear and ACE Hardware are national brands that are reported to work.
Seeding the tank
As we know from the conventional cycling method, introducing a healthy amount of beneficial bacteria into your tank at the start will greatly accelerate the cycling process. From an established disease free tank you can get seeding material such as filter media (floss, sponge, etc.), a handful of gravel, potted plants with gravel or rockwool, or by simply squeezing out the “juice’ from biologically charged filter media.
Water conditioners
Even though you will not have fish in the tank for a while you still need to condition your tap water. Beneficial bacteria will not survive in water containing chlorine or chloramines. I do not recommend the use of water conditioners that convert or detoxify ammonia in any way. Conditioners such as AmQuel are good to use with conventional cycling, but are thought to negatively impact fishless cycling. Be that as it may, AmQuel simply isn’t needed for fishless cycling, so save a few bucks and use a cheaper sodium-thiosulfate conditioner. As always, avoid conditioners that contain plant sap.
Other essentials
Just as with conventional cycling, you will need accurate test kits to monitor progress and eliminate guesswork. Test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are required. Note that some nitrate testers convert nitrate into nitrite first, so if you have both nitrite and nitrate in the water you may not get completely accurate readings. A medicine dropper, small measuring spoon, or old water conditioner bottle (clearly labeled to avoid confusion) will be needed for dosing ammonia.
Proper levels
pH:
You will need to maintain acceptable pH levels of 6.5 to 7.8. Extremes in pH will slow down the bacterial growth and may even kill the bacteria altogether.
Temperature:
Maintain a constant tropical temperature of 75° to 78°, never more than + or - .2°, to help promote bacterial growth. Note that some texts recommend maintaining temperatures that are a little higher; I don’t really see the need for doing so.
Ammonia:
I generally like to recommend keeping the ammonia level in the tank somewhere between 3 ppm to 5 ppm until nitrite spikes. Find a container (a one gallon jug is ideal and will make your life easier, but a 3-gallon or 5-gallon bucket will work too) and fill with water and add water conditioner. Add ammonia slowly into the container (with the dropper, spoon or old conditioner bottle) until the ammonia test kit shows a reading of 3 ppm to 5 ppm. Record the amount of ammonia you added per gallon so that you will know how much ammonia to add to the rest of the tank to reach 3 ppm to 5 ppm.
Are you ready to cycle?
So now you have everything set up, the tank is filled with declorinated water, the filter is running, the heater is on & properly set, and the lights are brightly shining. You’ve got ammonia and a dosing level, test kits and some hopefully some good seeding material. Congratulations, you are ready to cycle!
Let's Cycle!
Add the appropriate amount of ammonia into the tank. Use a test kit and check the ammonia level. Make sure it is 3 ppm to 5 ppm. Add seeding material if you have it. That’s it for the first day! Wasn’t that easy?
For the next few days you need to check the levels of ammonia and nitrite daily. If the ammonia level drops, you will need to add just enough ammonia to bring it up to the 3 ppm to 5 ppm target range. However, you do not need to add ammonia everyday, only when you see the ammonia level has fallen. Nitrite levels will be zero for a while but I recommend you to check it daily anyway.
At some point you will start seeing the nitrite level rise and the ammonia level fall. The timing for this varies from a few days to a few weeks, mainly depending on the amount of seeding, so be patient. Once nitrite is visible, you need to start adding 1/2 the original amount of ammonia daily (say if you needed 5 ml of ammonia the first day to make 3 ppm of ammonia in the tank, then you will start adding 2.5 ml every day).
Typically from here on you will see more and more nitrite and less and less ammonia every day. I said typically but not always, sometimes the cycling process will not go as planned, the best approach is to remain patient. You may witness your nitrites rising higher than your test kit can read. This is common for fishless cycling, because you’ve been adding a lot of ammonia, there is simply going to be far more nitrite in the water than the tester can recognize. When this happens, simply do some water changes to bring down the nitrite level to 2 ppm to 5 ppm. Water changes will not delay the cycling process if you do not disrupt the filter media or gravel bed. Don’t forget to add some more ammonia to get back to the 3 ppm to 5 ppm target range after the water change.
So you’ve seen ammonia spike and nitrite spike. Despite the daily dosing of ammonia, your ammonia reading is close to zero and the nitrite level is coming down. You are almost there. You may want to take out the nitrate test kit and test the water. As nitrite levels come down, the nitrate level will naturally go up.
Finally ammonia and nitrite are zero. You’ve done it! Before you rush to the local fish store (LFS) to get fish, you need to do a few more things. First I would like for you to wait one or two more days to make sure that your tank is fully cycled. Simply add some more ammonia and monitor your water parameters. After two days if the levels of ammonia and nitrite are still zero, you know can rest assured that your tank is cycled.
The last thing you need to do is a big water change. A 60% to 90% water change is necessary before adding fish. All that ammonia you have added has now turned into nitrate, and its level is simply too high for your fish. After the water change, don’t let the tank sit empty for a long time. The bacteria you have just cultivated in the tank will need ammonia as food to stay alive.
Go out and get those fish that you have been waiting for all this time. Remember to stock and feed the tank moderately.
here is some guidelines (yes i know they are long but its worth it):
Conventional cycling
The conventional way to cycle a tank begins with adding a few hardy fish to a newly set up aquarium. The low levels of ammonia given off by the fish will act as a food source for nitrifying bacteria. During this period, the beneficial nitrifying bacteria convert the toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrite, and then into fairly innocuous nitrate. The stress from conventional cycling, if not done with a high degree of due diligence, is known to weaken fish predisposing them to pathogens, which will potentially shorten their lives. It is recommended that you first review Cycling Safely to gain a better understanding of the nitrogen cycle and the conventional cycling method before attempting to fishless cycle.
Fishless Cycling
Dr. Chris Cow, Ph. D. in Organic Chemistry, first made fishless cycling methods popular with his Cycling Without Fish web publication in 1999. The concept is to add an “artificial” ammonia source into a tank (without fish of course) to establish the beneficial bacterial colony. Fish or other aquatic creatures are introduced into the tank after the nitrogen cycle has completed and biological filtration is firmly in place.
Test kits are a must for cycling safely
Common myths and misconceptions
Fishless cycling is faster than conventional cycling:
This simply isn’t true. The only way to speed up conventional or fishless cycling is to seed the tank with nitrifying bacteria from another system. It is important to be patient with either cycling method.
Fishless cycling is the only safe method for cycling a tank:
This is not completely true. The conventional cycling method is safe but it does carry some major caveats. Stocking levels must be light, ammonia must be detoxified with AmQuel, nitrites must be detoxified with chloride (NovAqua or salt), and nitrogen levels must be monitored closely for safety. Corrective action must be taken immediately at the first sign of trouble. Fishless cycling eliminates the potential for undue stress on the fish and fishkeeper alike!
You should never change the water while fishless cycling:
It is true that you do not need to change the water in the conventional sense, but in certain circumstances (as described later) you may want to perform some water changes. Too much ammonia or nitrite may actually slow down the process. It is said that the filter media and colonizing surfaces in the tank, or oxygen levels are simply insufficient to sustain a large enough bacterial colony that can convert all of the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. Another possibility is that the ammonia levels are so high that bacterial growth is inhibited, through a biofeedback mechanism, rather than promoted.
Fishless cycling will allow you to stock more fish in your aquarium:
This is not only false, but is a very dangerous assumption. An aquarium’s stocking capacity is independent of the method that was used to establish the biological filter. Note that the general stocking guidelines for aquariums should not be exceeded no matter how you cycle your tank. One gallon per inch for slim bodied fish, and three or more gallons per inch of wide-bodied or larger sized fish is a good starting point.
Ammonia source
There are various sources of ammonia available. Some enterprising souls have used various materials such as dead shrimp, chunks of meat, fish food and even their own urine! The use of the latter is definitely not advised. Some sources have recommended using straight ammonium chloride. This article will focus on the most widely accepted and available source of ammonia for fishless cycling, which is pure bottled ammonia. Most local drug, hardware or discount stores sell various brands of household cleaning ammonia. Finding 100% pure ammonia is somewhat trickier because many of the common brands contain additional cleaning agents or perfumes, which are unsuitable for aquarium use. Make sure you read the ingredients and look for one that is labeled “Pure Ammonia” or “100% Ammonium Hydroxide”. Added ammonia-chelating agents are ok. If you are still not sure about the purity of a given bottle of ammonia, try shaking the bottle, pure ammonia will not foam, while doctored ammonia will. Top Crest, Whirl Clear and ACE Hardware are national brands that are reported to work.
Seeding the tank
As we know from the conventional cycling method, introducing a healthy amount of beneficial bacteria into your tank at the start will greatly accelerate the cycling process. From an established disease free tank you can get seeding material such as filter media (floss, sponge, etc.), a handful of gravel, potted plants with gravel or rockwool, or by simply squeezing out the “juice’ from biologically charged filter media.
Water conditioners
Even though you will not have fish in the tank for a while you still need to condition your tap water. Beneficial bacteria will not survive in water containing chlorine or chloramines. I do not recommend the use of water conditioners that convert or detoxify ammonia in any way. Conditioners such as AmQuel are good to use with conventional cycling, but are thought to negatively impact fishless cycling. Be that as it may, AmQuel simply isn’t needed for fishless cycling, so save a few bucks and use a cheaper sodium-thiosulfate conditioner. As always, avoid conditioners that contain plant sap.
Other essentials
Just as with conventional cycling, you will need accurate test kits to monitor progress and eliminate guesswork. Test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are required. Note that some nitrate testers convert nitrate into nitrite first, so if you have both nitrite and nitrate in the water you may not get completely accurate readings. A medicine dropper, small measuring spoon, or old water conditioner bottle (clearly labeled to avoid confusion) will be needed for dosing ammonia.
Proper levels
pH:
You will need to maintain acceptable pH levels of 6.5 to 7.8. Extremes in pH will slow down the bacterial growth and may even kill the bacteria altogether.
Temperature:
Maintain a constant tropical temperature of 75° to 78°, never more than + or - .2°, to help promote bacterial growth. Note that some texts recommend maintaining temperatures that are a little higher; I don’t really see the need for doing so.
Ammonia:
I generally like to recommend keeping the ammonia level in the tank somewhere between 3 ppm to 5 ppm until nitrite spikes. Find a container (a one gallon jug is ideal and will make your life easier, but a 3-gallon or 5-gallon bucket will work too) and fill with water and add water conditioner. Add ammonia slowly into the container (with the dropper, spoon or old conditioner bottle) until the ammonia test kit shows a reading of 3 ppm to 5 ppm. Record the amount of ammonia you added per gallon so that you will know how much ammonia to add to the rest of the tank to reach 3 ppm to 5 ppm.
Are you ready to cycle?
So now you have everything set up, the tank is filled with declorinated water, the filter is running, the heater is on & properly set, and the lights are brightly shining. You’ve got ammonia and a dosing level, test kits and some hopefully some good seeding material. Congratulations, you are ready to cycle!
Let's Cycle!
Add the appropriate amount of ammonia into the tank. Use a test kit and check the ammonia level. Make sure it is 3 ppm to 5 ppm. Add seeding material if you have it. That’s it for the first day! Wasn’t that easy?
For the next few days you need to check the levels of ammonia and nitrite daily. If the ammonia level drops, you will need to add just enough ammonia to bring it up to the 3 ppm to 5 ppm target range. However, you do not need to add ammonia everyday, only when you see the ammonia level has fallen. Nitrite levels will be zero for a while but I recommend you to check it daily anyway.
At some point you will start seeing the nitrite level rise and the ammonia level fall. The timing for this varies from a few days to a few weeks, mainly depending on the amount of seeding, so be patient. Once nitrite is visible, you need to start adding 1/2 the original amount of ammonia daily (say if you needed 5 ml of ammonia the first day to make 3 ppm of ammonia in the tank, then you will start adding 2.5 ml every day).
Typically from here on you will see more and more nitrite and less and less ammonia every day. I said typically but not always, sometimes the cycling process will not go as planned, the best approach is to remain patient. You may witness your nitrites rising higher than your test kit can read. This is common for fishless cycling, because you’ve been adding a lot of ammonia, there is simply going to be far more nitrite in the water than the tester can recognize. When this happens, simply do some water changes to bring down the nitrite level to 2 ppm to 5 ppm. Water changes will not delay the cycling process if you do not disrupt the filter media or gravel bed. Don’t forget to add some more ammonia to get back to the 3 ppm to 5 ppm target range after the water change.
So you’ve seen ammonia spike and nitrite spike. Despite the daily dosing of ammonia, your ammonia reading is close to zero and the nitrite level is coming down. You are almost there. You may want to take out the nitrate test kit and test the water. As nitrite levels come down, the nitrate level will naturally go up.
Finally ammonia and nitrite are zero. You’ve done it! Before you rush to the local fish store (LFS) to get fish, you need to do a few more things. First I would like for you to wait one or two more days to make sure that your tank is fully cycled. Simply add some more ammonia and monitor your water parameters. After two days if the levels of ammonia and nitrite are still zero, you know can rest assured that your tank is cycled.
The last thing you need to do is a big water change. A 60% to 90% water change is necessary before adding fish. All that ammonia you have added has now turned into nitrate, and its level is simply too high for your fish. After the water change, don’t let the tank sit empty for a long time. The bacteria you have just cultivated in the tank will need ammonia as food to stay alive.
Go out and get those fish that you have been waiting for all this time. Remember to stock and feed the tank moderately.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
Ok so do i need to get a bio filter or is bio filtering just somthing dat happens and do i need to ad chemicals in this proses or not if im doing the convetional cycling
and should plants be added in this proces or later and r neon tetras alright for the conventional cycling
and should plants be added in this proces or later and r neon tetras alright for the conventional cycling
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
almost all types of filter will house the bacteria. I would suggest an external canister. You may need some medicine when they get ill from high stress level. (oh and the dechlorinator and things too) You could also get some stress coat or stress zyme.
Neon tetras are a no no. Not a very hardy fish. Plants can be added. They may help remove nitrate.
Neon tetras are a no no. Not a very hardy fish. Plants can be added. They may help remove nitrate.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
Wat fish would u advies because it was kinda gonna be a tetra tank but wat fish r good for cycling
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
zebra danois are the common faves.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
Ok are they easy to get hold of because im not in the most fish ubundant place and r they cheapish because im a student and is on a budget
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
yeah they are relitivley common. i dont think i have ever seen my LFS without at least a few for sale. They are cheap.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
Ok so some zebra danios and externnal canister filter how much r they
and how many zebras will i need
and how many zebras will i need
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
how big is your tank? the smaller the tank the cheaper the filter.
it likes a group of 6 or more. Start with fewer, gradually build up.
it likes a group of 6 or more. Start with fewer, gradually build up.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
My tank is is 60cm long 40 cm wide and 40 cm high its currently no buit yet thats y im finding outabout it all now
jwddboy
Fish Fanatic
good going with the reading about it 1st. Thats where a lot of people go wrong and just rush into it.
Well that tank may be a little small for an external as they are normally for larger tanks. Look at fluval filters. Check e-bay. there is often some good deals there.
Well that tank may be a little small for an external as they are normally for larger tanks. Look at fluval filters. Check e-bay. there is often some good deals there.
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
Ok wat size tank is good for an external
OP
OP
fish_master
Fish Crazy
ok i looked up the fluvals and would this 1 be ok for my tank. .......... FLUVAL UNDERWATER FILTER BRAND NEW TANK SIZE 30CM 45L
BRAND NEW UNDERWATER FILTER IN BOX WITH INSTRUCTIONS
FOR TANK SIZE 30CM AND UP TO 45L
SIMPLE QUIET EFFICIENT FOR POWERFUL ECONOMICAL FILTRATION
200 LITRES PER HOUR
or is it way to small
BRAND NEW UNDERWATER FILTER IN BOX WITH INSTRUCTIONS
FOR TANK SIZE 30CM AND UP TO 45L
SIMPLE QUIET EFFICIENT FOR POWERFUL ECONOMICAL FILTRATION
200 LITRES PER HOUR
or is it way to small
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