This may be around here somewhere already, but what I would like somewhere is a simple, quick and short post that defines cycling. Anna's old post ( http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099 ) is pretty comprehensive, but it is long and (at least in my opinion) gets off on a tangent once in a while. It would be an absolutely great second page to read about cycling, but it is not nearly succinct enough for a rote beginner to absorb all that info and piece together what is really important.
What I'd like to see is as shortly as possible, to define cycling. There is a user, whose name I currently cannot recall, who has a great graph that shows the ammonia level rising then declining, the nitrite doing the same, and the nitrate slowly rising. This graph along with just a simple explanation would be great just to plunk down in many, many beginners' threads, especially with the still common misuse or misunderstanding of the word cycling.
The outline of the definition would be simple: fish excrete ammonia, ammonia kills your fish, bacteria eat ammonia but excrete nitrite, nitrite also kills your fish, other bacteria eat nitrite but excrete nitrate.
1-2 paragraphs, coupled with the graph. Short, sweet, and to the point.
The bottom of this fast definition should then link to anna's and all the other parts of the cycling resource center, so that the interested reader could go on to learn more.
But my main point is that information overload makes it hard to understand everything, and a quick and easy to understand definition of cycling I think is a void that needs filling.
Also, this is probably a small concern, but it is not easy to find anna's old post, especially for a beginner. First you have to go into the pinned section, then you have to click on the 'Cycling Resource Center' and find the right post there. If you are a beginner, you don't know what cycling is or how important it is. I really think that a giant or bold 'Beginners click here 1st' link or something should be very prominent, maybe at the top of every section of the forum.
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099 ) is pretty comprehensive, but it is long and (at least in my opinion) gets off on a tangent once in a while. It would be an absolutely great second page to read about cycling, but it is not nearly succinct enough for a rote beginner to absorb all that info and piece together what is really important.What I'd like to see is as shortly as possible, to define cycling. There is a user, whose name I currently cannot recall, who has a great graph that shows the ammonia level rising then declining, the nitrite doing the same, and the nitrate slowly rising. This graph along with just a simple explanation would be great just to plunk down in many, many beginners' threads, especially with the still common misuse or misunderstanding of the word cycling.
The outline of the definition would be simple: fish excrete ammonia, ammonia kills your fish, bacteria eat ammonia but excrete nitrite, nitrite also kills your fish, other bacteria eat nitrite but excrete nitrate.
1-2 paragraphs, coupled with the graph. Short, sweet, and to the point.
The bottom of this fast definition should then link to anna's and all the other parts of the cycling resource center, so that the interested reader could go on to learn more.
But my main point is that information overload makes it hard to understand everything, and a quick and easy to understand definition of cycling I think is a void that needs filling.
Also, this is probably a small concern, but it is not easy to find anna's old post, especially for a beginner. First you have to go into the pinned section, then you have to click on the 'Cycling Resource Center' and find the right post there. If you are a beginner, you don't know what cycling is or how important it is. I really think that a giant or bold 'Beginners click here 1st' link or something should be very prominent, maybe at the top of every section of the forum.
