What Is Cycling

[BornSurvivor]

i do know quite alot about fish but what actually is cycling what does it mean and what does it do i have probably doen it and its just a different name but plaese tell me
Thanks
BornSurvivor

 

[kooshty-dude]

cycling is were u let the water get to the the right temp and get the water filtering properly and make sure u put water conditioner and what not in it to protect your fish but it is better if you dont put fish in straight away because it can be dangerous for your fish if you already have you should keep an eye on them

 

[BornSurvivor]

i thought i already knew and i did but i just heard another name for it

 

[kooshty-dude]

o okay i have replied on another one of your posts as well if that helps u

 

[BornSurvivor]

thanks mate you have been a gr8 help

 

[mommyof2bettas]

cycling is were u let the water get to the the right temp and get the water filtering properly and make sure u put water conditioner and what not in it to protect your fish but it is better if you dont put fish in straight away because it can be dangerous for your fish if you already have you should keep an eye on them

no, that is not cycling. Cycling akes about a month, maybe less, there is fishless cycling and cycling with fish. Fishless cycling is easier, and has less deaths. Cycling should always be done so your fish don't live with stress and pain, and don't die. You see, fish poop and fish food contains something called ammonia. Ammonia kills fish. When you do a fishless cycle you buy ammonia from a store (PURE ammonia) and add it to your tank. In some time a bacteria builds up that eats the ammonia. This bacteria is called nitrite. nitrite may kill your ammonia, but it can also kill your fish, so you must wait again, and soon another type of bacteria will build up. This bacteria is called nitrAte. Notice the A instead of the I. Nitrate is deadly to your fish, but only in large amounts. When you cycle you build up all this bacteria and then you can finally add fish once your cycle is done, because the water will be safe.

 

[krazie2004]

cycling is were u let the water get to the the right temp and get the water filtering properly and make sure u put water conditioner and what not in it to protect your fish but it is better if you dont put fish in straight away because it can be dangerous for your fish if you already have you should keep an eye on them

no, that is not cycling. Cycling akes about a month, maybe less, there is fishless cycling and cycling with fish. Fishless cycling is easier, and has less deaths. Cycling should always be done so your fish don't live with stress and pain, and don't die. You see, fish poop and fish food contains something called ammonia. Ammonia kills fish. When you do a fishless cycle you buy ammonia from a store (PURE ammonia) and add it to your tank. In some time a bacteria builds up that eats the ammonia. This bacteria is called nitrite. nitrite may kill your ammonia, but it can also kill your fish, so you must wait again, and soon another type of bacteria will build up. This bacteria is called nitrAte. Notice the A instead of the I. Nitrate is deadly to your fish, but only in large amounts. When you cycle you build up all this bacteria and then you can finally add fish once your cycle is done, because the water will be safe.

Sorry to be picky but i am a biomedical student and i have to correct you lol.

Ammonia NH3 is converted by bacteria (i) (sorry dont know the name) into NO2- (nitrite)

NO2- is then converted by bacteria (ii) to NO3- (Nitrate)

Hope this clarifies things

 

[krazie2004]

Just to add to my above post, these are all chemicals NOT types of bacteria. Mainly made up of Nitrogen (N), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O).

 

[Tolak]

Nitrosomonas are the bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite, nitrobacters are the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate. Until you have built up a bacterial colony of these two that keeps your ammonia & nitrite level at zero your tank has not cycled.

Check out this link; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=10099

 

[scorphonic]

O lord...even this post confused me!! Lol.

Cycling is simply getting your filter seeded with the necessary bacteria required to carry out the nitrogen cycle. All you need to know about is that you (or your fish) supply ammonia to the water and this flows through your filter. In time bacteria grow as they feed off the ammonia. In time the bacterial colony will be big enough to reduce the level of ammonia to 0 in a few hours. As the ammonia is being "eaten" by the bacteria they convert it into Nitrites. These nitrites begin to increase in the water and as they move through the filter in the water another type of bacteria (named in Tolak's post above) begin to grow and feed off the nitrites. These new bacteria then convert the nitrites into less lethal nitrates which can be reduced by doing water changes each week.

The process of cycling involves getting the levels of the necessary bacteria to grow in your filter. Once these bacteria are present in sufficient numbers you can add a few fish (when cycling using fish as the source of ammonia), or alot of fish (when doing a fishless cycle since you determine how high your ammonia level is throughout... if high ammonia levels (and nitrite levels) are reduced to zero in a few hours there are enough bacteria to support a full bioload in the tank)

You must cycle because if you just add fish directly to dechlorinated tank water then the fish will poo and pee into the water and the ammonia from this waste will poison them and cause irreversible damage, maybe even death!!

 

[rdd1952]

The simple explanation of cycling is the process of building a bacteria colony which will keep your tank free of ammonia and nitrite.

As stated, bacteria develop and process ammonia into nitrite. A different bacteria develops and processes nitrite to nitrate. You remove nitrate by doing water changes. A properly cycled tank will always have 0 ammonia and nitrite.

There are 2 ways to cycle a tank: without fish (see link in my signature to Fishless Cycling thread) and with fish.

If you cycle with fish, you must test daily for ammonia and nitrite. They are toxic and will kill your fish. In order to keep the levels down until the needed bacteria can develop and remove them naturally, you must do water changes to dilute the amount in the water. Water changes may need to be done as often as 2 times a day depending on the stocking level and fish you have in your tank. Your goal is to keep ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 as possible.