Cycle Question

[ScottVinVA]

If I am correct, the point in a cycle is to set the water up and make it safe for your fish when you get the ones you want. But in the past, I have started tanks and just put fish in the next day with none of them dieing. Was I just lucky?

Please riddle me this...

Why cycle?

What do I look for when I cycle?

How do you start a cycle without a fish?

How do I know when the cycle is finished?


Thank you for all your help.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Cycling a fish tank is to help the fish lead a healthy life in good conditions. Sure, you could survive living Bus stop with all of the fumes and poisons, but you wouldn't be as happy or healthy.

What do I look for when I cycle?

Cycling is the process of Ammonia turning into Nitrites which turn into Nitrates. During water test's, you are looking for the Ammonia and Nitrites to be 0 and Nitrates to be 10-30. It will take several weeks (or months) to accomplish this. During this time, you do not gravel vac or clean the filter. It is best to go fishless. It goes faster when you are cycling fishless and no fish will be harmed. The cycle is finished when you have 0 Ammonia and NItrites and 10-30 NItrates.

To cycle fishless, some people use a piece of dead shrimp to produce ammonia, some people use straight ammonia. It just depends.

 

[fishyrican]

The process of cycling is to build up the beneficial bacterial colonies that will help process fish waste into more benign compounds. There are some good threads/articles here on cycling water. A quick search will pull those up for you. As for your fish not dying, compounds like ammonia can burn their gills. This may not be visible, but is distressing to the fish nonetheless. HTH

 

[ScottVinVA]

Started with:
NO3 = 18
NO2 = 0
GH = 75
KH = 40
pH = 7.8

At that point I was running a HOB filter just to get some water moving around and try to get something good out of the used filter.

I put my Fluval 304 in last week, and took out the old HOB. However I took the sponge from the old filter and put it near my intake with a rock on it for the fluval so it would possibly suck some of the good from the filter.

Now, with the Fluval going and the sponge near the intake, I have this...

Currently:
NO3 = 0
NO2 = 0
GH = 75
KH = 300+ - not sure what this is about, never got this reading before.
pH = 7.2 - 7.8
NH = 0 - .25


Is this good, bad, ugly?

Thanks.

 

[TomK2]

Chceck out the Articles section on AA.

You know your "cycle" is done when the ammonia and nitrites are zero, and the nitrates are increasing. A liquid reagent FW kit is best. Yes, you can cycle with fish, but without a test kit you don't know what conditions you are making them live in. And you need to use very few fish (1inch per 5 gallons or fewer) and be prepared for water changes if ammonia or nitrite rise to high and too fast.

 

[ScottVinVA]

So with the specs I showed above, do you think I can start adding livestock?

Thanks

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You said that your Nitrate's were 0, double check that figure. Also, is your Ammonia 0?

 

[FMJnaX]

Have you added anything to start a cycle? You're currently showing 0 nitrate, which means there isn't any ammonia going to nitrite and no nitrite going to nitrate.... either that or you have live plants or something consuming it all.

If you haven't done anything to start the cycle, then you probably shouldn't add any fish (unless you plan to cycle with fish).

 

[ScottVinVA]

What is the best thing to start a cycle with.

I have nothing in the tank but rocks, a fluval 304 and a filter pad from an old filter that was in use on another tank.

 

[ScottVinVA]

Can I use Bio-Spira, and is what is listed below realistic?

BIO-SPIRA FEATURES

Prevents New Tank Syndrome Introduce fish safely within 24 hours, not weeks. Prevents ammonia and nitrite toxicity in freshwater aquariums during the initial critical period.


DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
Shake well before each use. Use 1 ounce (29.6 ml) of BIO-Spira per 30 gallons of water. BIO-Spira cannot be overdosed. Keep refrigerated. Be sure to shut off any UV sterilizers and remove medication by means of a water change or activated carbon.

Does this mean I should remove the 3 bags of charchol from my Fluval 304 If I do use it?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Bio-Spira is perfect to start with.

 

[ScottVinVA]

I went to the LFS and they did not carry it, they said they could order it but it would take a week. Instead they had something by a company called Seachem, never heard of them, but they had alot of their products.

What I bought was called "Stability" - Rapid and Safe Establishement of Bio Filter and Prevents NTS. Sounds the same as BioSpira.

Anyone used this? Does it work well?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've used it and saw no results both times. Someone else used it and said they liked it though.

 

[extremenewb]

Seachem is very good, the best, IMO, for your plants. But I've heard more often then not their Stability product is lacking

 

[ScottVinVA]

I dont have anything living in my tank except the sponge from my old filter.

I put 3 caps into my tank and still 0/0 in my nitrites and nitrates.

 

[ScottVinVA]

Duh im an idiot, I forgot I need to put one capful in every day for 7 days.

Let me see how this goes again