Cycling???

[Beacious]

Whats "Cycling" and how do I do it?

Thanks, Beacious.

 

[deli_conker]

Here is a good article on a very important issue in fishkeeping (the nitrogen cycle).

If you go to aquarium advice's home page, you'll see a link on the left side called "articles". That is where this one resides and many more informative things as well...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21

 

[Beacious]

I've read this before and didn't understand it (I open a thread called "Nitrogen Cycle?". But thanks anyway.

 

[deli_conker]

in a nutshell...

1. fish poop and uneaten food start to decompose.
2. as they decompose they release ammonia
3. bacteria start to form that eat ammonia
4. as the bacteria eat the ammonia, they leave nitrites behind
5. bacteria start to form that eat nitrites
6. as the bacteria eat the nitrites they leave behind nitrates

and that's the "cycle"...

keep in mind that ammonia and nitrItes are very harmful to your fish.
nitrAtes in high quantities are harmful as well (but nearly as bad)

when your tank has cycled, the bacteria eat the ammonia and nitrItes fast enough that they don't hurt your fish.

hope this helps...

 

[deli_conker]

As far as how to do it...

I would recommend fishless cycling or bio-spira.

First off, buy a test kit. You'll need to be able to measure ammonia, nitrItes and nitrAtes. Ph and general hardness are handy to have as well.

Fishless cycling:

There are many articles about this but here is the concept.

1. you add a source of ammonia to the tank.

some people throw a piece of shrimp in it and let it decompose (thus releasing ammonia etc.). some people use straight ammonia from the hardware store. if you do this, make sure it is pure ammonia and doesn't have soap added to it. if you shake the bottle and it gets foamy, then it has soap. don't use it.

2. test the water every now and then.

you'll see ammonia levels go up
then they'll go down as nitrIte levels go up
then they'll go down and you'll start to see nitrAte levels go up

3. when your ammonia and nitrItes are at 0 and you have nitrAtes in the water, then you tank has cycled and you are ready to add fish (you don't have to add ammonia anymore and get the decomposing shrimp out of the tank at this point)

Bio-spira:

You add this to your tank when you add your fish. It works real good, but is expensive. Make sure you keep it cold. Basically it is a package of the bacteria that make up the cycle.

people sometimes just throw thier fish into the tank and let it cycle that way. it will work, but it could also kill your fish (ammonia and nitrItes are poison to them). the general trend right now is fishless or bio-spira

good luck...

 

[Beacious]

Is frozen shrimp okay?

 

[Menagerie]

Beacious, there is a recent thread about cycling with dead shrimp by kerrinne (sp). Look for that under getting started (I believe).
However, for you, I would recommend bio-spira. I say this because the other way will take weeks and lots of patience (I wouldn't be able to wait!). Of course, cycling with shrimp may work well for you, that way, you would have weeks to research the fish you want! Just a thought.
If you cannot find bio-spira locally, you will have to order it and there is a thread on "found bio-spira"--I keep seeing it--in the getting started or general discussion.

BTW--when are you getting your 55 gal? Since I am coming up with that list for you, I was wondering what your time line is.

 

[Beacious]

I don't know when I'll be getting my 55 gal. You see I have to raise money for it (By breeding mice ).

 

[mengle]

I pulled this from myfishtank.net but it works great and is easy to understand. Hope it helps!!

This is the recipe I used to fishless cycle my 10 to 38 gallon tanks in 1 to 3 weeks.

Items:
· Your Tank (nothing under 5 gallons this recipe)
· No Fish (any fish in the tank need to be removed or they will all die from the cycle)
· Thermometer (any fish tank style, I prefer submersible glass thermometers)
· Gravel, plants, & decorations in the tank
· Air stone & Air pump (any)
· Filter (any including HOB power, canister, under-gravel)
· Heater (5 to 10 watts per gallon)
· 1 Bottle of Ammonia (no additives, no perfumes, no dies)
- household ammonia will do, but make sure it has no surfactants (additives) and no perfumes/color, either of these will poison the water
- The ingredients on the bottle should only say: 'Water + Ammonia'
- Safeway brand (clear) works and West Best Ammonia All-Purpose Cleaner also works. If your not sure, call the supplier/distributor and ask!
· 1 Ammonia Test Kit
· 1 Nitrite Test Kit
· 1 Nitrate Test Kit (optional)

Do the following:
1. Setup your tank gravel, decorations, filters and airlines.
2. Fill the tank completely with treated (dechlorinated and dechloraminated) water.
3. Turn on your filtration system and air pump devices.
4. Turn your Heater on and set to 84F, check your tank thermometer after a few hours to verify the tank water temperature is between 83 and 84F
5. The first time you add ammonia, add small quantities (about 1/4 to 1/2 capful) slowly and test after you add each time (give it 3 to 5 minutes in between to circulate before your test) until you get an ammonia test reading of around 5ppm. The reason you have to add ammonia this way is because most ammonia bottles are diluted with water at different ratios. Markdown or remember the total amount (capfuls) it took to get to 5ppm for your tank volume.
6. Every day, once a day, add the total amount of ammonia that it took to bring your tank ammonia test kit to 5ppm. Do this till the very end of the nitrite cycle.
7. It will take about 3-5 days for your ammonia levels to go to 0ppm after 24 hours, and the first of the two bacteria cycles to complete.
8. Keep adding the ammonia (same amount and every day, once a day) until your nitrite levels become 0pmm after 24 hours, which can take about 2 to 3 weeks time. The nitrite levels will spike for a longer time because the nitrite to nitrate processing bacteria take longer to grow than the ammonia to nitrite bacteria.
9. After the nitrite shows 0ppm (clear), change as much water as you can (leave they gravel/substrate/decorations in the tank) to get rid of the bulk of the nitrate buildup (you can use your nitrate test kit to confirm if you want). Don't 'clean' the tank or use sanitizers, just remove the bulk of the water and replace it with treated water.
10. Now you can fully stock your tank with fish, the 2nd cycle is complete! This means you can add as many fish as your tank size and filtration can manage.
11. If you do not add your full capacity of fish after the fishless cycle is complete, remember that next time you more add fish, add only a few at a time, because the bacteria colonies you built-up during the cycle would have died off a little (from lack of food) so you need to give it time to recover (which can take a few weeks).

To help speed up the process:
a. If you have access to filters or filter media (sponge/bio-wheel/etc) from an established/healthy tank, this will speed up the cycle process considerably! HOWEVER if you plan on removing the filter after your done the cycle, remember you should not fully-stock your tank to start off with, because you will be removing a good portion of the bacteria colony when you remove the filter media.
b. If you have a source of gravel from a healthy cycled tank, mix it into the new gravel to jump-start the colony. Same goes for decorations and filter media. Some LFS actually sell ceramic and other pre-cycled media you can add to your tank, but that will only help the process, it will not replace the time fully.
c. If you have access to a healthy tank (LFS), get them to supply a little water and squeeze the sponge filter into it and then you add it to your new tank water. This might make the tank water look a little murky for a while, but it really helps to seed the tank with the bacteria colonies. Some fish stores actually sell ceramic chips from cycled tanks.
d. Don’t skip or reduce the amount of ammonia till the tank is fully cycled (0pmm nitrite). The ammonia eating bacteria colonies need to stay feel fed to supply the nitrite eating colonies and promote growth
e. Do not use ammonia absorbing chemical filtration media like Zeolite. Some bubble filters have zeolite mixed in with the carbon (white flakes), so remove that filter if you suspect it has zeolite until the cycle is complete.
f. Do not make any water changes until the cycle is complete**
** The only exception is if you accidentally add too much ammonia, then you might need to do a large water change to bring the tank ammonia levels back to around 5ppm.
g. Some people have had good luck using fresh Bio-spira (must be refrigerated during storage to work). Avoid other ‘bottled’ cycle additives. I have had the same time periods with and without the additives, so save your money or buy it for some emotional support if you have to, but I don’t really think you need it.
h. Add some live plants to help control the nitrate levels. You will still (always) need to do regular water changes (I do 25% of the tank volume every week) to keep the nitrate levels from building up too high.

 

[deli_conker]

The pros and cons as I see it...

Bio spira pro --> it instanly cycles your tank (or at least puts it within a week)
Bio spira con --> it ain't cheap

Fishless pro --> it's real cheap
Fishless con --> it takes a few weeks (unless you can help it along with media from an established tank)

There's lots of info out on the net. Just do a google search for "fishless cycling" and "bio-spira"