stupid question....

[Money_man1688]

What exactly is cycling my tank mean?????

 

[eco23]

A few resources for you-

http://www.google.com/
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html

 

[eco23]

No offense intended, but looking at your profile...you've posted requests looking for a free tank, free heater, free plants, free shrimp, free fish, free snails, etc...and just now you're trying to understand cycling? Out of curiosity, do you have an aquarium set up? Are you capable of keeping fish and providing the necessities for them to thrive in your care if there are products you need to purchase yourself locally?

 

[Money_man1688]

No offense intended, but looking at your profile...you've posted requests looking for a free tank, free heater, free plants, free shrimp, free fish, free snails, etc...and just now you're trying to understand cycling? Out of curiosity, do you have an aquarium set up? Are you capable of keeping fish and providing the necessities for them to thrive in your care if there are products you need to purchase yourself locally?

Yes i have a tank set up now

 

[Money_man1688]

No offense intended, but looking at your profile...you've posted requests looking for a free tank, free heater, free plants, free shrimp, free fish, free snails, etc...and just now you're trying to understand cycling? Out of curiosity, do you have an aquarium set up? Are you capable of keeping fish and providing the necessities for them to thrive in your care if there are products you need to purchase yourself locally?

Im sry i dont know all the terms of takin care of a fishtank. Every fish i have ever had lived a very long life...i was just curious about the meaning was all....thank you

 

[GodFan]

Cycling is simply helping or letting the beneficial bacteria build up in you filter. It is not letting your tank sit for a week like the pet stores sometimes. I didnt know what it was until my LFS told me. Sounds like your doing pretty good for not knowing about cycling. Good luck and God bless!

 

[NoMoreGoldFish]

Cycling means growing enough bacteria to complete the nitrification process while keeping the NH3 and NO2 level at 0 ppm in your particular enclosed environment, e.g. your tank.

Suffocation caused by the lack of biological filtration is the number one cause of death for fish kept in tanks maintained by beginners according to The Institute Of NoMoreGoldFish's extensive research.

Ammonia burns the gills affecting oxygen absorption, while nitrites bind to the hemoglobin in the fish's plasma to form methemoglobin (in human, it's often referred to as Blue Baby Syndrome), since methemoglobin can't transport oxygen like hemoglobin, your fish have even more trouble getting oxygen to their muscles and vital organs and inevitably will die from suffocation no matter how much oxygen there is in the water.

So to me, under normal circumstances, biological filtration is more important than mechanical or chemical filtration. So CYCLE YOUR TANK before you buy any fish.