What, really, is cycling? A hoax? A way for LFSs to get $?

[itafx]

I've heard so much about cycling - how necessary it is, how long it takes, how to do it, etc. etc. etc. But nobody ever says what's really going on, why it's so important, how you know when it starts/finishes/stalls, etc. I've set up 6 tanks in the past 6 months. All except the QT tank are planted. The plants and fish do extremely well together and I haven't worried about "cycling". I put the soil/fert mix, in and put gravel over top, or put commercial substrate and fert tabs, and plant the plants and put in the fish. Everything works out fine. What's the big deal about cycling. It all seems to work fine without ever trying to "do anything" about cycling.

 

[fishb0ne]

Re: What, really, is cycling? A hoax? A way for LFSs to ge

I've heard so much about cycling - how necessary it is, how long it takes, how to do it, etc. etc. etc. But nobody ever says what's really going on, why it's so important, how you know when it starts/finishes/stalls, etc.

Actually, everyone is talking about this with a load of details. All you have to do is search ...

 

[neilanh]

Cycling is not a hoax. How they recommend that you cycle could easily be a hoax. Like fishb0ne said, there's conversations all over this site with information.

 

[hamburgler]

Try looking it up...

I'm no expert on planted tanks, so i do not know if they have any affect on the cycle. BUT, i'm assuming you used some sort of test kit when setting up your tanks? If not you will have no clue. If you did, and had accurate testing equipment, it would be hard not to realize that levels of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are changing. You would certainly realize that over time levels would top out then slowly decline, if successful.

 

[itafx]

Have test kits but didn't do lots of testing. With plants and fish thriving and producing fry, what's the point?

 

[QTOFFER]

I hear what you're saying, itafx.
The problem with understanding tank cycling is that the term doesn't quite explain what is going on. "Cycling" is derived from the nitrogen cycle, which drives the whole process forward. I think that the term, "Biofilter Development" makes more sense.

When your tank has a source of ammonia, it will inevitably cycle...er, develop a biofilter. Until the biofilter develops, conditions can become quite stressful for fish; that's why fishless biofilter development is preferred.

Some people like yourself are able to cycle a tank without really trying. The keys to success here are low bioload and plants. Plants are great additions to a tank because they often come covered with the bacteria needed to develop a biofilter. They also directly absorb waste byproducts themselves. If one must cycle with fish, it's far better to do so in a well planted tank.

You should definitely post questions here and check out threads about the nitrogen cycle and cycling. I'd also recommend googling the subject until you find out all you need to know. Here's a start:

Two excellent articles from this site on the nitrogen cycle and fishless cycling:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=52

Two excellent articles on the nitrogen cycle that I found on the web.
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
http://www.diveintofish.com/ac/aq_wq_amm.html

 

[itafx]

Very helpful. Thanks! I was searching the forum and I found those articles and some threads that left me kind of flat. I just couldn't relate my experience to words like "Ammonia is toxic to fish and if allowed to rise too high, can quickly bring about fish deaths. In a new aquarium, this will rise rather quickly." In my tanks, I was using Emperor biowheel filters. It seems like the plants probably made a pretty good bacteria inoculation. I had fish from the start and there were no problems, but I was well under 1" per gallon. I had one of those continuous ammonia monitors in there and it never read anything at all. Maybe some day when I have a some more experimental confirmation, I'll write an article titled something like "carefree cycling".

 

[jsoong]

Some one beat you to it!!

What you did is called "silent cycling". It is quite easy to do in heavily planted tank.

This is one of many articles:
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_silent_cycling.php

 

[itafx]

That's great!

 

[theotheragentm]

Test kits are mostly used after something goes wrong, but it's nice to use a test kit when you're getting settled on a full stock. That way you can figure out how often partial water changes are necessary. I've found my tank to have a low bioload and requires a PWC every week and a half, but I wouldn't have known that without testing my water. You might find out you need to do a PWC every five days or so, but it's nice to know for sure.

 

[QTOFFER]

Great link, jsoong!
I added that one to my aquarium FAQ bookmarks so I can link to it in the future. I never heard the term "silent cycling" - always learning something new here!