An up and working fish tank without any hassles
You may not have come across the term fish tank cycling unless you are an avid follower of the aquarium news groups and forums. However, you may have heard of a fatal condition known as the new tank syndrome. This deadly disorder is the effect of the cycling process.
What is this cycling business all about?
Cycling is the process which is used to set up a bacterial bed in the biological filter that eliminates the toxins produced by the natural metabolic processes of the fish. When done correctly, cycling can prove extremely beneficial for your pets; however, there are scores of ways in which the job can be fudged up or slowed down.
The steps to cycling a fish tank
Allow the growth of a bacterial culture in the filter that digests ammonia turning it into Nitrite (this substance is more toxic than ammonia).
The filter then produces bacteria that digest the Nitrite turning it into an innocuous substance Nitrate.
However, while nitrate will not kill the fishes it can cause loss of appetite and stress, small water changes will remedy this situation.
The things to remember when recycling the fish tank
Contrary to what the pet shops tell, there is really no need to use goldfish for cycling the tank unless you intend to keep them.
A very important thing to remember when cycling the aquarium is to keep the number of fishes in the tank down to the minimum.
The fish used for cycling should be hearty and should include all the species that you would like in the aquarium in the long run.
Never recycle the tank with lots of feeder goldfish.
The best fishes for cycling an aquarium
If you have a small community tank, a few white clouds or Zebra Danios should do the trick. On the other hand, for a more aggressive tank with larger or many fish, you may want to use Tiger Barbs or Cherry barbs. For an African Cichlid tank, a few Pseudotropheus zebras should do. Simply choose the hardiest fish at the local pet shop that you intend to keep.
The number of fishes that will be needed for the job depend on the size of the tank and the type of fish; the type of filter will also have a bearing on the number of fishes needed. For a tank in the range of ten to twenty gallons, three small schooling fish will be more than enough. Alternatively, you could also make do with a small cichlid.
The actual cycling process
Introduce the fish into the tank and let them enjoy the water for a couple of days. Feed the fish as usual but ensure that there is no excess food in the tank which may turn into decaying matter and foul the water. Only introduce the number of fishes needed for cycling; keeping the others in another tank till the aquarium is cycled. There are several reasons why you should cycle the tank with the minimum number of fishes.
More fishes means excess waste which will put undue pressure on the fishes resulting in higher death rates and susceptibility to diseases.
Water problems can occur due to the large number of fishes.
Foul smell
While the fish are in the tank; change 10% to 15% of the water after a couple of days and you should be ready to take the water for sampling in a week or so. Most pet shops will test the water for a small fee. If everything has been done correctly, the level of ammonia in the water should be quite high with just traces of nitrite. Do not worry about this as it easily takes 6 to 8 weeks to complete the cycling process.
Another water test will be required on the 6th or 8th week at which point the water should only have traces of ammonia and nitrite. Add the fishes only if the level of these two compounds is significantly low. It is imperative to add just a few fish at a time so that the filter is not stressed which will call for another round of recycling.
If the level of nitrite and ammonia has not gone down between the 6th and 8th week, it would be a good idea to retrace your steps and try to analyze what went wrong. Usually, factors such as regular water changes and increasing the frequency of change at the first sign of ammonia stress will have an impact on the length of the cycling process.
For instance, if there is too much ammonia in the water, it will impede the growth of the bacterial culture in the filter. Also, the water has to be treated with chloramine because chlorine can kill the bacteria. If ammonia removers are used in the cycling process instead of water changes, this can cause the bacteria to starve.
Remember to never use chemicals when cycling as this can cause a hindrance. Allow the biological filters to process the ammonia. If you continue to see ammonia stress in the fish even after cycling, this points to over population, overfeeding or the under-filtering.
2 Responses
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Mark Lo Says:
I didn’t know what the term fish tank cycling was, but this has helped me understand it quite well.Great post.
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Ruth Says:
Very nice, i suggest webmaster can set up a forum, so that we can talk and communicate.