derv

Hi there,
I am new to the site and I am loving it so far.
I have learned a lot in the past few days !!

I am still struggling to understand the concept of cycling....
I see people saying that their tanks are cycling, and others saying 'i hope i don't cause my tank to cycle' etc etc

I have read about the nitrate cycle in the beginners section. But from what I gathered it's just about doing regular water changes to control the levels of ammonia and nitrate ?

Can poeple explain ?
Sorry for my ignorance :-) !!

Lucy

Don't feel badly, it took me and a lot of others a long time to understand it.

Your tank needs a source of ammonia to cycle, whether it's from pure ammonia or fish food. It's preferable not to cycle with fish because ammonia and nitrite are toxic to your fish.

The goal of cycling is to develop enough beneficial bacteria to 'eat' the ammonia as it is produced keeping the ammonia and nitrite level at 0. The byproduct of these is nitrates, which in high amounts is also toxic.
That's why weekly water changes are recommended after the cycle is complete.

Here's a basic explanation of the process:
First your ammonia will rise, in a few weeks you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop. After a few more weeks you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.
When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

I hope that helps.

Beeker

Well said, Lucy.
I also would like to add that to test your levels of Ammonia, NitrItes, and NitrAtes, we recommend a liquid test kit. The test strips are not reliable nor are they accurate. Here is the link for the test kit that most of us on this forum use for our freshwater tanks.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...rmastertestkit
I hope this helps.

And Welcome to FishLore!

derv

thanks for the info guys.

so this should all be done before the fish even go into the tank ??

at the moment my fish have been in the tank for about 4 months, and i do water changes pretty regularly (not regularly enough by the sounds of it , but i will improve )

CHoffman

Yes, if at all possible this should bed done before the fish go in the tank, The ammonia and Nitrite are toxic and even fatal to fish.

If the fish have been in the tank for 4 months there is a good chance that your tank is cycled. You won't know for sure until you get a liquid test kit. As long as you didn't change your filter, or clean the filter, gravel, or decor with untreated tap water you have a real good chance of the cycle already being complete.

derv

i have taken out the filter on a few occasions to clean it. i presume this is the worst thing that i could have done from reading on this site.... :-(

i have not cleaned the gravel though.

i have a lot to learn !!

soldieroffortune1974

Cleaning the gunk off the filter isn't bad (unless you're washing it in straight tap water) It's harmful to your cycle if by cleaning you throw the whole filter cartridge away,then you're throwing away a lot of the bacteria.

From now on,rinse the filter media in the bucket you change the water with,remove the build up and replace it in the filter.Vacuum the gravel/sand to get rid of excess wastes,but only vacuum half at each cleaning.Then the other half at the next cleaning,and your cycle wont suffer;but your fish will be in cleaner water.

After 4 months,the aquarium SHOULD be cycled,a test kit will let you know for certain.