Shezzbanger

What is an aquarium cycle? and how do you do it? i read the article on it but i still don't fully understand, my friend would always do it for me and i would never pay attention.

thanks

aquarist48

Welcome to Fish Lore Shezz. The cycle is the period when your aquarium builds good bacteria to dissolve fish and food waste. Without it your fish will die of ammonia poisoning caused by the decaying food and fish poop. This cycle once complete in combination with frequent water changes will help keep your water chemistry (ammonia, nitrites and nitrates) in balance. Waste turns into ammonia, the ammonia turns into nitrites and nitrites turn into nitrates. You're cycled at this point.
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm This link will give you more information as well.
There are several ways to cycle your tank and they are all mentioned in the above link. Decide which method you would like to try and we'll go from there.
Best of luck!

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore
It took me forever to understand the nitrogen cycle too. I read the article and still asked so many questions.

Here's a basic explanation of the nitrogen cycle:
First your ammonia (from fish waste and left over food or if cycling fish less another source of ammonia) will rise.

In a few weeks bacteria will start to develop and you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.

After a few more weeks a different kind of bacteria begins to develop and you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.

If there's fish in the tank.......
Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to your them.
So until your cycle is complete, you need to keep the levels down with 50% daily water changes.
Using Prime as your water conditioner will detox the ammonia for 24 hrs between water changes.

When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

So very simply put, the cycle goes like this:
Ammonia converts to Nitrite which converts to Nitrate.

So nice that you have a friend that helps you with cycling.
Anyway, hope that explanation helped.

Shezzbanger

ah thanks, so the ammonia level needs to be at 0 and the nitrite needs to be 0 but the nitrate has to be over zero, right? even if the nitrate is at 1 is that still fine? how long does the cycle take?

thanks

KyWildFish

I'm sorry I cant resist. It's a "cycle" mispelled. Hah.

Good advise as always from the powers that be here on this forum.

Lucy

That's right. Depending on what test kit you're using. I've never seen a nitrate reading of 1 using the API master test kit.
It can take up to a month to cycle without the use of used filter media from a cycled tank.
Patience is the name of the game when it comes to cycling a tank.



Not anymore.
But I think you misspelled misspelled.

MizRamzi

I'm gonna add Lucy to my spell checker. Mine don't seem to be working right