PufferMayne

Ok I read the cycling forum for puffer fish tank Cycling, anddd its pretty confusing for me. So I was wondering if someone could re tell it to me or explain it to make it easier to understand.
-ALSO-

When you have sand in your tank, how would you clean it?

When I thought in the Cycling page it says to do a big water change when the cycling is complete, but wouldnt that just get rid of the water that you cycled?


Im confused.

soldieroffortune1974

The 1st thing to understand is the water doesn't contain the bacteria in the "cycle".

The bacteria grows,colonizes the hard structures.Gravel/decor/filter media/sides of glass.

You can feel the bacteria.It is the slimy coating that is on everything in the aquarium and filter.Now rub your hands together,the water rinses the slimy feeling away. So,to keep the water from rinsing the bacteria away,it develops a gel like glue substance to keep the colony stable.That's the slimy substance you feel.

2nd thing- All living things produce waste.Wastes decay into ammonia.A bacteria forms to break the ammonia down to nitrites.Another type of bacteria develops to break nitrites down to nitrates.This development of the bacteria is the 'cycle'.Once the bacteria colony is large enough to reduce the ammonia and nitrites to 00 in a given time frame,is the end of the cycle.

first the wastes break down and you start reading ammonia in your tests.
next the ammonia is broken down and you start reading nitrites in your tests while the ammonia levels drop.Then you start reading nitrates while ammonia and nitrites drop. ammoni and nitrites will eventually be 00 and nitrates will increase.Your cycle is complete.

Meaning the bacteria colony is large enough to break everything down to non-harmful components.(almost)

3rd- Nitrates are not harmful,up to a certain amount.(20ppm) after that,they start becoming toxic in increased concentrated amounts.Changing the water,removes the nitrates so they are not harmful.Plants can utilise nitrates as food.The amount of nitrates in the water determines how much water needs to be changed,and how often. As the nitrate levels increase,so should the amount and frequency of the water changes.

Lucy

Hi PufferMayne
I don't have sand, so I can only guess you can use a gravel vac.
Someone with sand willl have to advise you further.

When you change out the water, what your getting rid of of excess nitrates. Nitrates is high amounts can be toxic.
The bacteria that develops during cycling lives on the gravel, decorations and more importantly on your filter media.
So you're not actually cycling the water, you're cycling the filter.

SOF lol

soldieroffortune1974

So..............

Ammonia rises
nitrites rise,ammonia drops
nitrates rise,nitrites drop,ammonia drops

00ppm ammonia
00ppm nitrites
any amount nitrates showing
= cycle is complete.

soldieroffortune1974

Sand is vaccumed almost like gravel.Instead of pushing down the vacuum into the sand (like you do gravel) you keep the vaccum about 1 or 2 inches above the sand and the flow will suck up anything near by.If you can't get something to come up,a quick flick of the vacuum will "swirl" it up so it can be sucked up.Practice makes perfect.

Some people use the vaccuum (before starting siphon) to mix up the sand and let the debris float around,then chase it down with the vac.

Every couple of weeks you need to stir the sand with a fork anyway to release trapped pockets of gas.If you do it every/every other vacuuming,it's not a problem.

soldieroffortune1974

<-----I got my eye on you Lucy HAHA

Lucy

You better behave or I'm going to come to your house and touch your tanks.

soldieroffortune1974

You can touch all the tanks you want,I have aquariums.The tanks are what I use to water the horses.

PufferMayne

ooooooh so you add amonia too the tank so the bacteria produces more to turn them into nitrites, then it will break down the nitires itself to nitrates? and thats when I take some water out and put more in? makes sense more now thank you, so all i need to do this cycling is a kit to test the ammonia lvl nitrite lvl and the nitrate lvl and some pure ammonia to add to tank?

pinkfloydpuffer

Seems like they've got you covered...
I just want to know... what kind of puffer and how many are you getting? And how big is your tank?

Lucy

You got it!

PufferMayne

green spotted puffer, 29 gallon. maybe two green spotted

pinkfloydpuffer

I'd stick with one.
If you want 2 you'd have to get a 55g...
I love GSPs, they're so much fun.