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Tip Of the Month
These are suggestions from members of the Goldfish Message board. Every month I chose from the Tips that are E-mailed to me and the winner of the Month will receive a Koko's goldfish bumpersticker......
Fishless Cycle
4-01-03/4-30-03
Fish poop. In their water. Poop produces ammonia which is deadly to fish. There is a beneficial bacteria which grows in aquariums that ingests the ammonia produced by fish poop and uneaten rotting fish food. The first part of Cycling is the growth of this bacteria colony to a size that will eliminate all ammonia from the aquarium so that the fish can live without being poisoned by it. This bacteria colony produces waste (as do all living things) and this waste is in the form of nitrites, which, unfortunately, are also deadly to fish. So, the second part of Cycling is the development and growth of a second colony of bacteria that ingest nitrites, thereby eliminating them from the aquarium.
This second type of bacteria produces a waste in the form of nitrAtes, which are not good for fish, but not nearly as toxic as ammonia and nitrites. Levels of all three must be monitored regularly, and measure taken to assure that ammonia levels stay at 0ppm (ZERO parts per million), nitrite levels stay at 0ppm, and nitrates stay below 30 ppm.
That's what cycling IS, here's how to do it:
There are several different ways to cycle your tank. In order to actually know that your tank is cycling or has completely cycled, you'll need a test kit that tests, at the very least, ammonia and nitrites.
1. When the tank is set up, add a filter supplement to start the filter maturing with beneficial bacteria. Feed fish food to the fishless tank each day as though there were fish in it. Gravel vacuum and change 10-20% of the water once a week. Check ammonia and nitrite levels. When ammonia has peaked and disappeared and nitrites have peaked and disappeared, you are ready to put live fish in the tank. There are various filter supplements available e.g. Stress Zyme, Cycle and Establish, but I'm not convinced that these are ideal products. There is, however, a new product on the market, made by Marineland, called Bio Spira, that is considered to be a breakthrough in quick tank cycling. You may have some trouble finding it, since it is so new, but if you do, follow the directions exactly and you may be happily surprised.
2. Cycling fishless with pure ammonia. Once the tank is set up and the filter/s are running properly, add some form of beneficial bacteria. This can be filter media, gravel, plants or even water from an already cycled healthy tank (your local fish store or a friend should be able to help you here). On the first day, add small amounts of pure ammonia (you'll know if it's pure, there will be NO foam or suds if you shake the bottle), testing after each addition until you have reached a level of 5ppm (One aquarist I know estimated that it took her about 7 ml total to reach this level). Thereafter, each day, add that same amount to the tank to help the beneficial bacteria live and multiply. Ammonia levels will peak and when the bacteria colony is established, it will begin to reduce. At this point, the second beneficial bacteria colony will begin to grow. This will result in nitrite levels in your tank rising. Check ammonia levels. When ammonia has peaked and is beginning to lower, reduce the amount of ammonia by half per day. Test ammonia and nitrites daily. Nitrites will spike and then begin to come down. When nitrites are 0 (zero), stop adding ammonia. The next day, do a 50 percent water change. The tank is now cycled and you may add your fish. Keep in mind that this process can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Again: the time will be a little bit shorter if you were able to 'seed' the new aquarium with some bacteria from an existing healthy aquarium by adding filter media, gravel, even water from the old healthy tank to the new one at the beginning of the cycle.
3. Cycling with fish. I don't recommend this because it causes undue stress on the fish and can kill them or cause permanent damage. If you are interested in this type of cycling, I'm sure you can find instructions on the web.
It is very important to regularly test the aquarium water before you add any fish, and at regular intervals when you have fish in your tank.
BuddyHolly
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