| If you ask a pet store employee if you | | | | After you have Nitrate, test carefully |
| can have fish right away after setting | | | | to make sure all Ammonia you add gets |
| up a tank, a good employee will tell you | | | | converted, then do a massive water |
| yes. A nice fish lover will tell you | | | | change with properly treated water. |
| that you need to cycle the tank, or you | | | | (Treated water is water with a |
| will be coming back to get more doomed | | | | de-chlorinator added so that you will |
| fish soon. | | | | not lose the effort you just made due to |
| The cycle is when an aquarium is readied | | | | chlorine or chloramine in tap water. ) |
| to support life. An newly setup aquarium | | | | Now add fish. You can normally nearly |
| is incapable of supporting any kind of | | | | fully stock the fish tank now that it is |
| life, as it does not have the correct | | | | cycled, just stop adding ammonia when |
| bacteria and such in place to convert | | | | you add fish, and make sure there is no |
| waste into less harmful forms. This | | | | ammonia or nitrite present before you |
| change is a constant cycle in an | | | | add them. |
| aquarium, but the first time is the | | | | Cycling with Fish (Traditional Cycling) |
| important one. | | | | Materials: |
| There are two ways to cycle a tank. Most | | | | Some fish you don't like |
| other ways are just variations on these | | | | Fully setup aquarium |
| two. The first is fishless cycling, and | | | | Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Test kits |
| the second is cycling with fish. | | | | Time |
| Fishless Cycling | | | | Buckets for twice weekly water changes |
| Materials: | | | | Time: 4-6 weeks |
| Clear Ammonia (should not foam, or have | | | | Add several fish you do not care for, as |
| colors or dyes added) | | | | they will often be very damaged by the |
| Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate Test kits | | | | cycling. Common choices are danios, or |
| Tank, fully setup, but with no animals | | | | feeder goldfish. |
| in it. | | | | Test the water, and when Ammonia begins |
| If you can decorations, gravel, or | | | | to appear, start your water changes. You |
| filter media from an already cycled tank | | | | want to keep the ammonia as low as |
| If you are going to keep live plants, | | | | possible, because ammonia kills fish. |
| add them now. They will speed the cycle. | | | | The main reason this method takes so |
| Time: From 9 days-3 weeks | | | | long is the water changes that continue |
| The first step is to add ammonia to the | | | | to dilute the ammonia and keep the fish |
| tank. Add enough that the test kit | | | | alive. The water will slowly go through |
| measures ~ 5 ppm. Remember how much you | | | | the same cycle as in Fishless, but don't |
| had to add to get that amount, as | | | | forget that Nitrite is also very |
| ammonia comes in very different | | | | poisonous to fish, and that level needs |
| concentrations. Add the same amount | | | | to be kept very low as well. |
| every day. After 3-4 days begin testing | | | | Once you get Nitrate, your cycle is |
| for Nitrite, but continue adding | | | | done. Do a large water change to lower |
| Ammonia. | | | | the Nitrate level. Now you can return |
| When nitrite appears wait for it to | | | | the fish you used to cycle, and get only |
| spike, i.e. no Ammonia 24 hours after | | | | as many fish as you returned. Or you can |
| adding it, but tons of Nitrite. Cut the | | | | add a few fish every few weeks because |
| Ammonia dosage by half and begin testing | | | | the bacteria only grew enough to process |
| for Nitrate. It takes longer for Nitrate | | | | so much fish waste, so more than its |
| to appear than Nitrite. When Nitrate | | | | expected amount would just start the |
| appears Nitrite should disappear. | | | | cycle again. |