Will someone explain to me the nitrogen cycle of an aquarium in terms I can understand.?

Question

I am completely new at this. I set the aquarium up yesterday and have resisted the temptation to stick my Betta in it. Its a 10 gallon tank. Everything I have read so far about the nitrogen cycle is confusing. Do I need to buy a test kit? What fish do I start with and when? Everything recommends Danios or barbs, but I dont like those fish very much. I know with a 10 gallon aquarium I have limited space so I dont want to be stuck with fish I dont want. Here is a list of the fish I have and want... Betta, he has been in a 4 gallon bowl. I got him 2 weeks ago and seems very happy. If I stick him in the tank by himself will he start the nitrogen cycle? or if I start with him will I not be able to add new fish because he will become territorial over the tank? I also like Platies, can I start with them? How many? What sex? I also want something to help clean the tank, Corey cat maybe? I know I eventually want to add Ghost shrimp. I know I cant add all of these at once. Help me please!!!

Answer 1

First, there are two ways to cycle the tank, with or without fish. For either method a test kit is a very good idea so you can keep aware of the level of ammonis and leter the level of nitrite in the tank.
Cycling without fish is usually quicker. and builds a high bioload capacity, or number of fish the tank will support, faster earlier in the tank's life.

You can do this any of several ways, but all of them have to do with getting ammonia into the tank. Some people suggest a piece of shrimp, some pure ammonia from a bottle, others fish food... any will work, it's just a source of ammonia. I like fish food because it's cheap and handy. Add a good large pinch of food every day, just like feeding a tank full of fish for 3-4 days. The rotting food will produce ammonia and you can see the levels on the test kit. Get the levels up good and high, in the danger level. Once it's high stop feeding the tank and start watching for the levels of ammonia to drop. This should happen within a week or so. It will be faster if you can get a little gravel from a well established tank such as at a pet store to add to your tank. Once the ammonia starts to drop, the nitrites will rise. Within a week or so they also will start to drop. Once both are back to 0 you can change a little water and be sure to remove any old food you see then add your fish. I would suggest only adding about half of them at first then the other half about a week later.

Here's a nice website that does a good job of explaining all of this as well as answering other questions you may have. Check out all of the sections at the bottom of the page. If after reading these you have any more questions feel free to email me.

http://www.firsttankguide.net/

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 2

I'll take a stab:
After you've dechlorinated your water (even leaving chlorinated water in the tank a day or two will do this), you have a blank slate. Add in a fish. Through urine, feces, uneaten food, and even the exhalations from their gills, you add ammonia to the water. Ammonia is toxic to fish. It burns their eyes, scales, fins, and worst of all: their gills. Once ammonia levels peak, a new bacteria: nitrite forms. Nitrite eats up the ammonia as quickly as it forms. Nitrite is also toxic to fish. It messes up their ability to absorb oxygen and with high levels over a period of time, they asphyxiate. After a couple of weeks of nitrite build up, another bacteria is born: nitrate..the GOOD bacteria (within limits, of course). You should have 20 ppm on a testing kit. You definitely need a test kit with an aquarium. Minimum tests during the cycling phase (which is 4-6 weeks) is for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You will always use a nitrate and PH test after the cycle. The betta will definitely start the cycle. I used my betta in a 30 gallon tank to start for a week or so then added in a few golden danios (much prettier and brighter than the zebras but just as hardy!)
Corycats should be in groups of 5 or 6 in order to maintain their normal schooling tendencies. Any less and they tend to get stressed. Stress causes illnesses including ich that are contagious. You could do less, but I wouldn't go any lower than 4.
Platys are livebearers. You probably won't have to worry about overpopulating the tank though as your other fish will probably eat the fry unless they hide out in plants somewhere.
Currently, in my 10 gallon tank, I have the 3 danios left from the long ago 30 gallon cycling, a black betta named Finding EMO, and 5 platys.
Because none of these fish are heavy waste producers, I have no need for a bottom cleaner. The platys and danios are piglets, too. Barely ANY food hits mid-tank..haha. Plus, the platys go picking along the rock and decor constantly looking for little leftovers :)

Answer 3

1. Ammonia is produced as waste by all animals in the aquarium. It is also produced by any uneaten food or dead animals or plants 2, 3, 4 & 9. Ammonia is food for a kind of bacteria and changed into nitrites. These bacteria are present in low amounts in the water. As the ammonia increases, the number of bacteria also increase thus making the conversion of ammonia faster. The nitrites are converted by another form of bacteria into nitrates. These bacteria are also present in low amounts in the water and will multiply if there are nitrites. One of these bacteria is called Nitrosomas but I don't know which. These bacteria live best in the filter, gravel and decorations. An established tank will have a good balance of these two bacteria and the amount of ammonia produced, thus keeping ammonia and nitrite levels always very low. 6. If you add a lot of new fish to an established tank, it will overwhelm the bacteria present and cause an ammonia spike. This will last until more new bacteria can be produced to deal with the ammonia 7. If you upgrade your tank and tranfer your decorations, gravel, or filter to the new one, the new tank will still have to cycle but it won't be as bad or take as long since you have more bacteria present to start with. 5. You can use ammonia removers but they are not necessary and they can interfere with cycling your tank. 8. Some of those "bacteria in a bottle" might work but there are no guarantees. If you are doing a fishless cycle, they are not necessary. 10. Nitrates do not go anywhere, that's why you have to do routine partial water changes. If you have live plants, they do consume nitrates as food. Hope this helps. I did my best. The numbers are not in order as I tried to answer related questions at one time.

Answer 4

Like all living creatures, fish give off waste products (pee and poo). These nitrogenous waste products break down into ammonia (NH3), which is highly toxic to most fishes. In nature, the volume of water per fish is extremely high, and waste products become diluted to low concentrations. In aquariums, however, it can take as little as a few hours for ammonia concentrations to reach toxic levels.
How much ammonia is too much? The quick answer is: if a test kit is able to measure it, you've got too much (i.e., it's in a high enough concentrations to stress fish). Consider emergency action (water changes and zeolite clay) to reduce the danger. (A more detailed discussion of ammonia toxicity can be found later in this section.)

In aquaria-speak, the ``nitrogen cycle'' (more precisely, the nitrification cycle) is the biological process that converts ammonia into other, relatively harmless nitrogen compounds. Fortunately, several species of bacteria do this conversion for us. Some species convert ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (N02-), while others convert nitrite to nitrate (NO3-). Thus, cycling the tank refers to the process of establishing bacterial colonies in the filter bed that convert ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate.

The desired species of nitrifying bacteria are present everywhere (e.g., in the air). Therefore, once you have an ammonia source in your tank, it's only a matter of time before the desired bacteria establish a colony in your filter bed. The most common way to do this is to place one or two (emphasis on one or two) hardy and inexpensive fish in your aquarium. The fish waste contains the ammonia on which the bacteria live. Don't overfeed them! More food means more ammonia! Some suggested species include: common goldfish (for cold water tanks), zebra danios and barbs for warmer tanks, and damselfishes in marine systems. Note: Do not use ``toughies'' or other feeder fishes. Although cheap, they are extremely unhealthy and using them may introduce unwanted diseases to your tank.



During the cycling process, ammonia levels will go up and then suddenly plummet as the nitrite-forming bacteria take hold. Because nitrate-forming bacteria don't even begin to appear until nitrite is present in significant quantities, nitrite levels skyrocket (as the built-up ammonia is converted), continuing to rise as the continually-produced ammonia is converted to nitrite. Once the nitrate-forming bacteria take hold, nitrite levels fall, nitrate levels rise, and the tank is fully cycled.

Your tank is fully cycled once nitrates are being produced (and ammonia and nitrite levels are zero). To determine when the cycle has completed, buy appropriate test kits (see the TEST KIT section) and measure the levels yourself, or bring water samples to your fish store and let them perform the test for you (perhaps for a small fee). The cycling process normally takes anywhere from 2-6 weeks. At temperatures below 70F, it takes even longer to cycle a tank. In comparison to other types of bacteria, nitrifying bacteria grow slowly. Under optimal conditions, it takes fully 15 hours for a colony to double in size!

It is sometimes possible to speed up the cycling time. Some common procedures for this are detailed later in this section.

Warning: AVOID THE TEMPTATION TO GET MORE FISH UNTIL AFTER YOUR TANK HAS FULLY CYCLED! More fish means more ammonia production, increasing the stress on all fish and the likelihood of fish deaths. Once ammonia levels reach highly stressful or toxic levels, your tank has succumbed to ``New Tank Syndrome''; the tank has not yet fully cycled, and the accumulating ammonia has concentrations lethal to your fish.

way MORE @ site

Answer 5

you did not state what type of filter you have you can add the beta now. a cycle is when you have enough bacteria to to consume the ammonia that the fish produce through waist the best way to keep water quality good on a small tank is to make partial water change weekly make shure to use a declorantor

Answer 6

Your best bet is going to be a fishless cycle. Im really bad at explaining things, but im going to go ahead and give you a link to an article. You are going to have to join the forum first to read it tho.

oh, and I also want to saythat ghost shrimp will not do so well with a betta usually. They sometimes find betta tails yummy and sometimes bettas think the shrimp look tasty....

Answer 7

Cycling with fish is not the most humane way of cycling a tank. See www.fishlesscycling.com

Answer 8

Fish, rotting food, plants, ect. all produce toxic ammonia. Ammonia will kill fish even in very small amounts. Fortunatly there is a solution to getting rid of ammonia. You guessed it, the nitrogen cycle. Nitrifying bacteria lives in your filter, on gravel, decor, ect. Most of it will be in the filter. This nitrifying bacteria consumes toxic ammonia and converts it to nitrites. These nitrites are also very toxic, and will kill fish in very small amounts. I know what you are thinking. What is the point of this bacteria if all it does is convert poison to another poison? Well, that's where a different kind of nitrifying bacteria comes in. This bacteria converts toxic nitrites to the much less toxic nitrates. In nature, the cycle continues from there, but in the aquarium, this is almost impossible to achieve. For this reason, water changes must be performed to remove nitrates. Nitrates are not all that toxic, but they will still harm fish if water changes are not performed to remove them.

So now you ask, how do I get this cycle started? Well, once you get the tank all set up, with filters running, it is time to get starting cycling the tank. There are a couple of ways to get it going. First I will go over the way most fishkeepers reccommend. For all methods, you are going to need a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Try to avoid test strips, they are unreliable and innacurate. Liquid tests are much better.

Fishless Cycling:
For this method, you will be providing the tank with a source of ammonia. Bottles of ammonia can be purchased at your local department store or hardware store. Make sure to get pure ammonia, some of it has chemicals added which are harmful and will kill anything living in the tank. Read the ingredients label to make sure there are no additives.

Add the ammonia to the tank slowly, and check the levels every little bit of ammonia you add, repeat until the ammonia level is at 5ppm. Do not let it go above 8 ppm, if it does get that high, change out some water to bring the level back to around 5ppm. Test ammonia levels once every 1-2 days, and add ammonia as needed to keep the levels at 5ppm. Within 1-3 weeks, ammonia levels will start to drop, and nitrites will start to appear. Once nitrites appear, keep adding ammonia, but this time only go up to 2-3 ppm ammonia. Ammonia will slowly fall as nitrite levels climb. Test for both ammonia and nitrites every day. Nitrites will probably climb off the charts. Just let them go, and in 1-2 weeks nitrites will dissapear and you will start to see nitrates. When nitrites hit zero, dose 5ppm ammonia and wait for 1 day. By the next day there should be 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrites. Test for nitrates, and change water as needed to bring nitrates down to 10-20 ppm. It is now time to add your fish!

Cycling with Fish
This method is not reccommended, because it can cause damage or death to the fish, but many people go out and buy fish before finding our about the cycle, and fishy cycling has to be done. For this method, again, have the tank, filters, everything set up. Add a small load of fish, make sure the fish are a very hardy type, because the ammonia and nitrite levels are going to have an effect. Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels very closely, and change water often to keep those levels as close to 0 as possible. If they rise above 0.25 ppm, do a water change. Once ammonia and nitrite levels hit 0, and nitrates start to show, it is time to add your fish. Gradually add fish, 1-2 small fish per week, and continue to monitor levels very closely. The bacteria will increase gradually with each fish you add, as it will need to adjust to the higher bio-load. So make sure to add fish gradually, and be patient.

Cycling with Established Bacteria
This is the easiest and fastest way to cycle an aquarium. There are different ways to get bacteria for your tank. The cheapest way is to get some from another tank. Get some filter media from a friend, or maybe even your local fish store, and put it into your filter. Add a small load of fish, and monitor levels. Change water if needed to keep ammonia, nitrite as close to 0 as possible. In about a week, levels should hit 0, nitrates will begin to climb, and you can add 1-2 more small fish. Repeat until desired stocking is achieved.

You can also buy bacteria from the store. Don't trust anything that is off the shelf. These products are all live bacteria, and sitting on a shelf will cause the bacteria to die, and you will waste your money. Instead, go for products that are refridgerated. This causes the bacteria to go dormant, and they will live much longer. I reccommend Marineland's Bio Spira, it is the only product that has had widespread success. Follow the instructions on the package for use.

Answer 9

Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle in an aquarium.Of primary concern to the aquarist is management of the biological waste produced by an aquarium's inhabitants. Fish, invertebrates, fungi, and some bacteria excrete nitrogen waste in the form of ammonia (which may convert to ammonium, depending on water chemistry) which must then pass through the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia is also produced through the decomposition of plant and animal matter, including fecal matter and other detritus. Nitrogen waste products become toxic to fish and other aquarium inhabitants at high concentrations.


The process
A well-balanced tank contains organisms that are able to metabolize the waste products of other aquarium residents. The nitrogen waste produced in a tank is metabolized in aquaria by a type of bacteria known as nitrifiers (genus Nitrosomonas). Nitrifying bacteria capture ammonia from the water and metabolize it to produce nitrite. Nitrite is also highly toxic to fish in high concentrations. Another type of bacteria, genus Nitrospira, converts nitrite into nitrate, a less toxic substance to aquarium inhabitants. (Nitrobacter bacteria were previously believed to fill this role, and continue to be found in commercially available products sold as kits to "jump start" the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium. While biologically they could theoretically fill the same niche as Nitrospira, it has recently been found that Nitrobacter are not present in detectable levels in established aquaria, while Nitrospira are plentiful.) This process is known in the aquarium hobby as the nitrogen cycle.

In addition to bacteria, aquatic plants also eliminate nitrogen waste by metabolizing ammonia and nitrate. When plants metabolize nitrogen compounds, they remove nitrogen from the water by using it to build biomass. However, this is only temporary, as the plants release nitrogen back into the water when older leaves die off and decompose.


Maintaining the Nitrogen cycle
Although informally called the nitrogen cycle by hobbyists, it is in fact only a portion of a true cycle: nitrogen must be added to the system (usually through food provided to the tank inhabitants), and nitrates accumulate in the water at the end of the process, or become bound in the biomass of plants. This accumulation of nitrates in home aquaria requires the aquarium keeper to remove water that is high in nitrates, or remove plants which have grown from the nitrates.

Aquaria kept by hobbyists often do not have the requisite populations of bacteria needed to detoxify nitrogen waste from tank inhabitants. This problem is most often addressed through two filtration solutions: Activated carbon filters absorb nitrogen compounds and other toxins from the water, while biological filters provide a medium specially designed for colonization by the desired nitrifying bacteria. Activated carbon and other subtances, such as ammonia absorbing resines, will stop working when their pores get full, so these components have to be replaced with fresh stocks constantly.

New aquaria often have problems associated with the nitrogen cycle due to insufficient number of beneficial bacteria, known as the "New Tank Syndrome". Therefore new tanks have to be "matured" before stocking them with fish. There are two basic approaches to this: the fishless cycle and the silent cycle.

No fish are kept in a tank undergoing a fishless cycle. Instead, small amounts of ammonia are added to the tank to feed the bacteria being cultured. During this process, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are tested to monitor progress. The silent cycle is basically nothing more than densely stocking the aquarium with fast-growing aquatic plants and relying on them to consume the nitrogen, allowing the necessary bacterial populations time to develop. According to anecdotal reports of aquarists specializing in planted tanks, the plants can consume nitrogenous waste so efficiently that the spikes in ammonia and nitrite levels normally seen in more traditional cycling methods are greatly reduced, if they are detectable at all.

The largest bacterial populations are found in the filter; efficient filtration is vital. Sometimes, a vigorous cleaning of the filter is enough to seriously disturb the biological balance of an aquarium. Therefore, it is recommended to rinse mechanical filters in an outside bucket of aquarium water to dislodge organic materials that contribute to nitrate problems, while preserving bacteria populations. Another safe practice consists of cleaning only one half of the filter media every time the filter or filters are serviced.


Biological loading

Biological loading is a measure of the burden placed on the aquarium ecosystem by its living inhabitants. High biological loading in an aquarium represents a more complicated tank ecology, which in turn means that equilibrium is easier to perturb. In addition, there are several fundamental constraints on biological loading based on the size of an aquarium. The surface area of water exposed to air limits dissolved oxygen intake by the tank. The capacity of nitrifying bacteria is limited by the physical space they have available to colonize. Physically, only a limited size and number of plants and animals can be fit into an aquarium while still providing room for movement.


Calculating aquarium capacity
An aquarium can only support a certain number of fish. Limiting factors include the availability of oxygen in the water and the rate at which the filter can process waste. Aquarists have developed a number of rules of thumb to allow them to estimate the number of fishes that can be kept in a given aquarium; the examples below are for small freshwater fish, larger freshwater fishes and most marine fishes need much more generous allowances.

3 cm of fish length per 4 litres of water (i.e., a 6 cm-long fish would need about 8 litres of water).
1 cm of fish length per 30 square centimetres of surface area.
1 inch of fish length per gallon of water.
1 inch of fish length per 10 square inches of surface area.
Experienced aquarists warn against applying these rules too strictly because they do not consider other important issues such as growth rate, activity level, social behaviour, and so on. To some degree, establishing the maximum loading capacity of an aquarium depends upon slowly adding fish and monitoring water quality over time, essentially a trial and error approach.

E.