What does it mean to cycle your fish tank aquarium?

Question

I have a tank I've only used with my lizards. Never had fish before but I've made sure it's clean and sterile. What does it mean to cycle the tank for fish? how do I do this?

Answer 1

Every hobbyist setting up a tank for the first time has heard people refer to the 'nitrogen cycle' or 'cycling' the water. A good understanding of this cycle helps get a tank off to a good, healthy start and saves money in fish losses and time dealing with the problems that can occur. Knowledge of this important process helps keepers anticipate and troubleshoot problems over the entire life of the tank.

The nitrogen cycle is a naturally occurring process that enables all bodies of water - fresh, salt or brackish - to sustain animal life over time. It is a dynamic process occurring in all oceans, lakes, streams, ponds and aquariums worldwide. Unlike animals that live on land and can move away from the wastes they produce, fish are trapped in the environment with their wastes. Without some kind of process to handle toxic animal waste, all aquatic life would eventually succumb to these poisons.

The nitrogen cycle is the means by which wastes are broken down to less harmful substances. Toxins from wastes affect a fish's ability to take oxygen from the water, its ability to convert food to muscle, its ability to ward off disease, and even its ability to swim. The most common and deadly wastes in aquarium water, ammonia and nitrite, originate from the fish themselves, dead animals and from uneaten food.
As fish are introduced into a new tank, they immediately begin to release waste into the water in the form body secretions, which contain ammonia. Ammonia, in even low concentrations, is very toxic to fish, damaging the gills and the flow of oxygen to the fish’s tissues.

Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter grow slowly at first, then have a rapid growth and reproduction phase and eventually level off to numbers needed in the tank to handle the waste of many fish. The numbers of bacteria will eventually be balanced against the amount of waste produced by a given population of fish. Introducing new fish, an outbreak of disease, or an interruption in filtration can disrupt this balance and the bacterial populations will play 'catch up' until the balance is restored.

Since the nitrogen cycle begins slowly, fish should be added to the tank slowly. A new system overwhelmed with fish is also overwhelmed with ammonia. Deaths occur when too many fish are producing too much waste and the beneficial bacteria have not reached sufficient levels to handle the load. Select a few hardy, inexpensive fish at first, be patient, feed very carefully and let the nitrogen cycle get the tank ready for the nicer, more expensive fish

Answer 2

Here's my cycling info put in as plain terms as possible:
When you add the water (whether dechlorinated or left out for 24 - 48 hours to have the chlorine dissipate) to the empty tank, you're starting with a clean slate.
You then add a source of ammonia to the tank. This can be done the fishless way with pure ammonia, raw shrimp or fish food...or the fishy way with a few hardy fish (my choice has always been danios for this). You need to purchase a tester kit so you'll know where you are in the cycle.
With your ammonia source in the tank, the levels will start to rise (bear in mind if you choose the fishless route, you will have to monitor and keep adding ammonia as needed). Fish create ammonia through their waste, decaying food and even through their gills. The ammonia will reach a peak and at this point is toxic to fish. As your ammonia rises, small frequent water changes are good for the fish. Do not clean your filter, gravel, decor or walls at this time. Once ammonia reaches it's peak, a new bacteria..nitrite forms..and eats the ammonia. The ammonia levels will drop (eventually to 0) and teh nitrites will rise. This normally takes (depending on the number and type of fish and the size of your tank) about a week. Nitrite is also toxic to the fish. Continue the frequent, small water changes. Nitrites will build up over 2 - 3 weeks until they peak and then nitrate forms..the cycling bacteria. At this point, your ammonia and nitrite readings will be 0 and ideally your nitrates will be 20 ppm (parts per million). The tank is cycled and ready to have more fish added until fully stocked. Make sure you allow a week or 2 between additions so you don't go through a mini-cycle.

Answer 3

Cycling An Aquarium

Answer 4

Cycling the tank technically mean adding good bacteria in the tank which is what you should do for new tanks. This will take about a month. What you should do is set up everything ( filter, decorations, gravel, etc.) and let it run for a month. You water will seem cloudy or dirty at first, which is because of the new good bacteria growing in the tank. This will clear up in about a week or so. Once the tank tank is cycled, wait a few days before buying the fish which will ensure the tank is working properly and the tank is fully cycled. This should work. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Cycling your tank refers to the process of growing the beneficial bacterial that convert the ammonia in the fishes waste products to less harmful nitrite and then to far less harmful nitrate. Here's a fairly straight forward page about how and why and what happens in a cycling tank.

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Many people also use a "fishless" cycling technique that is actually faster and easier. Here's a link that explains that option:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 6

Cycling - means to change the water "a bit at a time"! The smaller the amount each time, the longer it will take, but the better it will be for the fish! So (say,) take out one quarter (max, or less) of the water and replace with same amount of clean water. If you do too much at a time, it could stress the fish! If you (say), use the "Quarter" method (above) then it will take more than 4 changes to completely replace ALL the water. It will take 8, 9 or more changes but, just keep doing it until you feel comfortable that all (or MOST) of the water has been changed. Do it same time every couple of days. NOT all in one day! NOTE: To cycle the water properly, do it from a bucket! Get a bucket and fill it with water. Use this water to replace that in the fish tank then fill it again from the tap. Leave each (new, including the first) bucket (full of water) in the kitchen or outside in a clean area and use this "weathered" water in the tank. Don't use water straight from the tap as it is too sterile (lacking in oxygen)! when you use up one bucket, refill it and leave it to "weather" again before putting it in the tank. Hope you got an air pump for your tank. This will help to pump oxygen into the water (oxygenate it) and the fish will love it! They like swimming through the bubbles. You don't need to go out to buy oxygen, just air from the room is good. Your local pet shop can help you here. In fact, go there before accepting any advice from the net (even this)! You wouldn't accept medical advice from here when you know you should go to the doc, eh? Same with your pets, whatever they are, cats, dogs, fish, reptiles, or anything else. Watch out for fluoride too. Some authorities put this in the water to aid human teeth but it does no good for fish - (with gills)! Check this too with your local pet shop. F I N A L L Y - Check out a miniature shark! these will eat a lot of fish but get along fine with others. Check which fish they will get along with and buy only those. Mini sharks are great, as any garbage that gets into the tank, they will eat and save you a lot of water changes over time. Worth thinking about! But always be sure to only buy fish the sharks will not eat! There are fresh water sharks you can buy. 'Specially the mini ones. And they are wonderful to watch! Also, get some of the tiny fellows that will go into the sharks gills - and even into its mouth - to gobble up any bits of food left there. It's great to watch this! BUT, if you have little ones, make sure to cover the tank with fine mesh! Little fingers ... you know? And these sharks *WILL* eat little fingers! THEY DO BITE! And will easily take the end off a childs finger - or even an adult finger, if they get the chance! But, as I say, they are great to watch,especially when they are being cleaned by tiny fish that (you think) would normally, hardly be a little snack for them. Warning! ! ! ! Watch what you give them to eat! If they don't like it (raw chicken,say) they will spit it out and it will eventually "sour" your tank. Watch them eat and if they spit something out, get it out of the tank pronto! There are long tongs (like salad tongs) you can get for this. Good Luck and have a great time with your kids, watching your sharks and their cleaning fish.

Answer 7

hwen you cycle a tank you allow benificary bacteria to grow and colonize the tank. the more benifical bacteria the better for your tank you will have less disease and are able to controll it with good bacteria with less frequency of diseases. i have had tanks for years and only have had a hand full cases of ick and the suck mabey 7 total if i had to count. i do like to use a bacteria enhancer called CYCLE you can find it at any good store like petsmart or petsco or what ever you have where you live always trust big companies when buying stuff like that

Answer 8

It means let the bacteria build up so the ammonia levels decrease naturally.


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Answer 9

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Answer 10

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

This should explain it.