Nitrogen Cycle?

Question

I read everywhere about having to do a nitrogen cycle for new fish tanks and I have two questions about it. 1. Do you need to do a nitrogen cycle for coldwater fish (goldfish)? and 2. Where would I be able to buy bio-spira in Australia, any specific cities, towns or would it have to be ordered online?

Answer 1

You need to do this for any fish - truth be told, it will happen whether you try and do this on purpose or not, because all that's happening is a buildup of bacteria in the tank.

You don't actually need bio-spira to start your cycle - you can do it with a piece of cooked shrimp, some fish food, or pure ammonia. If you have a starter culture for the bacteria, it will just cycle faster - this can be from previously used filter media or gravel (make sure there wasn't an algae, snail, or disease problem with the tank - you don't want to add problems!) from another tank as long as these are kept wet so the bacteria doesn't die.

Are you buying your goldfish locally? You might get the store to order bio-spira for you. If not, can they give you a used filter pad to start the cycle? You can order online, but you'll have shipping charges, and depending on how long it takes to get to you (and the temperatures) these could affect the product.

Here's an online site where you can order if you can find a local store to get it through: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004+112990

Answer 2

1. Yes. All tanks need to go through the cycle. It doesn't matter what kind of fish you will be keeping in the tank, or what temperature the tank will be kept at. It is actually more important for goldfish as they are bigger waste producers than most.
You can cycle a tank with the fish in it if you are only going to use one or two, (best to use one if you are going to use a goldfish) but using hardy fish is best and goldfish are not particularly hardy fish.

2. I'm sorry, I don't know where you can buy Bio-Spira in Australia, but it's not necessary in order to cycle your tank. You can also use Cycle (TM) to kick start your aquarium, but that's not really necessary either. Some gravel or plants from someone that already has a healthy, established tank can also provide you with some of the beneficial bacteria to help start a colony in your own tank. Plants can help a tank cycle faster as well, as they use fish wastes as fertilizer and reduce ammonia and nitrates. Just don't add too many or you risk making things worse with decaying plant matter. One or two plants for are good for a cycling tank.

Answer 3

Call it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, or the nitrogen cycle. No matter what name you use, every newly set up aquarium goes through a process of establishing beneficial bacterial colonies. Older aquariums also go through periods during which the bacterial colonies fluctuate. Failure to understand this process is the largest contributing factor to the loss of fish. Learning what it is, and how to deal with critical periods during the nitrogen cycle, will greatly increase your chances of successful fish keeping. It is always best to cycle your tank the natural way, with fish, adding chemicals to your tank to cycle it is never a good idea, start with a couple of fish. Good luck!

Answer 4

you need to cycle if your goldfish have enough space -- thats like 40 litres per fish. if you keep them in something smaller then you have to change water too much to cycle.


you can get bio-spira online here --

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=15462&Ntt=bio+spira&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1