Cycling the Tank

[kikuko793]

I'm new here. Hopefully, someday I can have either a planted comminity discus tank or a hybrid discus tank. I've had limited experience in keeping fish, so I want to take my time to do lots of research, get appropriate equipment, and take this in baby steps. I'm planning on getting the tankmates for the discus (cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, and an ancistrus catfish) and taking care of them, performing water changes and maintaining appropriate water chemistry as if I already had the discus. Then, one I've mastered that, I'd get some discus fish.

Now, I have a couple of questions about cycling the tank. I know that basically when you're cycling the tank you are getting beneficial bacteria to colonize the filter. If you're using the household ammonia method where do the bacteria come from? Tap water is chlorinated until you add water conditioner. Are there bacteria in it anyway? Are they on the sides of the tank? Do they come from the air? One of my friends (who has a saltwater aquarium) had never heard of using ammonia and told me that the only way to cycle an aquarium besides using live fish is to put a piece of shrimp in the tank to rot.

Once you get done cycling your tank, I read that you need to add ammonia to feed the bacteria until you add fish. If I'm going to only add tetras and an ancistrus catfish at first so I can save room for the discus fish, is there a certain number of fish I should add so that they produce enough waste to feed the bacteria colony?

[MPETERS]

Hi,

I am new to discus also, however, have been keeping both fresh and salt water fish for quite a few years now. I have never heard of using ammonia to cycle a tank. It will be interesting to hear if others have.

Mike

[Skip]

ammonia is FISHLESS CYCLING.. lots of people do it.. some just throw in flake food.. and let decay..

if you want to just add like 3 tetras to start. that will work too

[discuspaul]

Fishless cycling using store-bought ammonia, either pure or diluted, is a fairly common method of cycling a tank. Google fishless cycling, and you'll see for yourself.

Whatever method is used, whether that be using fish (cruel), or decomposing fish food, plant material, or other humanly edible materials - any of these methods will produce ammonia, which then causes bacteria to present themselves, develop, grow & multiply, eventually in sufficient numbers to deal with/neutralize the toxicity of ammonia - in due course completing the cycle of converting ammonia to nitrites, then to nitrates.
I'm no biologist, but the nitrifying bacteria will present themselves from the air, water, any number of sources to my knowledge.

BTW, kikuko, it sounds like you're planning to do things right, and carefully.
It may help you to have a read of my beginners guide to discus located here in this section.

And it would be safer to keep using ammonia until you're ready to add fish.
You could also do it by very slowly, gradually introducing a couple of fish at a time, days apart, but you may risk losing some of your fish along the way.

However, if you want to start off with a planted tank, by all means plant it first, while doing your cycle.
The plants and roots will carry a certain amount of beneficial bacteria, and greatly reduce the risk of losing fish, if you do opt to begin adding some while cycling your tank.
Hope this helps.

[MPETERS]

Hi,

I knew that to cycle a tank it creats ammonia and that is one of the things you have to keep track of. I never heard of adding ammonia to a tank to cycle it. I learn something new all the time. Thanks,

Mike

[MightyEvil]

Best advise I can give you (IMO) is to test your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates on a daily basis. You will actually see the cycle happen on the test results, it is pretty cool to watch too. Once your nitrites and ammonia are zero then you can add fish. I have had some luck with adding a fish or two to help the cycle and then I have had bad luck and find the fish dead the next morning or within the first few days. Good luck!

[kikuko793]

Discuspaul, I did read your beginner's guide and found it very helpful and clear.

[CajunAg]

My biggest piece of advice in cycling a tank: have patience! if you go about the fishless cycling method (highly recommend btw), it can take between 4-6 weeks to start registering nitrates. Your ammonia levels will gradually fall as nitrites become present, then nitrites fall to nitrates. It's important to continually test all three levels throughout the cycle process and keep adding ammonia. Basically, if you can add a measure of ammonia and see it disappear over 24 hours w/ a corresponding rise in nitrates, you're done and can add fish.

Also, if you want to speed up the process, get some filter or substrate material from an established tank to kick start your cycle. And yes, the bacteria are in the air you breathe!

Hope that helps.

[jimg]

My way is to put sand/gravel on the bottom, set up filters, add tetra safestart or dr Timms. add ace hardware ammonia to get 1ppm. wait about a week checking the ammonia every day and it usually goes from ammonia dropping where you have to add a small amount back for a couple days to nitrates without a spike in nitrites. I add back 1ppm ammonia when I see it gone the next day. I drain 50% and add fish. but do no wipe downs or touch filters for awhile, just change about 25% water every day or 2.