Cycling Question...

[Fishboy93]

If and aquarium is cycling can u add gravel, plants, and decor just not fish?? just wonderin for a new tank....

[Lexus]

I have always added all of that before hand... not during or after the cycle. Much of that is needed for beneficial bacteria to grow on if you dont have filter with a place for bacteria to grow (usually biofiber)

[fishfreaks]

Originally Posted by Lexus

I have always added all of that before hand... not during or after the cycle. Much of that is needed for beneficial bacteria to grow on if you dont have filter with a place for bacteria to grow (usually biofiber)

exactly what lexus said. how far are you into cycling? you can still add any decor, it wont hurt, itll help

[Fishboy93]

I decided to wait for the cycling till monday because i just got back from vacation. I heard that you should not put live plants in when it is cycling..

[Damon]

That is completely false. Live plants will reduce the ammonia and nitrite spikes in an aquarium.

[Fishboy93]

Awesome thanks a lot simpte

[TheOldSalt]

Here's your big chance, Myra! LOL!

[judya]

If you are cycling the natural way (not using added ammonia, etc.) then you need a fish or two in the tank to get the cycling going. 1) Set up the tank, with all gravel, rocks, decorations, heater, filter, dechlorinated water 2) let it run for a couple days, to make sure nothing is leaking, everything is running, the heater is holding at the correct temp, etc. 3) Plants can be added anytime as long as you keep an eye on the temperature. Watch out that when you add the plants, you don't overflow the tank with your hand and arm! 4) Add 1 or 2 sturdy fish - generally the cheaper ones in the shop, as they tend to be the hardiest. 5) a few weeks later, add a couple more. 6) a few weeks later, more, until you reach the total amount you want to keep.

The cycling process: The fish produce waste (ammonia), which bacteria eat and convert to other substances. The fish waste gets converted from ammonia (harmful), into nitrite (harmful), and then into nitrate (not so harmful), by different bacteria, and these bacteria have to grow and multiply to keep up with the ongoing fish waste load. When you add more fish the bacteria have to catch up to the total amount of waste produced. Once there are enough bacteria to readily convert all the wastes to nitrate, we say the tank is cycled. That is, there are enough bacteria in the tank to handle the regular fish wastes. Then we remove/dilute the nitrate by regular small water changes (10-20% a week).

Factors affecting cycling: 1) Everytime you add more fish, you have to let the bacteria catch up. 2) Uneaten food will spoil and add to the load, so feed lightly. 3) The type of filter used, as we want to provide good surfaces for the bacteria to grow, such as on the gravel of an undergravel filter, on the filter pads of a hang on, or on a sponge filter. 4) Don't clean the gravel or filter pads too much or you lose some of the good bacteria. 5) Some fish are more delicate, and cannot tolerate any ammonia in their water, so can't be added til the tank is well-cycled. 6) temperature and ph should be moderate 7) medicine added to the tank can kill the bacteria, so you have to start over.

The critical factors are add fish gradually, feed lightly, and do regular partial water changes.

[Fishboy93]

Thanks Judya i decided to get a 29 gallon instead it was only a little more. I added the flourite gravel and it got really really murky. So i figured i would give it an hour and check but it was only a little if hardly any better. Is this normal???

[judya]

Still murky? It takes a while to settle/filter out the dust in sand/gravel and to get rid of any other particles, bubbles etc. in the water. You'll notice a lot of posts saying to rinse and rinse and rinse new sand, to get rid of some of the dust.

If you have the tank up and running awhile and it gets murky, it is usually a bacterial bloom or algae, and usually nothing to worry about, just part of the cycling process, and will probably resolve itself with time.

The 29 is a good size, but still, stock slowly, and don't overstock.