Nitrogen Cycle: The Basics.

[Ray Ray's Pop]

i have a problem i dont know if the reason why my nirite is to high cause i put in to ammonia blocker filter is that why my ammonia is low and my nirite is off the charts

[trashion]

RayRay, this post is old. Don't post to old threads. Your tank is not cycled, that's what your problem is.

My bad, it's a sticky. Post all you want.

[Ichthius]

This thread is a sticky? It's at the top anyway People have been randomly posting on it since its inception.

Ray Ray, it's going to take a little more info and a lot of answers to see what's wrong with your tank. It isn't cycled, that's the obvious issue. Are you saying you added something like AmmoLock or what did you mean? If you add a chemical like that while your tank is cycling, it defeats the purpose. You really shouldn't add any unnecessary chemicals while your tank is cycling; not sure if that's what you were saying. Try phrasing what you're saying a little better, or we can't be sure how to answer you.

[pxexaxcxex]

So, I am interested in buying a 55 gallon tank and I want to cycle it. Can someone give me more info on purchasing refrigerated good bacteria to help the tank cycle faster? I am not very interested in using a fish for cycling the tank, and using pure ammonia would be my second choice. In the past when I got new tanks I did not know about cycling. I did however buy ammonia controlling liquids and aquarium salt because I thought that was what you were supposed to do. Of course this was before the proliferation of the internet and information! Any info would help, thanks for helping a newbie.

[COM]

^^ Uhh, what? You want a fish tank, but you don't want fish? But you want refrigerated bacteria?

Bio-Spira is refrigerated bacteria. Worked well for me, but you won't need it if you don't want fish.

[ron v]

COM, the statement is "I don't want to expend any fish"... I read that as not wanting to damage fish by cycling. It sounds perfectly valid to me... pxe, there are several "bacteria in a bottle" products out there. There are also differing opinions on all. One that seems to work in many cases in Stability by Seachem. Several experienced hobbyist on this forum have used it with success. The only way to be sure is to understand now the cycle works and test your water frequently.

[pxexaxcxex]

I revised my sentence so it no longer says expend...as not to confuse anyone thinking I want to buy a tank solely for bacteria growth. lol, thanks ron for the info.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by pxexaxcxex I revised my sentence so it no longer says expend...as not to confuse anyone thinking I want to buy a tank solely for bacteria growth. lol, thanks ron for the info.

So i have a totally seperate question. After my tank is cycled, how often do i change my water, how much do i change, and do i ever change my filter material? I have a magnum 350 with carbon media. Do i change that ever? It also has a water scrubber that you can put in place of the media when you are cleaning the gravel to SCRUB the water. It looks like a bio wheel...

I have the cycling part down, now im just worried about maintaining it...

[ron v]

The final product of your cycle is nitrate. The amount of nitrate will depend on how many fish and how big the aquarium. A general "rule of thumb" is about 10% water change once a week to dilute the nitrate. I usually do about 25%. When I do a water change, I clean the filter media by rinsing it out in aquarium water. Don't use chlorinated water because lots of good bacteria is in your filter media that you don't want to damage. Sooner or later the media will wear out from your rinsing. That is the only time I ever replace it. Of course the pet shops would love for you to come in and purchase a new filter media once a month... LOL. On alternating weekly water changes, I will vacuum the gravel. I'm not familiar with the scrubber so I can't advise there. The only time I ever use carbon is after I have treated with some sort of medication. Carbon will only absorb for a few days "at most" after that it probably does more damage than good. I would not use the carbon. Good luck and I hope this helps.

[lyrikz]

So, pretty much every filter i have seen has that blue mesh with black carbon in it...

What the heck do i use in my filter, to, filter my water???

Just when i think i know whats going on, i get set back. Right now the tank has been up for a full week. I know have 4 fish in it. There is no ammonia present, the ph is a tad high but i just added some ph dropper to lower that a bit.... I will test in anotehr week... WHile you are cylcing your tank, do you do weekly 25% water changes, or only after its cycled?

[bmlbytes]

I have an idea to make your own filter cartridge lyrikz. Take one of those cartridges like you said. Cut off the blue mesh so you just have the black piece of plastic. Buy one of those $0.99 mesh filter bags from PetsMart. Staple it to the black plastic with the hole facing up. Fill the bag with activated carbon and pull the drawstring. Insert in filter.

I think it should work. That filter has a rough sponge in it also, right? So the carbon in the bag is a chemical and mechanical filter, and the sponge is a biological and mechanical filter.