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This article was co-written by Aaron Bernard. Aaron Bernard is an aquarium expert and owner of Limited Edition Corals in Phoenix, Arizona. With over ten years of experience, Aaron specializes in the maintenance, cleaning, custom design, manufacture, installation, relocation, decoration and supply of aquarium parts. Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Arizona State University, where he researched the effects of climate change on coral reefs and began breeding his own.
There are 8 references cited in this article that you can see at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 16,107 times.
The nitrogen cycle (also called the nitrification cycle) is a process that breaks down toxic nitrogen waste in the aquarium into less toxic components. To create a nitrogen cycle, the beneficial bacteria that consume waste need to be grown in the aquarium’s filtration system. It’s not a good idea to put fish in a tank that hasn’t been cycled – the chemicals in the waste can cause serious stress to fish, and even kill them. Therefore, anyone installing a new aquarium needs to create a nitrogen cycle to ensure the health and safety of the fish. [1] X Research Source
Steps
Creating a nitrogen cycle with fish
- Install fish tank
- Lining background material
- Put water in the tank
- Add pumice, pumps, etc.
- Add plants, rocks, etc…
- Install filter system (and/or protein skimmer)
- Install the heater
- White Clouds
- Zebra fish (Zebra Danios)
- Tiger Barbs (Tiger Barbs)
- Blue striped Ali fish (Pseudotrophius Zebras)
- Banded Gouramis (Banded Gouramis)
- X-ray Tetras (X-ray Tetras)
- Pupfish
- Most minnows (minnows)
- Most varieties of guppies
- Fish that eat a lot will excrete a lot of waste, causing the level of toxins in the tank to rise before the bacteria are able to stabilize.
- Leftovers will rot and also produce toxins.
- Do not use chlorinated water because chlorine can kill bacteria in the tank, and the nitrogen cycle will have to start all over again. If using tap water, be sure to treat it with an appropriate dechlorinator or water treatment agent before adding it to the tank. If using bottled water, use distilled water, as “pure” or “drinking” water can contain flavor minerals that are harmful to fish.
- Change the water more often if you begin to notice signs of severe ammonia stress in your fish (see more information in the “Treating Common Problems” section below). However, you should try not to stress the fish by avoiding large changes in temperature and chemicals in the water.
- You also need to keep ammonia below 0.5 mg/L and nitrite below 1 mg/L throughout the cycle (preferably less than half of the numbers above). If these chemicals start to rise to unsafe levels, you need to increase the frequency of water changes.
- The nitrogen generation cycle is complete when both ammonia and nitrite drop to undetectable levels. In practice, this level is often referred to as a “zero” level, although technically incorrect.
- You can also take a water sample to the store where you bought your fish or aquarium. Most of these places offer low-cost water testing (some are even free!) [3] X Research Source
- After each addition of fish, you need to wait at least about a week and test the water again. If the ammonia and nitrite levels are still low, you can add a few more fish.
Create a nitrogen cycle in a “fish-free” tank
- You have to be very patient, as this method requires you to wait for the organic matter in the aquarium to rot and start creating toxic waste. However, this is the option that is generally considered to be more “humane” because it does not expose the fish to an ammonia and nitrite environment like the above method. [4] X Research Sources
- When nitrite is detected in the water, the cycle has begun. At this point, you need to continue to increase the amount of ammonia equal to the previous level.
- You can identify this last stage in the cycle by testing the nitrite level (in which case you will observe a sudden drop in nitrite), the nitrate level (in which case you need to look for a nitrate spike from level “zero”), or both.
- However, like the method above, you need to release the fish gradually. Do not stock more than a few fish at a time and wait at least a week or two before releasing the next batch of fish.
- Consider cleaning the aquarium substrate with a siphon before adding more fish to the tank, especially if you have to feed a lot. Rotten food or organic matter can become a ticking time bomb. If organic debris gets trapped underneath the gravel, the ammonia won’t get into the water, but if disturbed, large amounts of ammonia can escape fairly quickly.
Accelerate nitrogen cycle generation
- Try to find filter media from an aquarium of the same size and number of fish. Incompatible filters (such as if you use a filter for an aquarium with only a few fish for an aquarium with more fish) can result in more ammonia build up than bacteria can handle. timely.
- Fast-growing species (e.g. Vallisneria and Hygrophila) are usually the most able to absorb amino acids. Plants floating on the water also have a good effect.
- Pests that can be transmitted this way include snails, harmful algae, and parasites such as ich and velvet.
- Make sure to use standard aquarium salt; Formulated table salt is not suitable for aquariums and can be harmful to fish.
Handling common problems
- Lethargy/less movement (even with food in the aquarium)
- Refusing to leave the bottom of the tank
- Take in the air above the water
- Inflammation of the eyes, gills and/or anus
- Some people argue that ammonia reducers can be harmful in the long run. [7] X Source of Research This perception may stem from a misunderstanding of the detoxification process. Toxic ammonia (NH3 gas) is in reversible equilibrium with less toxic ionized ammonia (NH4+). Most detox products convert toxic ammonia into a form that is not much toxic to fish. However, the ammonia will come out after a period of 24 – 48 hours. That’s why these products should be used as follows:
- continue to use as long as beneficial bacteria have not stabilized, AND
- occasionally used during partial water changes (following individual manufacturer’s instructions) to remove some ammonia build-up [8] X Research Source , AND
- Even if it’s not well defined, it’s still a good idea to dose the disinfectant for the entire aquarium and not just for the new water, as the ammonia that’s stuck in the aquarium will soon be released (after 24-48 hours from the date of delivery). previous dose).
- When you do a 50% water change (or more), the time it takes to cycle the nitrogen gets longer (or even stops the cycle) because the beneficial bacteria are temporarily inhibited and it takes time to acclimate. acclimatized to the new pH. [9] X Research Source Book: “Nitrification and Denitrification in the Activated Sludge Process”/Michael H. Gerardi . For this reason, some people recommend that the pH change be less than 0.2-0.3 per day. Assuming the pH in the tank is 7.8, when changing 25% of the water with pH = 7, the final pH will be 7.6.
- Beneficial bacteria only convert ammonia to an ionized (non-toxic) form, so these products are also beneficial for bacteria. [10] X Research source .
- In addition, new species of goldfish can be susceptible to diseases that can spread to the entire aquarium. [12] X Research Source
- You should not cycle the nitrogen in every aquarium with the so-called “bait” goldfish, which are not well cared for by breeders and sellers and are often susceptible to disease. [13] X Research Source
Advice
- Pure ammonia can also be used to cycle nitrogen in fish-free tanks. Use only pure ammonia with no other additives. You can calculate the dose to add to the tank by searching the keyword “ammonia spreadsheet”.
- Don’t hesitate to speak with a professional if you have questions regarding your aquarium. Better safe than sorry! However, you should also keep in mind that many aquarium stores do not hire professionals.
- Another way to speed up the nitrogen cycle is to use a bacterial supplement. Most aquarium stores sell cultured bacteria, so if you don’t mind spending a little extra you don’t have to wait 6 weeks to complete the nitrogen cycle. However, some people claim that the bacteria in these products are ineffective, so you should still “test” the bacteria for ammonia.
Warning
- A nitrate level exceeding 40 ppm and ammonia/nitrite exceeding 4 ppm means that you need to adjust the water slightly, as this can be detrimental to the healthy bacteria you are growing.
- Using large pieces of food or organic matter to cycle nitrogen (excrete ammonia) can cause bacteria to thrive and cause unpleasant odors. Food can also become moldy underwater, causing disease in fish and creating conditions for mold growth in the substrate.
This article was co-written by Aaron Bernard. Aaron Bernard is an aquarium expert and owner of Limited Edition Corals in Phoenix, Arizona. With over ten years of experience, Aaron specializes in the maintenance, cleaning, custom design, manufacture, installation, relocation, decoration and supply of aquarium parts. Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Arizona State University, where he researched the effects of climate change on coral reefs and began breeding his own.
There are 8 references cited in this article that you can see at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 16,107 times.
The nitrogen cycle (also called the nitrification cycle) is a process that breaks down toxic nitrogen waste in the aquarium into less toxic components. To create a nitrogen cycle, the beneficial bacteria that consume waste need to be grown in the aquarium’s filtration system. It’s not a good idea to put fish in a tank that hasn’t been cycled – the chemicals in the waste can cause serious stress to fish, and even kill them. Therefore, anyone installing a new aquarium needs to create a nitrogen cycle to ensure the health and safety of the fish. [1] X Research Source
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