First Timer - Cycling Your New Aquarium
Welcome to the fourth installment of the First Timer series. Today we'll get into cycling and testing your newly set up aquarium. If you're interested in how we got to this point, the first three articles are also available on our website. You'll find that there are many pathways to success with aquariums in general, and thus the advice here is but one (or maybe a couple) way to get there.
What is “cycling”? Aquariums have three main types of filtration. One is physical or particulate filtration. This is where pumps pass the aquarium water through a mesh of some sort to remove solid fish waste and other loose debris. Another type of filtration is chemical. This type of filtration is basically pushing water through some type of media that removes impurities from the aquarium water that are chemical and or dissolved in nature and thus capable of skipping right past the physical filter mesh, activated carbon is a good example. The last, and perhaps most important, type of filtration is biological. This happens everywhere in an aquarium where bacteria can grow. Rocks, sand, surfaces, even on / in the other filter types! “Cycling” is the process by which we allow and encourage these beneficial bacteria to colonize our fish tank. It is perhaps the most important step in getting your aquarium ready for inhabitants!
So, how do I cycle? Traditionally, people would put a small, durable fish (nearly always a bomb-proof damselfish) in the aquarium and would feed it, it would produce waste and bacteria to colonize the aquarium. Another time honored method was just to add live rock or live sand and then monitor the system until it stabilized; this is still an excellent method. More recently, we've found that this same process can be done by just adding the food, in miniscule amounts, regularly until the system can absorb it. Probably the best way to do this process in the modern world is to utilize Dr. Tims “One and Only” Nitrifying Bacteria Solution. This concoction has all the live bacteria your tank needs to be up and running and ready for light stocking! One of the best benefits of the One and Only product is that it takes a process that used to take weeks or even months and cuts it down to 24 hours or less. (Dr. Tims says the product allows the aquarium to be stocked immediately, but we suggest waiting a day to let the system circulate the solution throughout the aquarium and the bacteria to reproduce there.)
Next question up is “How will you know you aquarium is ready for fish?” This question leads us down a new pathway, on which we will start testing your aquarium water. There are really two categories of testing aquarium water. One category is parameter based, in this group we include: temperature, salinity, pH and alkalinity (later on, you may also find yourself testing for calcium). The other category is nutrient based, in this group we generally test for nitrogenous compounds and to a lesser extent, phosphorus compounds.
The nitrogen compounds you'll be testing for are (in order of toxicity and breakdown) Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. This will take three different test kits and yes, all three are required. Animals produce ammonia when they make waste and in a closed environment like an aquarium, it can build up quickly to toxic levels. Luckily ammonia is easily broken down to a compound called nitrite, and from nitrite to nitrate very quickly and efficiently by group of bacteria called “nitrifying bacteria”. The process of nitrate removal is slower as the bacteria responsible for turning nitrate into nitrogen gas require an anerobic environment (no oxygen) and thus live deep in the rocks of your aquarium. As a result, many hobbyists use extra rock and other media to help this process along. Test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all easily purchased through your local fish store. There are many good brands of test kits, we like the ones from Tropic Marin and Salifert; ask your LFS what they suggest. Most of these stores will do these tests for you as well if you bring it water samples and ask nicely.
When we reflect back on the question of “how does one know if their aquarium is ready for fish?” The answer is when your ammonia and nitrite tests show zero. Nitrates can be a little higher, but should be maintained under 10ppm and ideally 5ppm or less. When you start adding fish to the aquarium, you should always test for all three components (and again after adding anything later on, or disturbing the tank dramatically.) Once tests for ammonia and nitrite return to (or remained at) zero, you can just do nitrate tests. You will read some online sources that will tell you that 20ppm or more is ok for an aquarium, and this is bad guidance unless you are attempting to grow a lot of algae and have sick fish.
While not related to your biological filter's readiness for fish, the physical parameters of you aquarium should also be monitored regularly, and this is next week's article! For now, head to your LFS, pick up some test kits and tell them Quality Marine sent you!