what is the proper way to cycle a tank

All info welcome !!! And wanted

 

Add a ammonia source and wait.

You can speed up the process by adding something like Dr tims one and only.

 

I use a medium sized frozen shrimp (like you'd get in a shrimp cocktail) for anything larger than, say, 40 gallons. Otherwise a nice cube of mysis or something will get it started. Now just sit back and test the water until you see ammonia and nitrites hit 0. Then, in go fish one or two at a time. Don't cycle the tank and toss 6 fish in, you'll likely get another ammonia spike. That's the entire process really, nothing more to it than that.

 

Depends really.

The whole point of the cycle is to establish a load of beneficial bacteria that can consume ammonia and nitrates that are produced to keep these nutrients out of the system.

To really understand a cycle you need to understand the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia is a product of fish urine and the break down of foods and organic matter that exists within our aquariums. In turn the beneficial bacteria within our systems convert this ammonia to nitrates and then consume the nitrates, thus removing them from the system.

So in terms of creating "cycle", you can do one a few a things:
1. Add ammonia directly to the water.
2. Add a peice of shrimp to the water and wait for it to naturally decay.
3. Add a fish and wait for the fish to create waste.

You can easily see which ones are the most appropriate. Most people these days stray away from cycling a tank with a fish, as fishless methods are much safer and easier to control.

One of the big things that is missed by a hobbiest when trying to cycle their tank is that for the bacteria to multiply within a tank, it must first exist within the tank. This is quite simple but often overlooked. People that add completely dead sand and dead rock (Dead meaning the absence of live beneficial bacteria), find that they struggle to get their tank to cycle, if cycled at all.

To add the beneficial bacterium to start the cycle, you can do this a few ways:
1. Adding a cup of sand from an already established aquarium
2. Adding a peice of live rock from an already established aquarium
3. Using bottled bacterial cultures such as Seachem stability or Dr Tims 1 and only.

Either way you do it is fine, however with live rock, there is often some "die off" during the cycle, which can cause the ammonia level in the tank to stay higher for a longer period of time.

My personal preference is to use a peice of shrimp, add a bottled bacterial supplement and wait for your cycle to complete. You can tell that a cycle has completed by regularly testing your water and watching for the initial rise in ammonia levels, then as the ammonia is converted to nitrates, you see a decrease in ammonia but an increase in nitrate and then finally as the nitrates are consumed, a decrease in nitrate. When both ammonia and nitrate are at 0 you have finished your cycle.

Patience is key for cycling and it can take a varied amount of time considering how much sand/rock and beneficial bacteria you add.

 

The way I did it was the fish method its how I did my last tank I've only got 1green chromis in a 55g no rock at all just sand. Any suggestions ? I added the fish on 3-2-13 going to have water tested Saturday

 

Realistically, one green chromis is going to provide a VERY small amount of ammonia for beneficial bacteria. If you continue trying to cycle like this it will take a very long time.

I would suggest a bacterial supplement to try and combat the negative effects that the ammonia would have on the fish, even if it just a chromis. A bacterial supplement will also help decrease the length of the cycle.

Test regularly so you know where your cycle is up to. With just a chromis you find that you have very little ammonia or nitrates, do not mistake this for thinking your cycle is finished.

 

I'm planning on adding 1or2 more chromis

 

Mmmm. I dont agree with that. Just being cruel IMO. Cycling tanks with fish causes the fish to be exposed to a high level of ammonia etc which causes the fish significant distress.

 

I like the "shrimp" method. Put a few in a media bag and throw it in the sump. Then start to test after a few days. Watch the ammonia rise and then start to drop. Then watch your Nitrites and then they should lower and convert to Nitrates. The real way go get them out is with a water change. I really like this graphic



I am not a fan of starting with any live fish. You will be stressing the animal by making it live through the cycle process. It would be like putting a person in a garage with a car running for a while and then opening the garage door (sort of at least).

If you plan on keeping that chromis then leave it there since you may not have anywhere to put it. But adding the shrimp will help cycle faster. As said above a single chromis may take a long time to cycle your tank.

Good Luck

 

+1 Great information