Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums / How NOT to kill all your fish with your first tank

Not familiar with the tetra filters. How many liters is your tank, and how many liters per hour does the filter pump.

The only reputable pH test that I would advise is an EXPENSIVE piece of equipment you buy for chemistry labs. (In my opinion.)

 

Hi Zoom,

Thank you for all the info thus far. My tank is +-400lt.

TetraTec EX external filter - EX1200
Suitable for Aquarium: 200-500 litres
Water Flow (litres per hour): 1200

Viv.

 

Good filter. I have one and can't be happier.

 

That filter will be fine. You could add a smaller one to supplement it.

Even a small internal filter will help with water movement.

 

Hi Viv, The best advice I can give is for you to start with brand new clean water, after having cleaned the tank. This should ensure no bugs are transferred from the old to the new setup. I don't understand why, especially with the products we have today, people would want to store the older water!!!! I would suggest you then start the fresh tank with the Organic Aqua starter kit for the volume of water you have. Absolutely brilliant product. Look to using the maintenance kit on a regular basis.
20% on a weekly basis, using a gravel cleaner to siphon out the water and gunk from the gravel should be ample. The complete test kit is quite expensive. I have found, and it is the one I use, that the Nutrfin test kits are the most cost effective to use. The test strips are extremely expensive and continue to change colour so how accurate is questionable!!!
If you have Malawi's then the Tetra Tec 1200 is fine but I would suggest you go the Exotic Aqauriums, Boksburg, and get yourself a HAILEA HL-BT1000 internal filter pump. You can never have too nuch filtration with Malawi's.
You must religiously do your weekly water change as they thrive on this treatment.
What 4 Malawi's do you have??? Will be getting some wild caughts in about 2 weeks time!!
Good luck with the tank.

 

Did it actually do anything for you ? i used it and tank still went through a normal cycle, waste of money IMO, rather spend it on fish.

 

I find most cycling products a waste of money.

 

I have used this product, 50 tanks at home and 72 tanks in shop, for about 5 years now. The stuff definitely works. You still get the cycle occuring but believe me it is no where near where the reading would be should it not be used. My first experience was a 90cm tank, about 110 litres, and I had about 34 6-8cm Malawi's in the tank. Had a problem and needed to restart tank. Added this product and after a week, when testing the Ammonia it was on the third colour, Nutrafin test kits, a further 10dyas later the same for the Nitrites and a further week later the same for the Nitrates. Remebering that the PH was at around 8,2 thus makeing the required toxic Ammonia level to be farless than for a PH pf 7. Remebering I did have more than ample filtration on the tank.
Cycle or Nitivec will give the system the bacteria but it will take a longer time to get established. These are good products for maintaining your bacterial levels once established. Most people make the mistake of not replenishing the bacteria, even in an established tank. They look at the costs rather than the benefits which long term will most definitely save you money.

 

Scotty,

Thank you for your info. Tank now running for two weeks. All fish doing well thus far. Hope to keep it like this.

Viv.

 

I think I am correct in saying that a well planted tank reduces the need to worry about the Nitrogen Cycle - then again I have never seen a sustainable well planted malawi tank ;-). With that said you still need to ensure that you have good filtration and lighting. Maybe I should qualify - if you are from the the camp that has a tropical aquarium that focuses on plants-and-fish Nitrogen Cycle is less of an issue. If you are a fish-and-plant supporter, the cycle thing has some relevance and the use of certain products might be helpful, but probably less so. If you have no plants, are a breeder or love those naked bare base tanks then a good supply of additives should help you keep things in order. Then on top of all of this feeding (live food, processed and fresh).quantity and stock level also plays its part.

On test equipment - ja, its a hobby that will allow you to spend your salary every weekend if you could ... but is it really needed? Most LFSs will do a batch of tests for you ... maybe do this the first few times before you get all analytical about something that is supposed to be relaxing.

 

Actually F-Fish... whether you are planted orientated of fish orientated, the nitrogen cycle is exactly the same.

Ammonia spikes followed by nitrite spikes.

The only difference is that the rate of nitrate increase (i.e the end result of the nitrogen cycle) is slower in a planted tank because the plants absorb some of the nitrates.

 

The picture in post #1 shows that Nitrate is plant fertilizer.

Is it then wise to add plant food to an aquarium that has not completed the Nitrogen cycle yet?

 

Thank you.Everyday something new to learn

 

Hey great thread please go to my thread http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?8983-What-is-wrong and please help me I really need it! Please all comments appreciated.

 

Thanks guys - those are best articles i have read on the Nitrogen cycle thus far. Glad i joined TASA

 

This is some great reading material.. It makes a whole lot more sense now!!

 

Great thread, learnt a lot from it

 

What is the preferred way of starting the N cycle: NH4 chemical, some sort of organic matter or "starter" fish (guppies etc.) ?

From what I have read, adding a couple of plants, won't be a problem, unless it dies and decomposes.

 

Well you can do a fish less cycle by adding fishfood to the tank each day and using seachem stability for 2 weeks.

If you can find your hands on pure diluted ammonia (water+ammonia mixed,ammonia alone is illegal so it has to be diluted) then you can regulate your cycle (etc using larger then normal doses of D.ammonia to simulate a heavily stocked tank)Obviously the ammonia is dangerous to fish so you have to wait 2 days after your last ammonia dose before adding fish.

The last one is the one with fish,hardy fish are preferred like danios or convicts if you are going to remove them afterwards.Their lifetime will be drastically shortened after the cycle and they will have gill damage and a weaker immune system.This is the reason most fishkeepers don't do fish cycles anymore and rather go with the fishless + food option.

 

I go - planted tank + guppies + mature filter media, no fertz for the first few weeks but CO2 seem to be appreciated the moment the lights go on. Does the is work, I assume so but have no proof since I do not fret over water - do keep an eye on the guppies and plants for issues- this with a few well timed WC seem to do the trick for me.