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27-01-2008, 05:10 PM
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The Nitrogen cycle?
I'm totally confused about this, can someone please explain it.
Thanks. 
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27-01-2008, 05:37 PM
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OK,here we go.....
Basically the nitrogen cycle is a series of conversions of chemicals by bacteria. Step 1:Ammonia-this is what fish excrete,bacteria eat it and convert it into_ Step 2:Nitrite-this is then converted by bacteria again into the least harmful- Step 3:Nitrate-this is the end product of the nitrogen cycle and is the least harmful to your fish.Its used by plants as food but needs to be diluted by regular partial water changes.Having crystal clear water does not mean its good for your fish,nitrate can still be there and like any toxin if allowed to build up can be detrimental to their health(and cause algae). Bacteria:These are what "Run" the nitrogen cycle and without enough of them it cannot function.New tanks dont have enough when first started hence why you should not just stock it with fish straight away.The bacteria need oxygenated water passing over them to survive-this is the biological function of your filter.Washing filter media under cold,chlorinated water kills them off so tank water should always be used for this. Thats a very basic description but hopefully makes sense.
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27-01-2008, 07:02 PM
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So basically this will happen on its own if the tank is planted, then it can be stocked with fish?
Do i need to add anything extra in to get the bacteria or will come on its own? Thanks. Last edited by matt020593; 27-01-2008 at 07:05 PM..
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27-01-2008, 07:26 PM
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The bacteria need a food source to grow and multiply.This can be provided by one of the off the shelf tank-starts,adding a small amount of fish flake every couple of days or even 1 or 2 small hardy fish.Some people recomend the fish method but i prefer not to expose them to the chemicals in a new tank.
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27-01-2008, 09:05 PM
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What are some hardy fish that would be ok whilst doing the nitrogen cycle?
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27-01-2008, 09:09 PM
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Leave the tank at least a week before any fish then maybe add a couple of zebra danios or platys.Once in do a 10% water change daily
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27-01-2008, 09:25 PM
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O.k, thanks for the advice.
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27-01-2008, 09:40 PM
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Inroducing the fishless cycling....
that's another way of doing it adding fish before the bacteria is there WILL damange them, maybe even kill them. Not exactly fair. Fishless cycling you can completely set yup the tank, plants and everything, and when it is completed you can add as many fish as you want. 
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27-01-2008, 09:45 PM
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