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Setting Up A New Aquarium |
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Written by Leon Huang
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Saturday, 25 June 2005 |
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Page 6 of 10
Starting the cycling process
These are the various ways to start the cycling process:
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“Seeding”. Transfer some gravel or filter sponge/wool/etc from an established fish tank into the new one.
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Fish wastes. Zebra danios are very hardy fishes that are commonly used for cycling.
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Market prawns. Yes, it will stink.
Personally, I feel that the “seeding” method would be the most reliable
and yields the fastest results. This method does not actually starts
the cycling process, all you are really doing is transfering existing
beneficial bacteria from the established fish tank into the new one.
Thus it is important to use it together with one of the following 3
methods to introduce ammonia. As without ammonia, the bacteria will
have nothing to feed on and die off.
Fish method is slower than other methods, as you have to make sure
fishes do not die from the ammonia and nitrite poisoning. I would
recommend just 2 to 3 small fishes per 10 gallon of
water. Having more fishes will only increase the risk of fish deaths,
and it will not make the process any faster. If the fishes that you are
eventually going to keep, produces much more wastes than what the 2 to
3 small fishes per gallon produces, increase the number of cycling
fishes only after a few days and after a 10% to 20% water change. Do it
gradually and your cycling fishes will survive, and your fish tank will
eventually have enough bacteria to support your actual fishes. It is
also not
recommended to use feeder fishes for this task, as they often carry
diseases.
"...the “seeding” method would be the most reliable and yields the fastest results."
Prawn method is easy, throw them in and wait. But be prepared for the smell.
Commercial products are not the most reliable. Most of us would wonder
how much shelf life do these products have. After all, we are talking
about live organisms here. But there are indeed cases where hobbyists
introduce fishes without cycling, relying on commercial products to do
its work. It all boils down to how much risk you are willing to take.
Personally, I have a bottle of Nutrafin Cycle, which I bought when I
upgraded my filter.
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