# GUIDE: Tank Cyling/Nitrogen Cycle [With Pictures]



## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

I know there are thousands of guides on HOW to cycle your tank, but this guide is just to explain HOW the cycle works. This guide will encompass both filtered and unfiltered tanks.

The picture below is the entire Nitrogen Cycle. It is a bit intimidating at first but I will break it down into small parts.










***DISCLAIMER***: Once again, I will not talk about plants. Extremely heavily planted tanks are capable of running the entire nitrogen cycle without a filter. However heavily planted literally means HEAVILY PLANTED.



*1. Waste and Ammonia*










In the first part of the cycle, you have your fish. Uneaten food and their excrement (poop) are considered WASTES and they start degrading into ammonia.

As stated in my Beginner Chemistry Guide, Ammonia is a HIGHLY TOXIC substance that causes many deaths for beginner/newbie aquarists.

*If you DO NOT have a filter *in your tank, your nitrogen cycle adventure stops here. To remove the ammonia, you MUST do regular water changes followed by an eventual 100%. Doing ONLY partial water changes will not keep up with a closed system and will eventually be ineffective.


*2. Nitrosomonas and NitRITE*










If you have a filter, these are the first (and slowest) bacteria to start populating your tank. Nitrosomonas bacteria will "eat" your tank's ammonia and convert it into NitRITE. NitRITE is far less toxic than ammonia, but it is still a fairly toxic substance to your fish.

Since this process is fairly slow, it is still required on your part to do small water changes just so that there is a safe level of ammonia for the bacteria to eat, but not too much to be harmful to your fish. In my own personal opinion, keeping the ammonia level at 0.5 (considered "stressful" under most bottles) is perfectly fine and fairly optimum for growing nitrosomonas.

Nitrosomonas enjoy the following conditions:
- Darkness: They are photophobic, however if your filter is in the light, they will grow a slime covering to protect themselves
- pH of 6-9
- 20-30C or 68-86F

To stress, they take quite a long time to grow and divide due to their high need for ammonia. This is why a lot of aquarists prefer to cycle without the fish in the tank. You can dump a lot of raw ammonia into the tank so the nitrosomonas can move in fairly quickly without endangering the fish.


*3. Nitrobacter and NitRATE*










The next genus of bacteria to move into your tank are called Nitrobacter bacteria. They will "eat" the nitRITE produced by the nitrosomonas bacteria. NitRATE is the least toxic form of nitrogen among the three, but it is still toxic in large amounts. Nitrobacter tend to move in and divide faster than nitrosomonas, but patience is still required for them to grow, as their existence depends on the slow-growing nitrosomonas.

Nitrobacter bacteria are a little more flexible than nitrosomonas. Their optimal growing conditions are:

-ph of 5-8.5
- 0-50C or 32-120F


*4. NitRATE and Water changes*










This is the final step of the Nitrogen cycle. In nature, nitRATE is enjoyed by many plant species, both terrestrial and aquatic. However, if plants do not exist in your aquarium, you must remove nitRATE manually by performing water changes. There is NO substitute for water changes and they are CRUCIAL to maintaining water quality. 

**Unless you are a fairly advance aquarist (unlike myself) in which you can afford to care for many many many many plants, *you must, must, MUST do your water changes.***

I hope this guide is helpful for your continuing adventure in educational experiences~

Pictures (C) to myself
Knowledge (C) to my brain


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## NoahG (Oct 24, 2011)

I love the illustrations, haha


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## wystearya (Sep 27, 2010)

Your picture is too cute! I love the smiling bacteria.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

Lol thank you, I hope it was informative XD


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

Very cute and very helpful!

Question:

If I want to "seed" my tank with bacteria from an established cycled tank, at which point should it be done?


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

@Registered: I would do it at the beginning maybe a few days or a week into the cycle, just so there is enough ammonia present to support the Nitrosomonas bacteria. They are the slowest growing as well as they provide food for nitrobacter bacteria so it would make the most logical sense (in my opinion) to seed them. 

At first their population will diminish in size if your tank doesn't have enough ammonia to feed them, but they'll eventually perk back up.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Pretty good for someone who wrote it out of boredom.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

This is a pretty awesome guide. I just see one problem with it (dunno it could potentially be a big one). The breakdown of fish poop isn't the only thing that creates ammonia; fish excrete it directly through their gills. Since I'm not sure what media you used, a fix could be as simple as another arrow. But I just don't want people to get the idea that just removing fish poop will get rid of the ammonia.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

That is the cutest group of nitrifying bacteria I have ever seen.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

@Koimaiden: Yeah I completely forgot about it, I can't really change it because it's actually a hand-drawn picture.

@Bombularina: Thanks


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## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Will be refering to this often  I love it! Perfect for people like me who at the very mention of cycle (even bicycle) makes me cry! Now I just need to think of the happy smiling bacteria and all will be well again


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

This should have a sticky since its simple and easier to understand then alot of other guides. :-D


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

This is fantastic, thank you SO much! Just beginning my adventures with a cycled tank...and I've already got too much ammonia...trying to figure out how to fix it.  
This helped tremendously!


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## jeffegg2 (Apr 5, 2012)

Also, it is important to add that PH has a lot to do with toxicity of ammonia. An increase of 1 PH will make ammonia X10!!

This is another reason to use IAL to condition the water... It reduces my water from 7.5 to 6.0.

http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9507/msg00139.html

Jeff.


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

oops...second post.
trying to delete...having some issues.


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## ninjafish (Oct 25, 2009)

This is great, and I love your guide! The bacteria are so cute. Thanks for this. xD


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

Pull the picture up in your paint program, add an arrow and text to the gills and save it. Delete the pic in the post and replace it.


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

jeffegg2 said:


> Also, it is important to add that PH has a lot to do with toxicity of ammonia. An increase of 1 PH will make ammonia X10!!


Totally irrelevant to this guide. This guide was made to talk about the nitrogen cycle, not ammonia toxicity. Going off topic will just confuse and overburden people reading it.



Ilikebutterflies said:


> Pull the picture up in your paint program, add an arrow and text to the gills and save it. Delete the pic in the post and replace it.


Yeah I know. I'm just lazy. It's pulled off my Dropbox so it would be an easy fix by just changing the file but meh.


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## NapoleonUWS (Apr 23, 2012)

I agree... very simple and informative...
Should be a sticky!
Thanks!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

We already have a sticky on cycling. Having more will just confuse people even more.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-47838/


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I think this should be a sticky. It gives two different views on this will be good for the forum. It seems simpler this way as well.

Also it said that this guide explains HOW it works? I really like it. And to be honest, I think this one is a bit better because of the pictures LOL. The pictures will help people to understand more:-D.

I mean Mo's sticky was stickied and he put a bunch of stickies together. Why not have this one? No offense to Mo. I appreciate what you did. Also you guys are going to have to add in more stickies to Mo's because they might be forgotten.

So what do you think DQ?:-D



dramaqueen said:


> We already have a sticky on cycling. Having more will just confuse people even more.
> http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-47838/


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> Pretty good for someone who wrote it out of boredom.





dramaqueen said:


> We already have a sticky on cycling. Having more will just confuse people even more.



*@Everybody who read this guide and liked it:* 

Thanks so much for your endless support for my three guides on this hobby. I'm always happy to be of assistance in terms of water chemistry due to my education on the subject at university.

Whether or not this guide becomes a sticky, it will ALWAYS be available in my signature below, or (if you want to check it out) listed in the second section on Mo's Compilation Sticky at the top of this section: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=99450


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad that your degree in chemistry is such a benefit to all of us and that you're so willing to share your wealth of knowledge with us.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

dramaqueen said:


> We already have a sticky on cycling. Having more will just confuse people even more.
> http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-47838/



Been meaning to talk to you about that, DQ. If this not an appropriate venue, please feel free to delete this post.

No disrespect to iamntbatman, but dated information is included in that guide. eg: 
---shrimp and fishfood are no longer recommended ammonia sources
---fish-in cycling is controversial and no longer necessary. 

In my opinion, it is not particularly well-written, nor is it as clear and concise as a guide for beginners should be.

I think Bahamut's pictorial guide would make a fine centerpiece for a new beginners guide. Her focus is on the background of how the cycle works. It just needs a tutorial on the actual procedure for implementing a safe, secure nitrogen cycle.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

And that can definitely be added.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'll see what the rest of the team says.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

C'mon DQ!! You cannot deny us.:shock::crazy:


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm waiting to see what everyone else says.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

I know, I was just being a goof ball.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Any other comments, questions, criticisms? Lol


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

For what?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

About making this a sticky.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Well I don't..=]
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

NOBODY does


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I find it disheartening that moderators would prefer an established sticky, even though it includes outdated, inaccurate and controversial information and recommendations.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Is this going to be a Sticky or not?

Dramaqueen?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

What is so outdated about iamntbatman 's sticky? He is a longtime member of this forum who knows what he's talking about. We can't sticky everthing just because members want their friends' posts stickied. I find it disheartening when members get angry when the staff doesn't do what they want.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

personally.... i find the sticky on cycling a bit......... hard to understand. yeah, it might have all the facts in it, but it's a wall of text. word after word after word. a new member, or a young member, won't want to read that. 

bahamut's post is more visual. she shows, in adorable pictures, how the cycle works. it's simple, fun to look at, and pretty easy to understand. then, she breaks it down MORE, explaining each part of the cycle, in words that are pretty easy to understand.

personally, i don't see why we can't have BOTH stickied. one, for newer/younger members, and one for people who want to go more into detail.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Personally, I don't understand what's "outdated" about his sticky, but I can agree that bahamut's sticky is far better to understand. To be honest, I didn't want to read iamntbatman's sticky. I know that he knows what he's talking about and is probably easily explained in person, but really when Bahamut broke it down, Im sure we can understand it more.

Also I'm not trying to get this as a sticky because "she's a friend" im thinking of the new members. The new members aren't going to want to sit there and read with no pictures...seriously it sounds really dumb and lazy, but that is kind of what a lot of people here are. Lazy and then they decided to Do what they want.

I also understand What you mean. Not every post can be a sticky because there will be too many for no reason, but when there is a useful one and one that is good enough to be one, it should be.

This forum complaines too much and this is why the mods are always at work. It happens for the littlest things. You'd think we're a bunch of babies. Of course this can be fixed and some are working to try and fix it. I can understand why it is disheartening, but to be honest, Mo's sticky didn't have to be a sticky. I mean really don't you think that this is a lot more useful than Iamntbatman's?

Your honest opinion.;-)



dramaqueen said:


> What is so outdated about iamntbatman 's sticky? He is a longtime member of this forum who knows what he's talking about. We can't sticky everthing just because members want their friends' posts stickied. I find it disheartening when members get angry when the staff doesn't do what they want.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Maybe we should add pictures to imntbatman's sticky to make it easier to understand. lol


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

if thats what it takes. 



dramaqueen said:


> Maybe we should add pictures to imntbatman's sticky to make it easier to understand. lol


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

The moderating team has discussed this as a whole (as in, other people beside DQ and myself came to this conclusion so there was no favoritism or other foul play at hand) and while we have decided to leave batman's cycling guide, we are willing to compromise and add elements of Bahamut's guide to the existing one. But I am sorry, we are not going to sticky it. If there continues to be a controversy in which uncivil comments are exchanged over this, we will remove this thread in order to preserve forum peace.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Discussing it civilly means no eye rolls or snarky comments.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

bettalover2033 said:


> if thats what it takes


To be honest DQ, That comment that I made (quoting you) was NOT snarky and I was actually agreeing with you...Not being rude and using it against you.
It's a good idea to add pictures or even place Bahamut's post in iamntbatman's sticky so there doesnt have to be two different stickies saying the same thing.

I really didn't think you would take my comment as snarky or rude because you know how I am...I'm never rude to anyone on this forum. I think the eye roll should be put back on there. I never meant that in a rude way and it was an agreement of your statement. Really its just the way we read things sometimes.

Like I thought your comment was a little sarcastic, but looking back on how you are, I know that you wouldn't do that. Also if I wanted to be snarky I would have used this smiley: :sarcastic:



dramaqueen said:


> Discussing it civilly means no eye rolls or snarky comments.


Sakura, I understand your point. I think there is another sticky saying the same thing, but I was just saying that this would be better because of the explanations. And Bahamut said she was explain (how) it works not only how to do it.;-)

I was thinking maybe add Bahamut's post to Batman's sticky...Like a small divider like this:

_______________________________

To show it being a small division from Batman's part.

I believe this controversy should be handled civilly. When it is handled this way, we get farther and show a bigger example for new members here



Sakura8 said:


> The moderating team has discussed this as a whole (as in, other people beside DQ and myself came to this conclusion so there was no favoritism or other foul play at hand) and while we have decided to leave batman's cycling guide, we are willing to compromise and add elements of Bahamut's guide to the existing one. But I am sorry, we are not going to sticky it. If there continues to be a controversy in which uncivil comments are exchanged over this, we will remove this thread in order to preserve forum peace.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Thank, you Bettalover.  You are a great example that this can be dealt with civilly.

The moderating team will look over both guides and be in contact with Bahamut soon on how best to combine elements of her guide to the current one.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

With no offense, snark or eyeroll intended, I would like to critique, in a civil manner, imntbatman's long-running sticky based entirely on its merits.

Arguably, it is overly long. While not particularly complex, it is nonetheless a little tedious, certainly not calculated to hold the attention of many younger members.

Technically it ignores newer information available to any diligent researcher. The suggestion to use shrimp or uncrushed fishfood for an ammonia source is outdated. Recent advice from Carl Strohmeyer and other professional aquarists, suggest that these two methods can develop mold (Saprolegnia) in the tank which is harmful to livestock and hard to get rid of.

Advising the use of ammonia, without presenting the method of identifying "pure" ammonia, can lead to a foamy tank disaster.

The methodology for enhancing a fishless cycle does not, in my opinion, sufficiently emphasize the not inconsiderable effects of temperature, flow and ammonia quantity on the cycle.

Fish-in cycling is controversial. Relying on "hardy" or disposable (implied) species as an ammonia source (at 0.50ppm) is frowned upon by many experienced, sensitive keepers. It is especially egregious when one considers that fish-in cycling is totally unnecessary, contrary to what is implied in the sticky. In my opinion, this whole issue of fish-in cycling deserves a stickied discussion thread all its own.

Casual dismissal of "bacteria in a bottle" ignores recent technological advancements in preserving nitrifying bacteria at room temperature for commercial use. I am personally conducting interviews with Bettalist members and researching other fora in an effort to determine the efficacy of some of these products.

Repeatedly replaying the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate sequence is one of the reasons that essay is so long and such an arduous read. This alone is reason to consider a more tightly-edited, clearer presentation. Perhaps a visual one ;-}

It's really a shame that the only cycling tutorial that I can recommend is an even longer, more poorly written attempt by Strohmeyer. But at least it's up-to-date and accurate.

I have a satisfactory method of fishless cycling that I prefer. I usually use that short post as an answer to any question directed at me about cycling.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Just plopping in with my opinion, woo!
Honestly, I think both guides are nice. I have to agree that the current sticky is outdated in many ways, but it can stay. Bahamut's is nice because it's sciencey, which I myself like.
I think what we really need, is an actual guide. Like "you will neeed:," "step one," "step two," kept nice and short. Things like what to keep ammonia levels at at each point in the cycle would be great.
From our current information we do get a lot of "I don't even know when to start," threads about cycling. A short and concise step by step guide should help in controlling all those threads and would help solve a lot of questions. I too, think we should cut out raw shrimp method. I myself did this and it's not very pretty, I'll tell you. The focus can remain on pure ammonia cycling, but we should keep fish food cycling in, which I found much less prone to mould, because some countries like Australia, you will not be able to get your hands on ammonia. For fish food cycling we can just have a little tip on what to do if it moulds (not that hard to deal with, honestly).

Just my two cents. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

As a newbs, I would appreciate a guide like the one suggested by Olympia. I am not opposed to researching but on something like this, where trial and error could mean the life of your fish, I would take the lazy way out and follow the step-by-step guide. I read batman's sticky and at one point felt my eyes glaze over because of the sheer amount of text, which is overwhelming particularly for younger members and beginners like me. I think that a compilation of the two along with step-by-step guide, where you have the theoretical and practical, would be ideal. Now if we could only find somebody to actuallly produce the darn thing. ;-)


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

How is this for a step by step guide? This is one I wrote up a long time ago to help someone out.

Cycle refers to the nitrogen cycle. Although you might hear people talk about the aquarist cycling the tank, the truth is it's something that happens when you have a filter whether the aquarist does anything or not. All we do is speed it up a little.

The nitrogen cycle is all about ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. Fish put out ammonia through their gills as part of their waste. Problem is, ammonia is highly toxic to them and can kill them. But with an established filter there are good bacteria that will grow and eat ammonia. Bad news: those bacteria excrete the ammonia as nitrite, which is also highly toxic. Good news: a second type of bacteria will grow in an established filter that eats nitrite and excretes it as nitrate, which is a lot less toxic. Once your filter is established and your tank is cycled, you won't have to change the water quite as often but unless you have a 20g tank or higher, you'll still need to change some amount of water once a week. Anything under 10g will be twice a week or more.

First, the whole cycling process.

For a tank you're trying to cycle with the fish in it, I follow David Boruchowitz's method that he outlines in his book Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solvers. For this, you definitely need an ammonia test kit. If you can, I'd recommend you get a test kit that tests for everything. If money's a concern, there are 5-1 strips that work but other people say that the liquid drop method is more reliable. I can't say one way or another. But the liquid drop master test kit from API is about $35. The test strips are around $14. But definitely, if you can only afford two things, get a test kit for ammonia and one for nitrite. 

Okay, so after you've gotten a filter, what you want to do is test for ammonia every day. The moment the ammonia goes over the safe zone, which is usually 0.25 ppm, you'll want to do a water change, about 30% or whatever it takes to bring the level back into the safe zone. Keep testing every day, only doing a water change when the test reads over the safe zone. After a few weeks, you'll notice that the ammonia levels are dropping. This means you're now in stage two of the cycling process. 

Now what you'll want to test for every day are nitrites AND ammonia. Again, any time you get a test result over the safe zone, do a water change. Keep testing and doing water changes as needed. Eventually, you'll notice that your ammonia bottoms out at 0. This means that the bacteria that eats the ammonia is now established. Hurray! Keep testing for nitrites and doing water changes as needed until those levels start to come down and nitrate appears. Now you're almost finished. Your tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite stay at 0 and the only readings you get are nitrate (which you need a master kit to test for). 

That's cycling with fish in. Be aware that cycling with the betta in there can be stressful for them because the ammonia levels get to uncomfortable levels and he may get sick. If you don't want to stress your betta out, you can cycle the tank without fish. Get the tank all set up with the filter. Then get a piece of cheese cloth or some nylon (panty hose) and put either a piece of fish or some shrimp from the meat department of your grocery store or a large pinch of fish food in there. Tie it up and let it sit in the water for a few days. Then start testing for ammonia, which will begin to appear as the fish/shrimp/fish food begins to rot and decay. Leave the stuff in there but I warn you it might start to stink. Test for ammonia every day and when the level gets to about 4.0 ppm, do a water change to bring the level back down. You'll probably need to do at least a 50% change depending on the size of your tank. Keep doing that until the ammonia reads 0. Then start with the nitrite tests and keep going like you would if there were fish in there. Once the levels reach 0, remove the rotten stuff in there. Keep testing and watching to make sure the levels stay 0 for a few days. Then you can add your betta. Test the water every day for the first few days to make sure the levels stay steady. Then after that, do the water changes according to the size of your tank. And that's cycling. Whew. 

Generally, you want to keep ammonia at 0 but with the types of tests out there, you won't know what the exact level is until it reaches .25 ppm. This is a level considered uncomfortable for the betta, where their gills start to burn. It's the lowest acceptable level for ammonia and it's not good to leave them in there for long. Anything over .25 is danger danger and needs a water change right away.

There are water conditioners that will remove the chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals as well as neutralizing ammonia by binding it to another agent, turning it into less toxic ammonium.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

I vote in favor of making bahamut's a sticky. Its easier to understand and maybe that will clear up the forum a bit (though generally the stickies are being ignored -_- )


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Bahamut's guide will be integrated into the current sticky or into a new one that has a step by step process such as the one I posted above.

Addressing concerns about fish-in cycling: let's face it, most of us cycle fish-in. Therefore, it's important to include information on how to do this type of cycling. 

Fish food and shrimp may not be the ideal method for fishless cycling but I feel they should still be included because pure ammonia is hard to come by. I myself have been to several hardware stores and have not found any and I live in a big city with many hardware stores. Someone living in a small town might not have any other choice but using those methods for fishless cycling.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

So this will be a sticky with your added information you just posted?



Sakura8 said:


> Bahamut's guide will be integrated into the current sticky or into a new one that has a step by step process such as the one I posted above.
> 
> Addressing concerns about fish-in cycling: let's face it, most of us cycle fish-in. Therefore, it's important to include information on how to do this type of cycling.
> 
> Fish food and shrimp may not be the ideal method for fishless cycling but I feel they should still be included because pure ammonia is hard to come by. I myself have been to several hardware stores and have not found any and I live in a big city with many hardware stores. Someone living in a small town might not have any other choice but using those methods for fishless cycling.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Do you want the same info that I added, with the step by step guide? Is that guide okay? Or if there is someone else out there who has written a step by step cycling guide, please PM it to me.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I can write one up tonight. Can I use some parts of yours, Sakura? :-D Just wanna cut some stuff and add some stuff, like average levels of things, and my mould removal tip for food cycling.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yes, you can use some of mine, Olympia.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Bahamut's guide will be integrated into the current sticky or into a new one that has a step by step process such as the one I posted above.


You know I hold you in highest regard, Sakura, and respect your knowledge and experience. But your cycling treatise, while shorter, is not any better than imntbatmnan's. I try to put myself in the place of a new keeper, perhaps young and incompletely educated. From this viewpoint, I find it hard to understand.



Sakura8 said:


> Addressing concerns about fish-in cycling: let's face it, most of us cycle fish-in. Therefore, it's important to include information on how to do this type of cycling.


I can't disagree. But this is not a technique that I would have been comfortable executing when I first started keeping fish. I'm not convinced that it can be safely practiced by most new keepers. Nor would I recommend it as a first choice. 



Sakura8 said:


> Fish food and shrimp may not be the ideal method for fishless cycling but I feel they should still be included because pure ammonia is hard to come by. I myself have been to several hardware stores and have not found any and I live in a big city with many hardware stores. Someone living in a small town might not have any other choice but using those methods for fishless cycling.


Regrettably, this may be true. But it should be made clear that this is not the best option. Pure ammonia is available online and can be ordered through most retail outlets. If Olympia's method of safeguarding against mold/fungus appears effective, I will gladly change my mind about this and recommend fish or food, notwithstanding it is a smelly mess.

More important than ammonia production is finding a suitable way of "seeding." This makes fish-in cycling less onerous and dangerous, and it would speed up a fishless cycle. If anyone would care to experiment with the new products which claim to harbor autotrophic bacteria, this would be a major advancement and contribution to our understanding of cycling methodology.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

My method: After the cycle, just bomb the tank with Pimafix, before adding any fish. I kept it at recommended dosage, and my fungus was gone in two days (I cycled with bloodworms at first :rofl. Then, for any worries about that medication and labyrinth organs, you do a 75% change at the end of the cycle anyways, right? So that clears out the medicine well enough. 
I think it's important to realize as long as you can't SEE the fungus, you are good.. Because like it or not, that fungus lives in everyone's tanks, just in a normal tank there isn't enough to feed a large colony, when you see the fuzzies, you've given the fungus a food source, and the fuzzies is actually the fungus reproducing. 


Hal, I take it you don't mind me skimming cycling threads and pulling bits of your information? Everyone gets due credit, don't worry. ^-^

ALSO: At Sakura's request, I will talk about all types of cycling.  With proper warnings about each type. Because, I already mentioned this, as did Sakura, not everyone can find pure ammonia. It's illegal in Australia, because people can make bombs out of it. I'm sure it's illegal in many places other than that, and I think it's important to consider we ARE a global community.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

So this thread will still be presented in a sticky with the added information of Sakura's, Hallyx's, and olympia's?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Maybe not really RECOMMEND shrimp or fish food but add it to the info as an option.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Okay guys here are the methods I will go over, should be done the guide by tomorrow/Wednesday, then I'll send it to Sakura and she can look over it. I already made the things you'll need section and a few other parts, this is just a little tidbit. 
I included planted tank since that is one of the original choices, I will be very brief on that section since we have sooo many plant guides already on here. Also put the filter in bucket cycle in, since I know -someone- on here favors it a ton. ;-) And it does have it's merits.


*Step One: Choose a method*

We have 5 methods of getting your tank safe for your fish. I will discuss all of them, their positives and negatives. It’s up to you to decide which would be the easiest or best way for you to do. The end result is the same whichever method you choose.

*1. Fishless cycle using pure ammonia:*

*2. Fishless cycle using fish food or a raw shrimp:*

*3. Fish in cycle:*

*4. Planted tank:*

*5. Fishless bucket cycle:*


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

That's okay, Hal, I'm not offended. I threw that together at the spur of the moment anyway. I think Olympia will do a much better job of tackling cycling than I ever could. 

I totally recognize your concerns about new keepers safely cycling fish-in. That's part of the reason why I think it's important to include that info. If we didn't, they would probably try to do it anyway and the results would be even worse and even harder on the fish.

Bettalover, yes, the new sticky will be drawn up by Olympia and will include elements from any and all cycling guides as she sees fit, with due credit given. Bahamut's guide will either precede this or be at the end.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Awh shucks, Sakura. :3
There will be fair warnings in every section I assure you. Surfactants(?) in ammonia/bucket, mould in food, fish damage/lots of water changes/monitoring in fish in, the horror that ensues if all your plants die on you in planted. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Sounds good to me to have warnings.


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

Yay for consensus and cooperation! I'm particularly interested in the section regarding planted tank cycling. :-D


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You said it, Freyja.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Since this is a Betta specific forum....What would you think about a Betta specific cycling method that a new keeper could safely do...with and without testing products-since most keepers can't afford expensive test kits....

Something that is not complicated-yet contains needed information that even a child can understand and follow.....


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Do you have something like that? All I can think of is plants. Or just keeping an uncycled tank, OFL.
A 5 gallon with a filter will cycle on it's own with a betta safely if you do 50% changes a week, I'm pretty sure.
There's no way to know without a test kit if ammonia is getting eaten fast enough. :-(

I'm not even using the word "bacteria" in my guide. It's very down to the point of what should be happening.


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## Bettanewbie60 (Jun 26, 2012)

Oldfishlady said:


> Since this is a Betta specific forum....What would you think about a Betta specific cycling method that a new keeper could safely do...with and without testing products-since most keepers can't afford expensive test kits....
> 
> Something that is not complicated-yet contains needed information that even a child can understand and follow.....


I'm all for that OFL...I just came on here to ask some questions about my new 5.5 g that already has a fish in it. I'm really worried about him/his water..sigh


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

First you need to understand the nitrogen cycle and the bacteria involved in the process.....Its self limiting to start with.....meaning that you can only colonize numbers based on the bioload/food source, dissolved oxygen and surface area....That is why cycling with just a single fish is different than cycling to stock a community tank.

Fishless cycling is used so that you can safely fully stock the community tank....When you fishless cycle you generally want to keep the ammonia level high so that you can colonize large number of beneficial bacteria to support the bioload-When you only add a single Betta-all that extra beneficial bacteria die/consume themselves due to limited food source/bioload...

I do think we need a good cycling method for community tanks and sororities since our member set these up as well....But a Betta specific and less complicated might benefit the hobbyist that keep 10gal and under with limited bioload.....

And of course I have one written......as well as many other Betta related information based on personal experience and experiments from the many years of keeping fish.....


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Where's the lightbulb-going-off emoticon?

OFL has refined her message and I have been more accepting of alternatives. I finally understand the advantages of fish-in cycling for a single Betta.

Power-cycling for community tanks is fun and fast. But when I saw the dismal and weak condition of my bacteria after having been maintained for a month by a single fish. It ook several days of ammonia feeding to recover. On the other hand, it was probably more than was necessary to begin with. 

So I had to see it with my own eyes before I could really apreciate it. Thank you, Ma'am for that valuable lesson.


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## Ramla (Aug 27, 2012)

Thanks so much ^^ your drawing and explanation really helped, and it finally helped click for my brain, I've been trying to wrap my brain around the whole thing, but haven't had a lot of luck in just simply reading about it. So this guide is much appreciated!


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## norico (Jun 3, 2012)

Thank you for great information.
I would like to know how about NH4?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

We also have a sticky on cycling by Olympia so now we'll have info on cycling from two different perspectives.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> We also have a sticky on cycling by Olympia so now we'll have info on cycling from two different perspectives.


As well as a sticky specific for Bettas that I made so we have 3 perspectives on cycling/nitrogen cycle....


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

dramaqueen said:


> We also have a sticky on cycling by Olympia so now we'll have info on cycling from two different perspectives.





Oldfishlady said:


> As well as a sticky specific for Bettas that I made so we have 3 perspectives on cycling/nitrogen cycle....



Is this a problem? It's honestly starting to feel like it. I have NEVER begged for this to be a sticky and have in fact declined to Sakura to make it so. I was planning on breaking the images to render this guide useless but a few people have PM'd me not to do so as they really like the pictures and prefer it over a huge wall of text.

My guide is completely different. As it says in the first sentence: It is not HOW to cycle your tank. It is how it WORKS. So people will understand that it's not just some sort of magical spell cast on your filter that makes it safe for your fish.

I'm not asking for a Nobel Prize or to suddenly be a Gold Member on this forum and have 100000 threadviews. I just want this guide to happily coexist in peace. If anybody has personal issues with me or this guide, I'd ask to kindly keep it off the forum or off this thread.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

We don't have a problem with your guide at all. What do the amount of posts someone has have to do with anything?


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

I'll only have you to blame when I can't find smiling bacteria in my filter that look like that <.<.....jk ^-^ those were cute illustrations and I loved it. Really simplified the process and made it less scary to some I would think. Very helpful especially for people new to cycling.


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## LionCalie (Sep 24, 2011)

dramaqueen said:


> We don't have a problem with your guide at all. What do the amount of posts someone has have to do with anything?


Just wanted to point out that she said thread views, not posts. What I got from it was she didn't post the guide with the desire for it to be hugely popular on the forum with tons of views.

I agree it is a great guide. The adorable pictures help simplify the Nitrogen cycle while having just the right amount of scientific information to not give me a headache. :thumbsup:

Wish I had seen this back when I first started learning about the Nitrogen cycle.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Bahamut, no it's not a problem at all. I believe OFL was simply pointing out that the forum now has many sources on cycling instead of just the one source we used to have. Your guide is excellent for helping us understand how the nitrogen cycle works so that when people consult the cycling guides they can better understand what they need to do to cycle their tanks. 

If at any time you change your mind and wish for a link to be placed in the Step-By-Step Cycling sticky, all you have to do is PM a mod and we'll get that done for you.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

dramaqueen said:


> We also have a sticky on cycling by Olympia so now we'll have info on cycling from two different perspectives.


I see Drama queen's reply as a positive one not a negative one XD
like, yay, we have two different perspectives on cycling!

and OFL always uses...
which keeps her somewhat neutral and open to interpretation


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

While learning about cycling, I researched as many articles as I could find online. Whenever I found agreement or consensus I considered that good advice and I eliminated outlier viewpoints.

The three how-to-cycle articles posted here all agree in principle and, to a great part, in the details. The three articles are by Olympia, OldFishLady and imntbatman. Nobody reading these should be confused; in fact the reader should be further enlightened and educated in cycling lore.

Bahamut's illustrated guide teaches the fundamentals of the the nitrogen cycle that the other three articles show how to do. It is an important, in fact indispensable addition to the 'how-to' guides.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Right.The 3 articles should have plenty of info to help people learn about cycling. Zoe's pictures will help i people if they need a little extra help on how things work.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

No, my comment was not meant to be negative. Hopefully, all 3 guides can work together to help people understand cycling. As far as how many views a thread gets wouldn't matter to me. I've written stickies and never even paid any attention to how many views it has.


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## rafa2k (Dec 3, 2012)

Awesome post. I was trying to explain to my 5 year old daughter about this cycle because she kept asking why the tank is still sitting there with no fish. I showed her your illustration, her first reaction of course was to laugh and say "eww poop". But this was a great help in getting her to understand what she now refers to as the yellow and the purple bacteria, as well as why daddy moves so many buckets of water around. BIG THANKS!!!


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## d4rkwolf (Apr 15, 2017)

I know this thread is old but I just wanted to mention that none of the pictures are showing for me. I've tried viewing on FireFox and Internet Explorer to no avail.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Pictures are probably no longer be available on the host site of the OP. This is not unusual with old threads by people who are no longer active.


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