# Tips for Fish In Safe Cycling



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I've seen a lot of questions about cycling so I thought I'd do a thread that basically explains how to do a cycle with your fish safely and effectively.

Any tank can be cycled but only tanks 2.5 gallons or larger will really benefit from a cycle. Cycling builds bacteria in your tank that help keep ammonia and nitrites produced from decaying fish food and waste from harming your fish. By doing this it will reduce the frequency of water changes you need to do to keep your fish happy.

Here is what you need to do a cycle:
Tank
Filter
Heater
Gravel (or any other substrate you prefer)
Decorations, plants, etc to make your tank look good.
A thermometer (in tank or digital kitchen)
Master Test Kit (liquid dropper kind)
your fish:-D

Step 1.
Set up your tank the way you want it. Make sure you rinse all your gravel, plants, and decorations in hot water before adding them. Fill your tank with De-chlorinated water and bring it up to 76-82* before adding your fish. Make sure you acclimate your fish slowly to the tank water.

Step 2.
Care for your fish as you normally would... nothing changes here. Everyday test your water for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. The first thing you will start seeing is Ammonia.. the others come later in the cycle. Anytime you see Ammonia in the test you will need to do a water change. Use your judgment to decide how big of a water change to do. 
--Personally I do a 20-30% pwc (partial water change) for any reading under 0.50ppm and 50% for anything over 0.50ppm.--

Step 3.
After a while your Ammonia readings will spike. You will clearly see this as your test readings will jump really high from one day to the next. Almost immediately after you will start getting readings of Nitrite. Continue doing your water changes any time you see Ammonia or Nitrite in your tests. What is happening is a bacteria has formed that takes the ammonia and turns it into less harmful nitrite.. this is basically a half-way point in your cycle. Make sure you continue testing every day.

Step 4.
After some more time you will see a spike in your Nitrites the same way you saw in your Ammonia... and your ammonia will go way down and almost disappear entirely. Once this happens you will start seeing Nitrates. A different bacteria is now taking your Nitrites and turning them into Nitrates.. which your fish will tolerate. Continue testing and doing pwc's if you see any Ammonia or Nitrites in your readings.

Step 5.
One day you will test and you will get a reading of 0.00ppm Ammonia, 0.00ppm Nitrites, and 5-20ppm Nitrates. This means you are cycled. Continue testing daily for a week to 10 days to make sure your readings don't change.. if they do continue with your water changes and testing until your readings remain constant.

The cycle process can take anywhere from a few weeks to two months depending on several factors. Size of tank, bioload.. meaning how many live animals you have in the tank, and how much you feed can be influencing factors.

Once you are cycled you will have much fewer water changes. Depending on the size of your tank you may have 2 wc's a week to 1 a month.
2.5-5 gallon tanks need 2 pwc's of 50% a week with vacuuming during one of those.
5-10 gallon tanks need 1 50% pwc a week with vacuuming.
10+ gallon tanks need a 50% pwc every two weeks.. at least.
(These are not concrete but a basic idea of how many water changes per tank size)

Here are a few helpful hints:
-if you can get established filter media or gravel from a tank that is already cycled and has no diseases it can help speed up your cycle.
-don't get media from a pet store as their tanks frequently have sick fish in them.
-there are some commercial products that are supposed to help speed a cycle but they haven't gotten very good reviews among fish keepers in general.
-live plants can not only help your cycle but your fish in general. Be careful before you decide to do live plants because they will require extra work.


That's pretty much cycling in a nutshell. I don't think I left any major points out but anyone feel free to add or correct any mistakes.

Happy Cycling!!!

Jackie


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have heard that you should feed your fish sparingly during fish in cycling. Good info, by the way!


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Thanks!
I haven't heard that but what it would do is make your cycle safer because your fish produces less waste which leads to lower levels of ammonia. The drawback to that is your cycle takes longer. The Fish In cycle is all about the balance between getting your ammonia levels high enough to start the bacteria growing.. but still keeping the levels low enough that your fish aren't harmed.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

1fish2fish said:


> Thanks!
> . The Fish In cycle is all about the balance between getting your ammonia levels high enough to start the bacteria growing.. but still keeping the levels low enough that your fish aren't harmed.


Thats what I was thinking.


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## lavallin (Nov 15, 2009)

Great info!
I was wondering if anyone has tried any products that are supposed to aid/speed the cycling process (Nutrafin Cycle, Bio-Spira)? Have you found them to be effective?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I've heard some say that they work and some say they don't.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I have heard the same... pretty iffy. Personally I try to put as few commercial products in my tank as possible... I always try to go the natural route before resorting to stuff in a bottle.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I've heard it's best to not use any more chemicals than you have to.


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## Owlets (Oct 24, 2009)

Thanks for the info! I've been meaning to cycle my 3.5 gallon, since lugging the tank around to clean it all the time is hard on my back, haha. 

Also, i never understood what it meant to "spike". Does that mean the ammonia/etc increases dramatically at a certain point? *is clueless*
Thanks


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## Eolith (Aug 4, 2009)

This is all great info that I will be sure to reference in the future, but I've got a question about _keeping_ a tank cycled. I'm a college student that has to do whole-hog moves of my tanks about 3-4 times a year. Of course to do so I have to drain out pretty much all of the water in the tanks and then fill them back up once I've reached my destination. Does this interrupt the cycle? I keep the same gravel and filter media.

Should I try to bring about half of the old tank water with me when I move the tanks?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

If you keep the filter media and gravel wet, you shouldn't lose your cycle. You can empty the tank until you have just enough water to cover the gravel and put the filter in tank water in a bucket to keep it wet.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Owlets... a spike is exactly how you describe it. For instance when I recently cycled my 3 gallon my ammonia went from 0.25ppm one day to 1.00ppm the next.. thats a pretty drastic change over twenty four hours. The same thing will happen for your Nitirites.

Eolith... just like Dramaqueen said as long as you keep enough water to just cover the gravel you should be safe. It's also a good idea to put the filter media in a tupperware container full of tank water. The bacteria from cycling is in your gravel, decorations, plants, filter, and on the walls of your tank.. so taking the water out shouldn't disrupt your cycle.

Now once you get your tank set back up you might go through a "mini-cycle" because you will lose a little bacteria.. just test for a few days and do any water changes if needed until your tank returns to "equilibrium' so to speak.


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## Owlets (Oct 24, 2009)

Ah, thankyou!


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

:-D No prob... I'm here to help.


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## lavallin (Nov 15, 2009)

If I change the filter cartridge in my tank, will it stay cycled?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

You need to take some old media from the old cartridge.. cut a hole in the new filter and add the old media. Your tank should stay at equilibrium this way but I would still test the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for a few days and watch for changes just in case.

But the main chunk of your bacteria from cycle are in the gravel and plants and somewhat on the walls of your tank.. only a small portion is in your filter. Its still good to put old media in a new filter so the bacteria can recolonize the filter quickly.


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## lavallin (Nov 15, 2009)

'Media'? Do you mean the carbon?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

yeah.. the stuff inside the cartridge. Take some of it out and cut a small hole in the new filter and add it in.


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## lavallin (Nov 15, 2009)

Do you think around a teaspoon would be enough?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

you know I'm not really sure.. I haven't changed my cartridges yet as they still seem to be working good.

That sounds about right though. You still may experience a mini-cycle no matter how much you add so just test for a few days and make water changes if needed. It won't take very long for the bacteria to take over the new filter.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

Can this be a sticky?? This is incredibly helpful!!


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

How does anything even become a sticky?? I didn't even think about that.. I was just being lazy because there were like 5 cycling threads and I didn't want to keep writing it over and over LOL


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

And never forget: Don't wash your filter mediawith tap water! That kills the beneficial bacteria. During a WC, clean the filter media in the container of tank water instead.

Dramaqueen can make this stopic a sticky.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Yes thats a great point. Its best if you don't mess with the filter media at all.. just fill a bowl with tank water (OLD tank water..not conditioned new water) and set it in there while you are doing a water change.


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## Scienceluvr8 (May 17, 2009)

This is really good. I had a question though...I have a 2.5 gallon tank and ever since i've had it I have been doing a 100% wc weekly, and I'm really contemplating on cycling my tank. I always thought 5 gallons and above needed to be cycled, so would it also be possible on this size of tank? Also my filter only uses two different sponges, and no media so would this affect my cycle since I they have to be replaced every 3-4 weeks?


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

You can cycle a 2.5 gallon tank (actually I'm in the process of doing this right now). 

You have the Red Sea filter right? I don't know about these but in the filters I use I haven't had to replace the media yet (in almost 4 mos).. even though its says replace monthly on the package its better to just wait until the cartridge starts falling apart.

The bacteria will grow on whatever is in the filter. But your main source of bacteria will be in the gravel/substrate, decorations/plants, and wall of your tank... not the filter itself. When you replace the filter media just cut a piece of the old and put it in with the new so the bacteria can recolonize quickly.. then remove the old piece and discard.

Anytime you change anything in the tank (take out gravel or decorations, change filter media, do big water changes, etc) you want to test your water for a few days after that.. you may go through a "mini-cycle" as the bacteria recolonizes. Its nothing to worry about but you want to make sure your prams don't go too outside the normal limits. Of course if you get readings of ammonia or nitrite after replacing your media do a small water change.


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## Scienceluvr8 (May 17, 2009)

ok thanks, so if I do go along with cycyling my tank, my only worry is how it will affect my betta. I know it can be done with fish, hence this thread, but are there alot of significant risks with this method? And if I can cycle the tank, how would my water changes be now? Thanks.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Some people say the risk outweighs the benefit but I've done this successfully three times and have been mentored by someone who has been keeping fish and cycling this way for many years without problems.

I like this form of cycling because I try to stay as far from chemicals as possible when it comes to my fish.. so adding ammonia into the tank scares me.. even though people have done it many times before successfully. I've also heard that cycling with food can create bacteria that can could be harmful for your fish (why would you want to put rotting food in where your fish is going to live). Of course this is all my opinion and many people may disagree with me.

As long as you keep up with water changes you should be fine. My fish never had any adverse reactions to cycling.. they acted normal and happy throughout the entire thing. Keep in mind doing the water changes keeps your fish safe.. but it drags out your cycle... you can NOT have a fast fish in cycle and also keep your fish safe.

I do 2 20-30% pwc's on my 3 gallon a week.. I will do the same with my 2.5. Depending on how much you feed, and how "dirty" your fish is will determine how many WCs you do. I would do AT LEAST 50% once a week on a 2.5 gal.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Yep, I also cycled my tank with my first two bettas, and they were fine! Just make sure you're on top of the water changes as 1fish2fish said.

When I was cycling my tank, I would add water from my uncle's cycled tank to help the cycling process. It worked well for me.


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## Scienceluvr8 (May 17, 2009)

Ok thanks for the info, I guess it just depends on when I get a testing kit to start cycling my tank. I have the testing strips, but the liquid form is way more effective and I don't want to be taking any risks.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

yeah I would definitely go with the liquid. You can find one from walmart for like $15


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