Check out our new series "10 Things" where we cover the top 10 things you should know about fish keeping topics!! ua-cam.com/video/aE9tr-ujdsY/v-deo.html
I just started my tank,I'm 3 weeks in.ive lost two fish already.i thunk I added new wish to soon,5 of them. If my nitrites are high, how do I fix it? Will doing a 30%, water change and adding beneficial bacteria help?
I realize this video is a hundred years old but thank you for telling me how I can prepare my new larger tank for my pair of common goldfish that I love with all my heart!!
im a new fish tank owner and ive been doing reading about cycling fish tanks alot. im autistic and i wasnt able to find a article or video to help me understand want it means. this video helped me understand so much. thank u!
I am a former aquarium store owner and this video about cycling is the best I've ever found... I hope this will help others to show customers how aquariums actually work... Love this!!! And subscribed!!!
My retinas are on fire from the countless videos I've watched on cycling a new tank & I was still confused in the end. This is by far the best, to the point video. Thank you. I now know what the hell I'm doing 😂
Girl same. Like how long do I wait to put the fish in, what are the BEST products for it ALL, so I don’t have to buy a bunch of random junk. First I was worried about PH, now I realize I have much more worries 😂❤️
I just wanna say you guys are my favorite UA-cam channel right now dealing with fish and aquariums! I myself have always been into aquariums and recently I’ve decided I am going to start breeding for my enjoyment and of course the $ but so glad there are channels like this I could watch your channel all night and take notes.
Finally someone who can explain fish keeping to were I can understand! I'm new to the fish hobby and am stepping up from a single bettafish to now a 5 gallon guppy tank. I've had trouble the first few rounds but after watching this video I know what I did wrong. You sir have saved a lot of fish with your videos! Thank you so much!
I been searching about nitrogen cycle for a month now, trying to cycle my tank. This is literally the only video on the internet that makes sense! thank you I get it now!
I agree with not using the ammonia to do a fishless cycle. I also use the bottled bacteria by nutrafin with no problem. Did try API & still had a fight with nitrites. Excellent video. I use prime, give it a good half hour circulation & add bacteria. When I did fight nitrites I used Stable by Seachem to get thru it. No fish loss.
Hi, as an ex importer and breeder for many years, I would like to say that your videos are very informing and yeah, I always said keep it simple. If I may add...I agree with you. I use to cycle a new tank before a shipment by doing your method of using old filter material from another thank. Its free and fast. Keep up the good work..from your fellow fish nut from over the northern boarder.
Wowwww thaaaaanks. I am cycling this 36 cloudy new tank tested for high nitrates I did a 25 percent water change and added prime. I hope I can add fish soon
Great vids. Love them! My technique is this. It takes me 1-1/2 weeks to cycle but when done I add in about 10 to 12 inches of fish per 35 gallons right away. Never had an issue. 1) Let water sit in new tank for 2 days to get out chlorine (also add water conditioner) 2) Take sponge from old tank and put in new tank. 3) As you add in sponge also add in the bottled bacteria (Love Marineland) 4) Add ammonia to about 2 ppm 5) test regularly 6) when ammonia goes to 0.5 bring up to 2 ppm again. 7) Do this until 2 ppm of ammonia is gone within 24 hour and nitrite doesn't show up. (In the beginning ammonia will go away but nitrite lingers) So if you add 2 ppm of ammonia in morning, by next morning there should be no ammonia or nitrites. Tells me the bacteria is growing rapidly. 8) Nitrates are usually high now. Do a 30% to 40% water change and let add in water (like letting gallons of water sit for a week in a cabinet or something and use that). 9) Add lots of fish! Works for me so thought I share.
I've used pure ammonia plus the nitrifying bacteria in a bottle to cycle four tanks, and am in the process of cycling another. To me, it's the best method. I added them two days ago and already have ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings. Really awesome tank btw.
Hopefully you're watching your old episodes. I purchased used filters about 1.5 mos. They were used up until the time I bought them. I had them not clean them out, hoping to use the beneficial bacteria. I haven't been able to use them until now. They have been in my garage this whole time. The weather has been cool to cold since then. Do you think that the bacteria is still alive? It smells kinda of bad, but they were very dirty. Thanks!
The video is nice, and informative, but I am surprise that someone that seems so knowledgeable has never done the "fishless cycling method". In my opinion, and I have been keeping different species of fresh water tropical fish for over 40 years, the fishless cycling method is faster, easier, and spares the lives of many fish that often die while tolerating high levels of ammonia and/or nitrite that inevitably occur during cycling. Another point I would like to add, is about the water changes; it is actually recommended that partial water changes be done while cycling fish tanks conventionally (e.g, with fish in it to produce ammonia; as very well explained in the video). By doing water changes beneficial bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) are not removed since they are not free-floating, but attach to any solids present in the tank (filter, glass walls, decorations, gravel, heaters, etc...). Again, just some constructive criticism. There is good literature about the "fishless cycling method" online.
I used this on my cichlid 120. Did the 3 days startup and added 12 juvenile cichlids on day 4. Never got an ammonia spike at all. Been up for 2 weeks now. Started seeing low nitrates and low nitrates. Did a couple water changes and things look great.
Wow your version is the simplest one could comprehend....thank you so much in making our lives easy with the topic of cycling a tank...god bless u...greetings from Malaysia..
I have watched many videos on how to cycle a tank, and must say yours made more sense to me than any of the others.. I just got a 55 gallon tank and will be starting to cycle it soon... Thanks for the help!!
I'm watching this video a little late but I needed to hear this because I am setting up a new tank. Thank you sooooo much for this information. You laid it out perfectly. Now I know what I need to do!
Thanks for the break down Really enjoy watching you and Lisa. I just went through mycobacterium with my beta. Had no idea how common it was or it's potential zoonotic possibilities. Neither did my fish store. I got all the info from a fish vet. Perhaps you could do a video on it. Again, thank you
Thank you so much. This is by far the best video on cycling man. I have loss 4 goldfish back to back even after trying everything the guy at the pet store told me. Which now I find out after watching this video he doesn't know what he's talking about. But thank you so much
+Darkcloud1983 Its surprising how little some petstores know about what their selling. Just be aware also how much water you need, goldfish require 50L plus per fish and are much harder on the water+filter than tropical fish.
If your cycling a new tank with live fish start with 2 cheap resilient fish and after a month, slowly start adding more fish to allow the bacteria in the filter to catch up once you know bacteria exists in the tank.. I buy live plants at the same time on a belief that bacteria will be on them to get things started and them absorbing ammonia also 'softening' that initial spike. The worst thing you can do is add 10 fish to a small tank as the water will be to toxic due to the few if any bacteria been able to break down such large qty's of waste. This method is also good for a new tank (or keeper) to test and fine-tune all the equipment such as heaters, pumps and to get into a regular pattern yourself. If a heater fails and kills 2 fish, its better than coming back to 20 well cooked fish! As pointed out in the video, you really need a test kit to accurately know when that spike has occurred, if your in doubt about the tank water bring a sample to your local store and they will be able to test it for a small charge. Testing the tank regularly is good as many variables such as PH and water hardness in regular tap-water can kill/upset fish if not accounted for. A good fish store will give you free advice even if you don't buy anything and will not try to sell your exotic or many fish on the same day. Some people view cycling a tank with fish as cruel and prefer the 'fishless cycle' where pure ammonia is added as opposed to fish pooing in the water to generate the ammonia. Don't be fooled of this method being a instant method of cycling a tank, while slightly faster it still takes a few weeks for the bacteria to grow and requires constant monitoring. You really need a test kit if your aim is to speed up the process by using optimal amounts of ammonia (toxic levels to fish) to promote bacteria growth or add fish in the shortest amount of time possible. Personally I don't use or have much faith in the bottled bacteria and have heard of it causing issues later down the track. I fully agree with bringing items from other tanks and like your idea of having your filter operate on someone else's established tank for a month. You should still slowly introduce fish to the system though with either method. My last advice would be to be realistic with stocking density's, fish need more water than you expect and even tiny fish can have big demands. Don't rush into things, healthy tanks take time to setup and are both stressful on the owner and fish in the early days. Good-luck
I cycle with a bacteria in a bottle like you talked about and ammonia. It in my opinion is by far the fastest and safest way to cycle a new tank. Add enough ammonia to bring it up to around 5ppm. Test every day until you get a nitrite spike and add ammonia until you get to 5ppm again. Keep doing this and testing you water every day until your ammonia and nitrites go to 0 in 24hrs.Do a big water change and 24hrs later, you can add fish. This normally takes 2 weeks or less.
Best way to cycle an aquarium, took me 2 weeks using pure ammonia with (no fish) to establish my tank , hitting 4ppm and within 12 hours 0 ammonia & 0 nitrite. Doing it this way means you can add more fish at once without the dreaded ammonia spike . I added 15 peacocks at once to my 75 gallon, 2 months in they all thriving. 👍
So wait do i just add water from the tap put some conditioner in it and add the bacteria and let the filter go does it work? And also should i add the fish and produce ammonia and add the bacteria so and let the chcle go. I actually dont understand
Add water, add beneficial bacteria (as described in the video), as well as the filter(s). Then let the tank run WITHOUT any fish, for a month at most. Then, test the water - if all perimeters are ok, then add the fish. If you add the fish too early in the cycle, they will die.
The way I have always done it which takes longer, is to put small fish I have entirely just used danios 1 per 10 gallons of water in the tank in the beginning for 2 to 4 or a month the longer the better. This starts the cycle then I start slowly adding more of the fish I actually wanted in the tank. It has worked for me for 10 years now. I might try one these faster methods next time.
The reason to add pure ammonia is to start the cycle as in most cases there is not enough ammonia in tap water to get this cycle started quickly. I also have added fish food water to build up ammonia, but this takes longer. I get the ammonia up to 4ppm, and this provides a feast for the bacteria, and builds a strong colony.
This is great thanks. I’ve read about adding pure ammonia to cycle the tank too, but I will go with the nutrafin or fluval for sure. I’m starting my first fish tank. Thanks again for the info.
I believe a lot of people SHOCK their tanks on accident trying to be great fish owners and changing large amounts at a time. Shocking your tank and fish with different water hardness, ph, temp. etc can throw it out of wakk quick, And another tip I learned the hard way... Always use a water polisher (pad) on top of your media, I removed the 3 pads on my FX5, discarding them and forgetting to replace them. My media gunked up in about 2 months and could start to see alge blooms.
Wow! I've been watching so many youtube videos on the nitrogen cycle. I learned a little from watching those videos, but I still didn't fully understand. Now, after seeing your video I understand the nitrogen cycle. You explained it the best " we get rid of the nitrate by doing water changes because a bacteria will not get rid of it" thanks for your good and smart way of explaining.
I've watched 100s of UA-cam videos on this. Should've just started with yours! Aquarium cycling for dummies...and boy, am I a dummy at this point! Lol.
Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm new to this but don't you need ammonia in the water first before adding the beneficial bacteria? If you don't have any fish in the new tank, there will be no ammonia, no nitrites, and no nitrates. You would have to add fish flakes, fish food, shrimp, etc. to create ammonia, or add aquarium cycling ammonia or it would take weeks for ammonia to build up. Then you can add the beneficial bacteria to do it's job. Is that right?
When I started in the hobby ~ 45 years ago what we did to start a new tank setup was to add a little dirt from your lawn and/or take some pee "yes I said Pee as in Urine" preferably from someone who had no health issues & was Not on any medication & add a little each day for a week or two! The bacteria won't grow & colonize a tank without a food source & the ammonia etc from urine will provide this food. The fish etc could then be added.
Thank you and no they don't breed in there, I'm pretty good at breeding African Cichlids but I have yet to figure out a way to get males to breed with other males lol. All of the fish in there are males:-)
Thank you for doing a video on the new tank cycle. I'm helping my friend with her 10 gallon tank . No fish in the tank and still having a problem with ammonia being high . We are putting bacteria in the bottle in the tank . Just wanted help on this. Thanks
I brought over both lava rock and filter media over from my 30gal to set up my 60gal. I also used some API Quick Start. Worked great. Thanks KG for the great tips. Tank tested out perfectly within a week and I've had zero fish loss.
Hey man just want to say im a new subscriber to your channel and so far i enjoy your content very much i love how you keep things simple im sorta new to cichlids im on my 2nd tank now my first one was mainly fish from my neighbor who used to breed them but got tired of the hobby and gave me his fish they died as years passed and now ive got a new tank going and im glad to be a part og this channel to get me all the info to be a successful tank owner.
I got water from my cousins tank 1 regular water bottle dumped it in a 46 gallon tank, new start, let it cycle 24 hours with carbon filler. took a sample to petsmart and nitrate is off charts
Yaaaay! I knew it would work! I'm hanging my new filter for my new 30 gallon on my 55 gallon right now and was searching to see if that would work faster then just moving my bio ball and some plants lol. You're always so straight forward and helpful 😍
New subscriber and a newbie aquarium owner, after getting a huge amount of contradictive info from several members of staff from the same branch of our local Pets At Home store, your video has helped me understand so much about the importance of cycling etc. Got the API Master test kit, taken info on board and feel more confident now, thanks to your simple but informative info. Thank you so much :D
Omg tank you so much! I have a new fish tank, it’s been settled for 3 days and I got one fish yesterday. I’m here panic 😱 when I came to my office this morning and my fish tank water is cloudy. 😫
It’s crazy to think that this was 9 years ago since it feels like it was only about 2 years ago. Btw this was really helpful. I want new fish and I’m doing research.
We still carry the Nutrafin Cycle at my store and we pretty much deal exclusively with Hagen. We do have the Fluval types as well but its relatively new.
Question: without fish pooping in your new aquarium what does the bacteria feed on? So much information out there about ideal temperature, lighting and feeding to speed up the bacterial growth, but main consensus has been that bacteria don’t grow without ammonia to feed on. Is this true? When you said ammonia will spike you didn’t say how or why without fish poop. Sorry I’m just a novice getting confused by so many different opinions. Looking for some clarity on this. Thanks
Hi John.I thought I knew a little.bit about keeping.tangys .but you and Lisa are really expanding my knowledge about my fish Thank you John.fabulous videos mate .thank you.
G'day, I use Emperor 400 filters on all of my tanks. I just switch the biowheels around so that two used ones to onto a new tank or a tank I have completely torn down. Having two 400's on each of my big tanks makes this pretty easy and you only end up with a new wheel on each of two tanks. I have watched your HOB videos and have purchased another brand to try out but I don't think I will be changing out all 60 of the 400's. At least not in the near future.
So add the Fluval, and just monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, and when they are at 0 monitor the nitrate levels and do a water change to get it down? and the tank is cycled? When you do a water change do you have to add more Fluval?
best way to add bacteria to newer tank is have polyfill or sponge in the running tank filter, take that smelly and dirty sponge or polyfill, insert into the new filter you got for the newer tank, or easy way is, take the running filter and run it on the newer tank and your tank will be ready in 1 hour maximum.
Such greats tips. I hope to get a new tank up and running this month. Of course have to wait for the fish, but everything I am learning from you and writing it down, like I'm in college again, is worth it as a beginner. One of the reason why I love UA-cam. Thank you.
Question for you! I am setting up a new filter on my existing tank, can I just take the media from the filter I'm currently using and put it in the new filter and be able to remove the old filter?
Use carbons to keep levels acceptable. Keep levels cycling but that allow for blooms to continue. As water supply's get yucky, please test r/o to. You'd be surprised what you find. Good video. Keep on tanking. Stay away from any chemicals.
for those trying to start the cycle without fish... the bacteria actually feed on ammonia, so the bacteria will not grow without it. you must provide a source of ammonia to start the cycle (either by adding fish, or plain ammonia without any other additives) like any living thing, the bacteria will starve without food(ammonia).
Most plants prefer to use ammonium over nitrite, in fact they will only use nitrite as their N source in the absence of ammonium. Plants will use nitrate as their N source, but at a tremendous energy cost (23% of their glucose cycle). Plants are the best filter.
If u use a filter that is already been cycled out of another tank, when u transport the filter from one person to another, do u have to keep the filter in some water or is it ok to take it out of the tank and put it in a box or bag without water until u get it into ur uncycled tank? Or should the filter remain moist or wet?
I read somewhere the bacteria in the bottles is not the same as the ones in your filter.The filter bacteria needs dissolved oxygen to survive,the ones in the bottle obviously don`t.The article also says the bottle stuff can actually revert the nitrite back to ammonia.I would save my cash and do it the natural way...
that one big yellow guy with the dark spots on our left, your right shoulder, looks like he/she is ready for their close up! like a kid in the back ground of the news reporter going back and forth and looking at the camera lol
This is what I'm trying. I already have a 55g all set up with fish and bacteria. I'm waiting for a sale to go on so I can pick up another 55g. While I'm waiting for the sale I already bought a filter I'm going to use for the new tank and set it up as a extra filter in the established tank. I'm thinking in bout a week when the sale starts my filter should have a good running start. so when the new tank is set up the cycle time hopefully cut down tremendously.
Prime is a great product for conditioning water but I'm not sure how much it would help in the cycling process. I haven't used the ATM products yet but I've heard good things about them.
Taking water from a seasoned tank does not add beneficial bacteria but chlorine has been dissipated and filtered with the correct media, the dangerous chloramine may also be significantly reduced plus other metals evident in tap water.
Check out our new series "10 Things" where we cover the top 10 things you should know about fish keeping topics!!
ua-cam.com/video/aE9tr-ujdsY/v-deo.html
❤
I just started my tank,I'm 3 weeks in.ive lost two fish already.i thunk I added new wish to soon,5 of them.
If my nitrites are high, how do I fix it?
Will doing a 30%, water change and adding beneficial bacteria help?
I realize this video is a hundred years old but thank you for telling me how I can prepare my new larger tank for my pair of common goldfish that I love with all my heart!!
im a new fish tank owner and ive been doing reading about cycling fish tanks alot. im autistic and i wasnt able to find a article or video to help me understand want it means. this video helped me understand so much. thank u!
I am a former aquarium store owner and this video about cycling is the best I've ever found... I hope this will help others to show customers how aquariums actually work... Love this!!! And subscribed!!!
My retinas are on fire from the countless videos I've watched on cycling a new tank & I was still confused in the end. This is by far the best, to the point video. Thank you. I now know what the hell I'm doing 😂
Girl same. Like how long do I wait to put the fish in, what are the BEST products for it ALL, so I don’t have to buy a bunch of random junk. First I was worried about PH, now I realize I have much more worries 😂❤️
@@Nsobloo same
Lol I dont have friends that's why I want fish to be my friends
Sameeeee
Sameeeee
same :(
same
Same
Like and comment 7 years later. I really like your new and old videos.
I'm glad you like it!! That's why we did it.
Skip to 2:10 to avoid his rambling
thx
Pegger420 ha I always forward ahead past these intros but thanks
Thank you
i love you
Pegger420 thank you
I just wanna say you guys are my favorite UA-cam channel right now dealing with fish and aquariums! I myself have always been into aquariums and recently I’ve decided I am going to start breeding for my enjoyment and of course the $ but so glad there are channels like this I could watch your channel all night and take notes.
Finally someone who can explain fish keeping to were I can understand! I'm new to the fish hobby and am stepping up from a single bettafish to now a 5 gallon guppy tank. I've had trouble the first few rounds but after watching this video I know what I did wrong. You sir have saved a lot of fish with your videos! Thank you so much!
I been searching about nitrogen cycle for a month now, trying to cycle my tank. This is literally the only video on the internet that makes sense! thank you I get it now!
I couldn't agree more that the fishless cycle is the way to go, problem is many newbies don't have the patience that we do.
@@lcas1374 Exactly that is the damn part I am having an issue with. What to do when the ammonia is sky high in the aquarium?
I agree with not using the ammonia to do a fishless cycle. I also use the bottled bacteria by nutrafin with no problem. Did try API & still had a fight with nitrites. Excellent video. I use prime, give it a good half hour circulation & add bacteria. When I did fight nitrites I used Stable by Seachem to get thru it. No fish loss.
Hi, as an ex importer and breeder for many years, I would like to say that your videos are very informing and yeah, I always said keep it simple. If I may add...I agree with you. I use to cycle a new tank before a shipment by doing your method of using old filter material from another thank. Its free and fast. Keep up the good work..from your fellow fish nut from over the northern boarder.
Wowwww thaaaaanks. I am cycling this 36 cloudy new tank tested for high nitrates I did a 25 percent water change and added prime. I hope I can add fish soon
I may do one more water change of 25 percent if nitrates are still high? Do you agree?
Great vids. Love them!
My technique is this. It takes me 1-1/2 weeks to cycle but when done I add in about 10 to 12 inches of fish per 35 gallons right away. Never had an issue.
1) Let water sit in new tank for 2 days to get out chlorine (also add water conditioner)
2) Take sponge from old tank and put in new tank.
3) As you add in sponge also add in the bottled bacteria (Love Marineland)
4) Add ammonia to about 2 ppm
5) test regularly
6) when ammonia goes to 0.5 bring up to 2 ppm again.
7) Do this until 2 ppm of ammonia is gone within 24 hour and nitrite doesn't show up. (In the beginning ammonia will go away but nitrite lingers) So if you add 2 ppm of ammonia in morning, by next morning there should be no ammonia or nitrites. Tells me the bacteria is growing rapidly.
8) Nitrates are usually high now. Do a 30% to 40% water change and let add in water (like letting gallons of water sit for a week in a cabinet or something and use that).
9) Add lots of fish!
Works for me so thought I share.
Most ppl watching dont have access to another tank. That is whats so frustrating for a newbie
Thankyou so much for your help and time john...you're great...you and lisa...thanks for being here! !😊😊🐠🐟🐡
I've used pure ammonia plus the nitrifying bacteria in a bottle to cycle four tanks, and am in the process of cycling another. To me, it's the best method. I added them two days ago and already have ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings. Really awesome tank btw.
I keep coming back to your videos! I'm starting a new 55 gal tank. I haven't had a tank in over 11 years. Soaking up all the info.
7:50 Did anybody see his fish just eat all that sand?? XD
Cichlids do that a lot. I think they do it to clean their gills which is why you need sand substrate for them.
lil derps
Wow that's a huge compliment, thanks so much!!!
Hopefully you're watching your old episodes. I purchased used filters about 1.5 mos. They were used up until the time I bought them. I had them not clean them out, hoping to use the beneficial bacteria. I haven't been able to use them until now. They have been in my garage this whole time. The weather has been cool to cold since then. Do you think that the bacteria is still alive? It smells kinda of bad, but they were very dirty. Thanks!
The video is nice, and informative, but I am surprise that someone that seems so knowledgeable has never done the "fishless cycling method". In my opinion, and I have been keeping different species of fresh water tropical fish for over 40 years, the fishless cycling method is faster, easier, and spares the lives of many fish that often die while tolerating high levels of ammonia and/or nitrite that inevitably occur during cycling. Another point I would like to add, is about the water changes; it is actually recommended that partial water changes be done while cycling fish tanks conventionally (e.g, with fish in it to produce ammonia; as very well explained in the video). By doing water changes beneficial bacteria (nitrosomonas and nitrobacter) are not removed since they are not free-floating, but attach to any solids present in the tank (filter, glass walls, decorations, gravel, heaters, etc...). Again, just some constructive criticism. There is good literature about the "fishless cycling method" online.
I used this on my cichlid 120. Did the 3 days startup and added 12 juvenile cichlids on day 4. Never got an ammonia spike at all. Been up for 2 weeks now. Started seeing low nitrates and low nitrates. Did a couple water changes and things look great.
Wow your version is the simplest one could comprehend....thank you so much in making our lives easy with the topic of cycling a tank...god bless u...greetings from Malaysia..
I have watched many videos on how to cycle a tank, and must say yours made more sense to me than any of the others.. I just got a 55 gallon tank and will be starting to cycle it soon... Thanks for the help!!
Thank you for the info! Now I feel much better about setting up for my beginner fish tank!
thank you so much, this is the first time I actually understand what cicling is !
Thank you for making this video! Your video is the best video I’ve found on cycling.
I love how simple you made it. You are an excellent teacher
I'm watching this video a little late but I needed to hear this because I am setting up a new tank. Thank you sooooo much for this information. You laid it out perfectly. Now I know what I need to do!
Thanks for the break down Really enjoy watching you and Lisa. I just went through mycobacterium with my beta. Had no idea how common it was or it's potential zoonotic possibilities. Neither did my fish store. I got all the info from a fish vet. Perhaps you could do a video on it. Again, thank you
Thank you so much. This is by far the best video on cycling man. I have loss 4 goldfish back to back even after trying everything the guy at the pet store told me. Which now I find out after watching this video he doesn't know what he's talking about. But thank you so much
+Darkcloud1983 Its surprising how little some petstores know about what their selling.
Just be aware also how much water you need, goldfish require 50L plus per fish and are much harder on the water+filter than tropical fish.
If your cycling a new tank with live fish start with 2 cheap resilient fish and after a month, slowly start adding more fish to allow the bacteria in the filter to catch up once you know bacteria exists in the tank.. I buy live plants at the same time on a belief that bacteria will be on them to get things started and them absorbing ammonia also 'softening' that initial spike. The worst thing you can do is add 10 fish to a small tank as the water will be to toxic due to the few if any bacteria been able to break down such large qty's of waste. This method is also good for a new tank (or keeper) to test and fine-tune all the equipment such as heaters, pumps and to get into a regular pattern yourself. If a heater fails and kills 2 fish, its better than coming back to 20 well cooked fish!
As pointed out in the video, you really need a test kit to accurately know when that spike has occurred, if your in doubt about the tank water bring a sample to your local store and they will be able to test it for a small charge. Testing the tank regularly is good as many variables such as PH and water hardness in regular tap-water can kill/upset fish if not accounted for. A good fish store will give you free advice even if you don't buy anything and will not try to sell your exotic or many fish on the same day.
Some people view cycling a tank with fish as cruel and prefer the 'fishless cycle' where pure ammonia is added as opposed to fish pooing in the water to generate the ammonia. Don't be fooled of this method being a instant method of cycling a tank, while slightly faster it still takes a few weeks for the bacteria to grow and requires constant monitoring. You really need a test kit if your aim is to speed up the process by using optimal amounts of ammonia (toxic levels to fish) to promote bacteria growth or add fish in the shortest amount of time possible.
Personally I don't use or have much faith in the bottled bacteria and have heard of it causing issues later down the track. I fully agree with bringing items from other tanks and like your idea of having your filter operate on someone else's established tank for a month. You should still slowly introduce fish to the system though with either method.
My last advice would be to be realistic with stocking density's, fish need more water than you expect and even tiny fish can have big demands. Don't rush into things, healthy tanks take time to setup and are both stressful on the owner and fish in the early days.
Good-luck
I cycle with a bacteria in a bottle like you talked about and ammonia. It in my opinion is by far the fastest and safest way to cycle a new tank. Add enough ammonia to bring it up to around 5ppm. Test every day until you get a nitrite spike and add ammonia until you get to 5ppm again. Keep doing this and testing you water every day until your ammonia and nitrites go to 0 in 24hrs.Do a big water change and 24hrs later, you can add fish. This normally takes 2 weeks or less.
Best way to cycle an aquarium, took me 2 weeks using pure ammonia with (no fish) to establish my tank , hitting 4ppm and within 12 hours 0 ammonia & 0 nitrite. Doing it this way means you can add more fish at once without the dreaded ammonia spike . I added 15 peacocks at once to my 75 gallon, 2 months in they all thriving. 👍
Kevin Can you elaborate on this? as far as how often you added the ammonia and if you did a water change after the tank was cycled.
One of the best tank cycling videos out there . Much appreciated sir .
So wait do i just add water from the tap put some conditioner in it and add the bacteria and let the filter go does it work? And also should i add the fish and produce ammonia and add the bacteria so and let the chcle go.
I actually dont understand
Add water, add beneficial bacteria (as described in the video), as well as the filter(s). Then let the tank run WITHOUT any fish, for a month at most. Then, test the water - if all perimeters are ok, then add the fish. If you add the fish too early in the cycle, they will die.
The way I have always done it which takes longer, is to put small fish I have entirely just used danios 1 per 10 gallons of water in the tank in the beginning for 2 to 4 or a month the longer the better. This starts the cycle then I start slowly adding more of the fish I actually wanted in the tank. It has worked for me for 10 years now. I might try one these faster methods next time.
The reason to add pure ammonia is to start the cycle as in most cases there is not enough ammonia in tap water to get this cycle started quickly. I also have added fish food water to build up ammonia, but this takes longer. I get the ammonia up to 4ppm, and this provides a feast for the bacteria, and builds a strong colony.
This is great thanks. I’ve read about adding pure ammonia to cycle the tank too, but I will go with the nutrafin or fluval for sure. I’m starting my first fish tank. Thanks again for the info.
I believe a lot of people SHOCK their tanks on accident trying to be great fish owners and changing large amounts at a time. Shocking your tank and fish with different water hardness, ph, temp. etc can throw it out of wakk quick,
And another tip I learned the hard way... Always use a water polisher (pad) on top of your media, I removed the 3 pads on my FX5, discarding them and forgetting to replace them. My media gunked up in about 2 months and could start to see alge blooms.
How long on average after adding the Fluval do you find it safe to start adding fish to a tank?
Technically 15 minutes... just until it mixes. A few hours is best.
porcelain wow thats fast. I was planning on 2 weeks until adding fish but its really that fast? I’ll reuse my filters from my old filter.
@@XPrincess30 how many hours need the bacteria to grow?
Vasileios Petropoulos 7 day minimum
When your tanks cycled.
This video was so helpfull even doh its nearly 10 years old I have a bottle of fluvial cycle and I just put it in my tank thank u.
thank you so much for making this so much easier to understand!!
Great range of word library.
Great way of putting things into words
Easy explanation
Great job Buddy.
Thank you very much
nw. cycling my 20g now after thoroughly cleaning it out. really thorough.its last occupant recently passed. prepping to get a betta for it...
natural method. fishless. just the tank, treated water & a single sponge filter...
just cant get over how good it looks
Wow! I've been watching so many youtube videos on the nitrogen cycle. I learned a little from watching those videos, but I still didn't fully understand. Now, after seeing your video I understand the nitrogen cycle. You explained it the best " we get rid of the nitrate by doing water changes because a bacteria will not get rid of it" thanks for your good and smart way of explaining.
thank you. I liked cycle too, and wondered why the pet stores wasn't carrying it, anymore, so now I know. Very Good Information. Thanks a lot.
I've watched 100s of UA-cam videos on this. Should've just started with yours! Aquarium cycling for dummies...and boy, am I a dummy at this point! Lol.
Ha ha, thanks! Yeah I try to keep things as simple as possible:-)
Emily Rose haha exactly wot I've done aswell
should of just watched this one
Hello gorgeous 😍😘
Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm new to this but don't you need ammonia in the water first before adding the beneficial bacteria? If you don't have any fish in the new tank, there will be no ammonia, no nitrites, and no nitrates. You would have to add fish flakes, fish food, shrimp, etc. to create ammonia, or add aquarium cycling ammonia or it would take weeks for ammonia to build up. Then you can add the beneficial bacteria to do it's job. Is that right?
Thank you so much For this Special Fish Wisdom Information video. I needed this information!!
When I started in the hobby ~ 45 years ago what we did to start a new tank setup was to add a little dirt from your lawn and/or take some pee "yes I said Pee as in Urine" preferably from someone who had no health issues & was Not on any medication & add a little each day for a week or two! The bacteria won't grow & colonize a tank without a food source & the ammonia etc from urine will provide this food. The fish etc could then be added.
Or you could add a catfish instead of pissing in your tank 😂
Thank you and no they don't breed in there, I'm pretty good at breeding African Cichlids but I have yet to figure out a way to get males to breed with other males lol. All of the fish in there are males:-)
Thank you for doing a video on the new tank cycle. I'm helping my friend with her 10 gallon tank . No fish in the tank and still having a problem with ammonia being high . We are putting bacteria in the bottle in the tank . Just wanted help on this. Thanks
Did it work ?
I brought over both lava rock and filter media over from my 30gal to set up my 60gal. I also used some API Quick Start. Worked great. Thanks KG for the great tips. Tank tested out perfectly within a week and I've had zero fish loss.
Hey man just want to say im a new subscriber to your channel and so far i enjoy your content very much i love how you keep things simple im sorta new to cichlids im on my 2nd tank now my first one was mainly fish from my neighbor who used to breed them but got tired of the hobby and gave me his fish they died as years passed and now ive got a new tank going and im glad to be a part og this channel to get me all the info to be a successful tank owner.
I got water from my cousins tank 1 regular water bottle dumped it in a 46 gallon tank, new start, let it cycle 24 hours with carbon filler. took a sample to petsmart and nitrate is off charts
Got back into the hobby recently and need a crash course on the cycling. Thank you
Yaaaay! I knew it would work! I'm hanging my new filter for my new 30 gallon on my 55 gallon right now and was searching to see if that would work faster then just moving my bio ball and some plants lol. You're always so straight forward and helpful 😍
New subscriber and a newbie aquarium owner, after getting a huge amount of contradictive info from several members of staff from the same branch of our local Pets At Home store, your video has helped me understand so much about the importance of cycling etc. Got the API Master test kit, taken info on board and feel more confident now, thanks to your simple but informative info. Thank you so much :D
Its my pleasure, so glad I could help:-)
The BEST video I've seen on this issue. Thank you for your recent efforts. The videos have been fun to watch.
I watched many N2 Cycle video, u really stand out all.
Thanks a lot
Omg tank you so much! I have a new fish tank, it’s been settled for 3 days and I got one fish yesterday. I’m here panic 😱 when I came to my office this morning and my fish tank water is cloudy. 😫
It’s crazy to think that this was 9 years ago since it feels like it was only about 2 years ago. Btw this was really helpful. I want new fish and I’m doing research.
That might be the best comment I've ever received. Thank you so much, it really means a lot!!
Thanks sir. Can u ask you how. Many hours I need. To wait for the bacteria to start working.?
We still carry the Nutrafin Cycle at my store and we pretty much deal exclusively with Hagen. We do have the Fluval types as well but its relatively new.
Question: without fish pooping in your new aquarium what does the bacteria feed on? So much information out there about ideal temperature, lighting and feeding to speed up the bacterial growth, but main consensus has been that bacteria don’t grow without ammonia to feed on. Is this true? When you said ammonia will spike you didn’t say how or why without fish poop. Sorry I’m just a novice getting confused by so many different opinions. Looking for some clarity on this. Thanks
Hi John.I thought I knew a little.bit about keeping.tangys .but you and Lisa are really expanding my knowledge about my fish
Thank you John.fabulous videos mate .thank you.
G'day, I use Emperor 400 filters on all of my tanks. I just switch the biowheels around so that two used ones to onto a new tank or a tank I have completely torn down. Having two 400's on each of my big tanks makes this pretty easy and you only end up with a new wheel on each of two tanks. I have watched your HOB videos and have purchased another brand to try out but I don't think I will be changing out all 60 of the 400's. At least not in the near future.
I know this is an old video but this was so helpful
So add the Fluval, and just monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, and when they are at 0 monitor the nitrate levels and do a water change to get it down? and the tank is cycled? When you do a water change do you have to add more Fluval?
best way to add bacteria to newer tank is have polyfill or sponge in the running tank filter, take that smelly and dirty sponge or polyfill, insert into the new filter you got for the newer tank, or easy way is, take the running filter and run it on the newer tank and your tank will be ready in 1 hour maximum.
Such greats tips. I hope to get a new tank up and running this month. Of course have to wait for the fish, but everything I am learning from you and writing it down, like I'm in college again, is worth it as a beginner. One of the reason why I love UA-cam. Thank you.
So basically... Just have friends who have aquariums. Ok. Very helpful.
Question for you! I am setting up a new filter on my existing tank, can I just take the media from the filter I'm currently using and put it in the new filter and be able to remove the old filter?
Use carbons to keep levels acceptable. Keep levels cycling but that allow for blooms to continue. As water supply's get yucky, please test r/o to. You'd be surprised what you find. Good video. Keep on tanking. Stay away from any chemicals.
I actually agree with your LFS, goldfish are a good hearty fish that is perfect for a "fish in" cycle. Plus they're cheap.
for those trying to start the cycle without fish... the bacteria actually feed on ammonia, so the bacteria will not grow without it. you must provide a source of ammonia to start the cycle (either by adding fish, or plain ammonia without any other additives) like any living thing, the bacteria will starve without food(ammonia).
Most plants prefer to use ammonium over nitrite, in fact they will only use nitrite as their N source in the absence of ammonium. Plants will use nitrate as their N source, but at a tremendous energy cost (23% of their glucose cycle). Plants are the best filter.
If u use a filter that is already been cycled out of another tank, when u transport the filter from one person to another, do u have to keep the filter in some water or is it ok to take it out of the tank and put it in a box or bag without water until u get it into ur uncycled tank? Or should the filter remain moist or wet?
good advice i agree not to use household ammonia it just seems backwards to me
I read somewhere the bacteria in the bottles is not the same as the ones in your filter.The filter bacteria needs dissolved oxygen to survive,the ones in the bottle obviously don`t.The article also says the bottle stuff can actually revert the nitrite back to ammonia.I would save my cash and do it the natural way...
that one big yellow guy with the dark spots on our left, your right shoulder, looks like he/she is ready for their close up! like a kid in the back ground of the news reporter going back and forth and looking at the camera lol
Great video! Really good information that now takes this crucial step and makes it a lot less stressful.
by far the best cycling video !! thank you
This is what I'm trying. I already have a 55g all set up with fish and bacteria. I'm waiting for a sale to go on so I can pick up another 55g. While I'm waiting for the sale I already bought a filter I'm going to use for the new tank and set it up as a extra filter in the established tank. I'm thinking in bout a week when the sale starts my filter should have a good running start. so when the new tank is set up the cycle time hopefully cut down tremendously.
Prime is a great product for conditioning water but I'm not sure how much it would help in the cycling process. I haven't used the ATM products yet but I've heard good things about them.
Taking water from a seasoned tank does not add beneficial bacteria but chlorine has been dissipated and filtered with the correct media, the dangerous chloramine may also be significantly reduced plus other metals evident in tap water.
Love your videos ! Just getting into fish so your my savior 🙏
Best advice I've heard on cycling new aquarium 👍
You know... you guys do a good job making videos and explaining. I co.pletely trust you guys too!
Thanks John, best advice, simple and clear. its always a pleasure to see your enthusiasm.
Thanks, I do my best:-)
John, Thank You. Your videos are very Educational.
excellent video,thanks. What about adding new plants from store (live plants), - would they have these bacteria on them already?
I'm not gonna disagree with ya, better safe then sorry is definitely a good way to go.
that's one of the best tanks ive ever seen amazing turn around
I didn't understand cycling... now I do! Thank you! :-)
Which is the best filter for cycling (on/off loop). My marineland cannister makes a grinding sound when it starts (cannot find first lol).