Fish are a Constant source of Ammonia: Google search: Do fish produce Urea or Ammonia? Fish excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia; this is unusual because ammonia is highly toxic therefore storage in the body can pose a risk.May 15, 2010 - Comparative Nitrogen Excretion - VetSci Do Fish Respire Ammonia? Ammonia is eliminated from the blood upon passage through the gills. The mechanisms of branchial ammonia excretion vary between different species of fish and different environments, and primarily involves NH3 passive diffusion and NH4 +/Na+ exchange. - Ammonia distribution and excretion in fish | SpringerLink
As a new fish keeper I can 100% agree on this, I’m grateful for all these cycling videos explaining everything I need to know about it, it’s made it a lot easier to understand and enjoy this hobby
Yeah, it’s the same content on the nitrogen cycle, but hearing different angles and perspectives on it does help round out your knowledge of how aquariums work. The most important pets in any great aquarium are the nitrifying bacteria, and they’re the first ones you get!
How about the next video being about testing various bacteria products to see how effective they actually are. Perform a fishless cycle with the products and show the water tests, see which work and how fast. I say this because I had used two different brands of bacteria for over a month and always just jad ammonia spikes. Then switched to a fluval filter (which I know helps) and used "Microbe Lift Special Blend Water Care" bacteria and within 1.5 weeks I had a cycle. Please test the products as a fishless cycle so this way we know if there is a change it is the product only and not the natural cycle from the fish-in tanks.
I agree. I keep fish but I work at a pet shop and theres all these products that claim they can instantly cycle a tank...so you could add fish the same day you get a new tank....i dont believe it:/
@@snikerdoodlefox3979 I find most work, but if it's out of date or it's been sitting on the shelf forever or it's been exposed to extreme heat the effectiveness may go down, and you can't always tell
@@katnoto8993 I like your points. I think that there's a dr. Tims brand something like that he also claims to be the first. In that he was the first to look outside of what is used in sewage treatment and that's how he found these bacteria that work at a lower toxicity scale. Personally I have never understood why people would buy bacteria when all you really need to do is fill container with water add ammonia source and the bacteria that populate will be alive and they will work because they wouldn't have came to the tank otherwise.
As a newbie, I really wish you had done the second half of the video by introducing the bacteria and showing us what happens. You kinda left us hangin'!
He has other videos that explain the whole cycle better. This video is specifically dealing with this ammonia product. He has lots of good videos explaining the whole process and how it works
Now we wait! It can take between 1 week and 2-3 months. You do an API test on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate once every few weeks. You should see ammonia slowly start to go down and nitrite go up. Then you will see nitrite go down and nitrate go up. When there's 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and between 1-40ppm nitrate the tank is fully cycled
Seachem prime and stability works wonders. Prime neutralizes amonia and removes chlorine and chloramine so your fish can be introduced the first day. Stability introduces good bacteria. Amazing products and have peace of mind being a new aquarium owner
Would be an AMAZING video if you could put the Fritz in there after you put the ammonia in there. Then time lapse the test results so we can watch the cycle happen all the way to Nitrate. It would be a good way to show how long it takes, also.
New fish keeper here! I had purchased a 10 gallon tank and set it up, put water conditioner in it as per instruction, and added beneficial bacteria. Before coming across your channel, I was depending on the expert advice from my big chain local pet store (we all know it lol)….I had different staff telling me different things that were very contradicting and confusing. Long story short, I was told I could add fish right away. Within 24 hours I came home with a total of 10 little guys (and inch or less) and acclimated them and everything was awesome at first! I fed them, seen some pooping, and then the problem started. Air hunger and death after a few hours. Within the first 6 I lost 6, by the morning all had passed. I was devastated and felt like a fish killer. I started to look up on UA-cam and came across your channel and have learned a lot. I didn’t have enough good bacteria to eat the ammonia buildup and should have let the tank cycle correctly and NOT introduced too many fish at one time. Now I’ve let the tank cycle, had the water tested, and have had three adorable platys for over a week. They are doing great. The only issue is that I had a bacteria bloom occur a day or so after I added the fish. I let it be and monitored it wasn’t getting worse and tested the water and everything looks good. There is a slime I feel but can’t see any buildup on the tank. Filter is clean (in tank water removed of course) and I did a 25% water change two days ago and still the water is cloudy. Any idea what it could be from? I tried to get the substrate cleaned the most and only feed in small amounts usually twice a day ( a little pinch and usually one is enough for them). Fish are not in any distress. Love your channel! So much info!
I am new to the hobby and I just want to say thank you guys so much for your videos! You make things so easy to understand. I have been obsessively watching your channel for the last week everyday after work to get as much info as I can absorb. You guys are great!
Also it's best to first start with Dechlorinated water(chlorine kills bacteria), aeration(Bacteria loves air),filtration, substrate(bacteria lives on surface area). The way I seeded bacteria, I took top soil from a potted house plant and added a thin even layer to bottom before i added the substrate, (there is bacteria there) unless of course you go dirted tank then your good to go With John's instructions. Great video Bud!
actually The Air is more for Movement they don't need air at all actually otherwise you couldn't store them in a sealed bottle for over a year.. bacteria doesn't "breathe" it does use Oxygen to to get rid of ammonia as a biological process though.
I just referred someone buying their first tank to your videos at my local fish store today, that's awesome you put up this video lol You've got a very easy going way of teaching people this stuff that makes information easy to digest. Keep the great videos coming!
Back in 1971 when I started , we always established a tank by setting it up , waiting a few days , and then added a couple fish per week until the population was where it should be. Never had any issues. I still do it that way.
The cycle is such a difficult thing to make a video about. I think back to when I was learning about it and it was so frustrating and confusing no matter how many videos I watched. Now that I know, I often wonder about how to explain it effectively to a new fish keeper. Good job John
Hey John! Can you make a video about the types of algae in aquariums and how to deal with them? Would help a lot of people get to know more about how to treat certain algae’s and in depth info. Thanks! -from a Canadian subscriber
Weird question, I absolutely love your fish they are so beautiful. You also always have really good water clarity, If it's possible could you maybe take some pictures of some of your favorite? I would love to paint them. TMI but I just got back into the hobby after a long time due to my autoimmune disease. Painting just makes me feel better and I love painting fish/Aquatics.
Seachem Stability is the best "bacteria in a bottle" product because it's the only one that has aerobic and anaerobic bacteria spores. If your tank is setup right, you could have anaerobic bacteria grow and reduce nitrates.
John!! I just ordered these products from you. We had an urgent need for a quarantine/sick fishy tank. We didn’t have time for a full cycle etc. the fishless fuel / bacteria was great and a super easy way to put a rush on those kids getting the rest they needed!
Here's a tip for ya John, I use pipets to put the water from the tank into those vials... much more precise, and no need to worry about test chemical residue getting in the tank.
Phew! I honestly thought for a second that you were gonna dump ammonia into a fish's current home.... Yeah, you got me with the title this time around. 😂
Yep... what’s what I’m doing right now. I didn’t know about that product, so I used Dr. Tim’s Aquatics Ammonium Chloride. I’ve started 8 days ago. Ammonia is going down, nitrite still a bit on the higher side, nitrite showing up. It’s also important to learn to don’t stall the cycle by adding too much ammonia.
I've added 10% ammonia up to a final concentration of 20 ppm without stalling the cycle. I've heard that you can go much higher without any problems, but I haven't tried it myself.
@@claytoniumX I preferred to play it safe and now my cycle is complete. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 ppm. It took me 16 days to cycle my fish tank. I will do a water change before adding fish next week. For now I just have a cleaning crew of Amano, 2 Mexican dwarf crayfish, 2 black nerite and 1 super red bristlenose pleco.
knowing how to cycle an aquarium is essential, especially for those who are new to this hobby, I myself was treated like a bad person by my LFS because I didn't understand at first what I did wrong when I added my fish and they all died...they told me it wasn't cycled yet but didn't know how to help me cycle it...I thank John for doing these videos because he taught me what my LFS couldn't.
Howdy! Thanks for all of the great content over the years. Interesting Ammonia challenge here and was curious what the KGT community would advise if anyone sees this. Not new to keeping (4years) but new-ish to formal testing via the master kit (less than 1 year). I returned today from a 3 day trip to find 2 blue mystery snails i received from an online vendor about 3 months ago had passed. Took a water reading and was interested in the potential responses. Readings and stats to follow : 20 gallon Filter: Shark Adv 400 running at about 70%, 1-extremely small sponge filter (for bubbles) Temp : unheated at 75degrees Stock: 3 adult platys and 5 fry/juveniles , 11 mystery snails. Tank is about 50 % planted. Ph: 6.4 (always ran slightly sub 7) Ammonia = 8ppm (immediately dosed with prime) Nitrite = 0ppm (this seems insane considering the ammonia reading though i think most of the ammonia is ionized. Rest of the tank seems happy) Nitrate = 30ppm Thoughts? Thanks to anyone who responds in advance
One in this Hobby of Fishkeeping can’t post enough about cycling an Aquarium!! Keep it coming KG Tropicals and anyone else wether it is a video on Fishtube or on Instagram or Facebook etc!! We all have a responsibility to inform those who aren’t informed on the Nitrogen cycle and it’s importance!! 🤗👍🏼🐟🌱🐌👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🤗🤗
Thank YOU this is the first video that has made so much sense to me. I needed to see this...I am at a 5th week starting up a new tank...and I have some inexpensive fish in there helping me....cycle...and so far things are ok...but I am monitoring closely...now I know more thanks to you
Hi - I have a terrible habit of adding too much bacteria , and what happened this time ( advised by my lovely award winning local fish shop ) is that they did not have enough to eat , basically dies ; turned to this horrible brown sludge which blocked the filter , and started another ammonia spike . Microbelift ( I used special blend ) say that you can't overdose , but I think that this shows that you sort of can . Hve left the tank another week ( no water changes ) - & now the vile is lovely and yellow . So I guess you can have too much of a good thing ! Would so love a betta from you guys , but live in the UK . Such great video's though - I've learned so much :)
The powder is ammonium chloride which Fritz sells lol. I get it from work and cycled multiple tanks with it. It's the same as the liquid bottle you have but without water added to it.
Hi just finished doing fishless cycle after having to shut tanks down temporarily , finally quarantine tank is ready , now have 10 demon eartheaters , I used ammonia on mine , brilliant video , explains everything, loving you from uk
Lol, I found that high pitched voice far funnier than it should have been. Great video. I will have to look at that product, especially for inert substrate tanks as an ammonia source.
You can never have too much aquarium cycling content.. everyone should be well versed in it as like you said it is the foundation of keeping an aquarium.
Once again another great informative Video. I always save dirty old filters. When I start a new tank. I start to filter it Then I take other water from another tank add it and after 3 weeks tanks ready for fish. Tank has ammonia, good bacteria, the parameters are good. And I always put a few shiners in first. Like coal miners and canaries, the shiners will let you know if your tank is not right. We kept a brook trout in our spring house. Live fish. Water was great. If trout died. Water was bad.
When doing this, if you buy this product in your fish shop, ask if you can have a nice piece of filter medium, usually a pad that has been in their filter for a while. Put it in your filter. It will have both types of beneficial bacteria on it already and the amonia will cause the bacteria on the used pad to multiply and spread. It helps quicken the cycle a bit more. Please correct this if im mistaken as a new aquarium keeper.
I put fish in the tank and then add a double dose of live Bacteria and tetra easy balance which has vitamins and regulates the ph and aquarium salt. Never had an issue doing it that way. Feed them once every other day and in two days I check ph and ammonia always tested 7.0 ph and zero ammonia and then I keep testing twice a week for a month and a half and it’s still the same levels. This is all done in a tank that’s less than 10 gallons.
Always cycle with filter material from an established tank. You can fully populate a tank from day one. Just check the ammonia and feed sparingly. I have done this successfully four times.
Started my tank up 4 days ago I put fluval flourish and apibquick start and every morning I put a few servings (like 4 fish worth) of micro fish pellets in. Iv already tested for amonia and I now have nitrites and nitrates ( low amount) but it's a 15gal tank so it reacts faster than a large tank.
Its the only way I will cycle an aquarium but I use pure cleaning ammonia and know its fully cycled when it will get rid of at least 2 ppm ammonia over 24 hrs leaving no nitrite either. I do however use a dechlorinator to new tap water before adding the beneficial bacteria. one of the main benefits I find is that I can fully stock the tank immediately . Well done on another good video.
You should do a video on how to test water and what the results mean and how to get desired results it may sound self explanatory but I know it would’ve helped me starting off and I know it’ll help new tank owners
I recently started my first aquarium in over 20 years and the one really thing NOBODY mentioned in cycle videos was Surface Disruption. I went three weeks with zero cycle until I redirected my filter to disrupt the surface. BOOM cycled in two days.
@@mikehunt2576 you need to make sure the surface of the water is moving. Ripples or bubbles (or both) will help get oxygen into the water as well as help your tank cycle.
@@jordanarnall oh okay. Thank you and another question my water is a little cloudy for some reason, do you know if that is normal? I’m new to this, I just built my first aquarium, and I want the best possible health for my fish so I am doing every single thing by the book and am willing to buy good equipment.
I used this recently alongside using a spongefilter from a pre-established tank (and keeping it there), and using about 40% water from that same tank. Ammonia has gone down to 0 now, but the nitrites are at 0.25 and the nitrate's at 5. Isn't ready for fish yet anyway. Got more plants I want to add, just gotta wait for a few more days before I can order them.
doesnt' instruction say shake bottle 2 for 30 second before putting 8 drops in and then shake the tube for one minute before starting the 5 min timer???
I increased ammonia instantly with fish food, and without it rotting in the tank too. I put some fish food in a glass mug with old dechlorinated water, then placed the mug in a pan of water on the hob (not too hot). It's basically 'double boiling', a bit like how you would melt chocolate. Once it's been 5-10 minutes, I take the mug out and let the fish food sink while cooling. Then pour it into a seperate cup once cooled, but don't let any of the fish food get in (which is not hard tbh). Tank went cloudy for 2 days then cleared. Ammonia went from 0 to 2.5ppm in a few days.
There nitrate cycle is the foundation of fish keeping. You can never talk about it enough. However removal of chlorine seems to be left out of the discussion more often than not. That chlorine will destroy your cycle is the first hard lesson I had to learn in the hobby.
CVS earwax removal kit has a nice rubber bulb that holds enough water to do all the tests. Very precise too. Can't believe you're dipping the test tubes.
Hi John. I am in dire need for an answer. QUESTION: Currently I have an ammonia spike 8.0 Ammonia but 0 Nitrites and 0 Nitrates. I am at my week 3 of fishless cycling. I only have a 2 gallon tank with HOB filter intended for a single betta. (I know it’s very small please don’t get mad. It was a gift.) I have Anubias Nana, few marimo moss balls and floaters (frogbits). Anyways I am weirded out by the current reading and I don’t know what to do. At the end of my week 2 cycling I thought my ammonia is already going down because from 2.0 it went down to 0.50, nitirites to 0.25 when after two days it spiked to 8.0 with 0 nitirites and nitrates same as what I am having still and this is after a couple of 50% water changes and removal of dead plant leaves and excess food on the gravel. I have API Quickstart which I applied a few times already starting from the beginning of the cycle. I have experienced bacterial blooms a couple of times too. I was looking for answers online but can’t really find a definite answer to my concern. Why am I having 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates. My test kit is API which expiry is still 2025. I sincerely hope you can help me🙏🏼 What do you think exactly is happening? What shall I do? PS: Thanks to you and Lisa for the videos. I am learning alot as I am very new to this hobby.
That's actually what I did in my latest fish tank! Thank you for the video! Now I can watch this if I do it again and forgot something instead of reading a couple articles first.
I just use the plants and add some value water of black tea. After weak just added one snail and that is all. And fishless start could be full, after adding fish should be some grows of ammonia.
I use ammonia powder, i mix whats needed in a shaker bottle, then add it to a fresh new tank (after purifying the water of chlorine ect of course), then add the bacteria to eat it up.
Lotta good info. Unfortunately "No peeing in the aquarium !" is what I will remember most. LOL Foreign matter in the aquarium is a good reason to never put your aquarium in the area where you entertain guests for parties. "Gee...I wonder if fish like Cheetos? Guess not...oh well. " Great video again.
Nice product!!!! An article I was reading said to use the Fritz powdered ammonia, and for a 20-gallon tank the ratio to use is so teeny tiny, it is ridiculous to measure. I wish I had known about this like a month ago. I'm currently using my tiny stevia scoop as a measuring spoon for it to cycle my daughter's new 20-gallon tank and just adding in teeny tiny bits at a time until I get to level I need until I figure out how much to use. For me, I think one little scoop will go up one ppm. This liquid amonia product is obviously a much much better solution than that powdered kind if you have a smaller tank!! Honestly we will never use all of that powdered ammonia, ever. Lol!
Looking for some advice. From what I understand the cycle process takes 2-6 weeks. I setup my first aquarium, a 7 gallon cube tank(planted and no fish). Used a bio starter and some minerals for the plants. Had cloudy "milky" water the first day, brown algae the second. Third day the "milky" water cleared up and I noticed some white fungus on my driftwood. I had test strips that I found weren't really cutting the mustard on testing. There was bleeding of the pads (Nitrites and Nitrates, couldn't tell exactly which was bleeding) onto the others and messing with the colors. So day 4 I picked up the API master kit (also adding pinch of fish food from that day forward as well). So first and second days testing all params, I saw ammonia and nitrites at 0, nitrates at 5 ppm. The third and fourth(today) day I measured 0 across the board. I find it hard to believe that my tank has cycled in a week. So I have not added any living animals yet. I want to give it at least another week and continue monitoring. I think my ultimate question is might it be a good idea to add something like this Fishless Fuel to test the cycle? To see the ammonia spike and see if the nitrites then nitrates follow shortly after.
What are you using as your ammonia source? When I cycled my tank I used a bottle of ammonia and had to add ammonia when I noticed the level of it was going down. Especially when I saw it was at zero, to continue to feed the bacteria. Also, you may already know, but the bottles that test nitrate need to be shaken before using, as they fall out of solution easily. I didn't know that, and was getting a false read on my nitrates for months. 😅
@@AdelardRen I had not initially added any ammonia to the setup. All the research I had done (been about a month and a half now) never mentioned it, or maybe I didn't pay attention enough when they did. I know you need it cause it has to start somewhere, I guess as a newbie I overlooked it actually adding it myself. I've had some initial die-off of the dwarf hairgrass I added which I assume some ammonia may come from but it's probably not enough. Also been four days of adding fish food and haven't seen ammonia yet. Maybe it's gonna take a bit longer. Just seen so much activity from biological processes. My tank seems pretty 'alive' already. The biofilm has almost completely enveloped my driftwood which I did clean the other day with a water change. I'm wondering if my first nitrate test was false. I followed the directions from the booklet since it was my first time but could be a chance.
@@hologram952 Yeah, I've heard it can be a slow start with fish food, since it takes time to break down. The plant die back would cause some ammonia, but not much. If you think it would be easier for you, you could definitely get a bottle of this stuff to feed the bacteria. It would cut out any wait time on fish food breaking down. My understanding is that you also need to keep adding fish food. You do need to keep adding the bottled ammonia, but that seems less.... Wasteful than continually adding food, if that makes sense. Yeah, hard to say. You'll probably find out for sure on your next test. If you followed the instructions you're probably fine. I read the instructions for one test, and thought they were the same for all. I have since discovered it's a pretty common mistake.
could you do a video on cycling with hardy snails if you have experience with that? i’ve been cycling my future shrimp tank that way and i’d love to hear more about it :) thanks for posting this great video!
Thanks for the video.. I have a situation....2 and half weeks back ,I had to change the stand of my cichlid/mbuna tank....The tank is overstocked.I had to remove everything...top filters...rocks..substate...I kept it out ... for a few hours...NOT in water..... I put the whole tank up again and i have been losing fish over the past 10 days...atleast 12 mbunas...never lost that much in 10 months since I got them..... is it the loss of the beneficial baceria that caused it?? Otherwise there is no other drastic change I made.... What is your opinion??
After doing this and using the Fritz bacteria or API quickstart to start the cycle, do you need to use quickstart again or an amonia remover with subsequent water changes?
This video is ridiculously helpful and I wish I had this last month when I started my cycle. TT-TT I planned on doing a fishless cycle to prep the tank for a sick betta I had my eye on. Unfortunately I had to get him early, because his condition was getting worse, so I had to do a "fish-in" cycle. I measured the parameters every day (still do) and I made sure that the ammonia NEVER went above .50 ppm. Whenever it reached .50 ppm, I immediately did a 25%-50% water change. All this while I was treating his bacterial infection with kanaplex. >.> That was a nightmare, but it is cycled now.
I'm confused about reading the API test. Do you hold the vial directly against the white of the API test card, or a distance away from it. The color changes drastically between holding it direct against the card and a finger or two away from the card.
I am cycling a new tank and ghost feeding for my ammonia source. I have spiked at 5 with Ammonia levels and I have been stuck there for 2 weeks without any nitrites. Why am I stalled? I have stopped feeding. Do I need to do a water change to bring the ammonia down? Are the levels high & not allowing the good bacteria? I am also adding Seachum Stability daily .
I used some of the common small snails you see in freshwater aquariums as an ammonia source and cycled my tank for over a month. It worked pretty well and all my fish have been doing great! Those snails were going to start appearing because of the live plants anyway.
Jon I just started my first saltwater tank. I used an old filter from my 75 to start cycle. I just don't know if it's the same bacteria as the freshwater? I'm assuming mostly NO, but hoped some would survive. I used a quick start and did food for over a week. Ammonia tested "ok". Did my freshwater filter/bacteria help?
Awesome to the point..it’s very simple I use ace pure ammonia from ace hardware ..5 bucks for a gallon and works like a charm ..never failed me yet ..✌🏻
I have new 230 gallon and new media + add prime and bacteria I run water 2 week and I added new fishes but the ammonia is so high 8.0 ppm what should I do for next the step? Thank you have a good day!
Nitrites can take ages to get to 0ppm with a new tank set up. At 0,3 mg/l of nitrite added a couple of Zebra Danio's , and after 10 days nitrites were zero. .Total cycling time 7 weeks with average temp 70 F PH 7.8 - 8.
I'm extremely gentle with the cycle in my tank, to the point when I need to change my filter cartridges, I cut off the filter fuzz from the old cartridge and put it in with the new one for a month. I've never had the ammonia spike after a filter change.
Awesome video. It is only a fraction of the topic though. I’d love to see someone really do an in-depth discussion on this one day. Why do I say this?
Arguably, there are 3 groups of bacteria we can regulate in an aquarium. And our “cycle” in an aquarium is actually a very small portion of the larger Nitrogen Cycle, the greater cycle involves the atmosphere, terrestrial soil, soil bacteria, & plants, and all the things that eat them, and the detritivores which in-turn eat waste/dead organic matter. But the first group we regulate in aquariums is the “nitrogen cycle” bacteria you discuss. This is a collection of around 7 genus’s of bacteria, all of which are nitrogen-oxidizing bacteria. As you described, the “cycle” is allowing the aquarium to be first colonized by these bacteria as they consume their preferred food sources: ammonia & nitrite. As they colonize, they will grow a biofilm over available surface area. And this cycle will never end so long as Ammonia is produced by aquatic livestock. It is a never-ending cyclical process. The other bacteria worth exploring, which is why I am writing this: 1. Facultative anaerobic bacteria that perform denitrification, which occur in deep porous rock and deep sediment (>4-6 inches). These “breath” compounds that contain Oxygen in regions that lack sufficient dissolved O2, such as “breathing” Nitrate. And in turn they reverse the Nitrogen cycle. They can produce products like Nitrite and also Nitrogen gas that leaves the aquarium. They can be challenging to keep because you need deep sand, and you need Infaunal invertebrates in your substrate to regulate the gas-exchange; or you can produce other less than desired compounds which can be harmful to the tank. 2. The second group is heterotrophic bacteria, which mineralize organic waste. Generally, these do not easily sustain their own colonies long-term in aquariums, and they may need to be reintroduced periodically. Fritz and Dr. Tim’s sell some examples. It can also be difficult to control their numbers and create blooms, so an UV sterilizer can be added if it gets out of hand, or a protein skimmer is often used to help remove an overabundance in Marine aquariums. If you see “Carbon dosing”, it is an attempt to regulate either/both Facultative anaerobes & heterotrophic bacteria
How about a second video??? how to and for how long do you add the good bacteria??? the testing of this section and the final appearance of the nitrates and the testing of that till it is time to add the fish safely - always good to see it done!!! thanks for the videos - prefer them to the live chats - more going on!!!! Cheers Kay
People think ammonia is only produced from poop and food. The truth is that ammonia is excreted through a fishes gills. If you have many fish, that will be the number 1 contributor to the production of ammonia in your aquarium.
Quick question. Im currently doing a fishless cycle in a 55g. Adding ammonium chloride to keep the ammonia up between 3-5ppm. Would it be safe to add plants? Or does ammonia hurt plants? Im dying to order some beautiful plants but a little gun shy as I dont want them dying and wasting money. Id truly appreciate your opinion. Ty
I generally keep some sort of safe start product in my fish cabinet at all times watching the date on it because if something crashes I want something on hand to just go... o... big water change... throw in a helper culture...
Will using a cycled filter , substrate from a established tank introduce enough ammonia to start your cycle? Thus eliminating having to use ammonia additives ?
I remember cycling my first tank, I felt like a chemist lol! Now these days when I want to start a new tank, I use bacteria 🦠 from my tanks I’ve already got started. Whether it’s in the form of substrate, a decoration that’s been sitting in my tank for awhile, or a dirty filter or multiple of these depending on the size of my new tank. I’ll do a water change and fill a bucket up with some tank water, clean out my filter in it, and then tank my new filter cartridge or sponge and have it soak a bit in that water. Then just place inside the new tank and carefully add fish. API water testing kit is a MUST for new and veteran fish keepers. I will still test my water every month in a finished tank. Will check water every DAY for new tanks.
Just a few questions what to use meaning chemicals every water change for a 55 gal and what's the ideal on the chart for all the bacteria on the chart ???
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Fish are a Constant source of Ammonia:
Google search: Do fish produce Urea or Ammonia?
Fish excrete nitrogenous waste as ammonia; this is unusual because ammonia is highly toxic therefore storage in the body can pose a risk.May 15, 2010 - Comparative Nitrogen Excretion - VetSci
Do Fish Respire Ammonia?
Ammonia is eliminated from the blood upon passage through the gills. The mechanisms of branchial ammonia excretion vary between different species of fish and different environments, and primarily involves NH3 passive diffusion and NH4 +/Na+ exchange. - Ammonia distribution and excretion in fish | SpringerLink
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@@ghos282 Yup. It's why fish is used in plant fertlisers for nitrogen.
There can never be enough videos on cycling your aquarium, it’s ok 😎
Agreed.
As a new fish keeper I can 100% agree on this, I’m grateful for all these cycling videos explaining everything I need to know about it, it’s made it a lot easier to understand and enjoy this hobby
Yeah, it’s the same content on the nitrogen cycle, but hearing different angles and perspectives on it does help round out your knowledge of how aquariums work.
The most important pets in any great aquarium are the nitrifying bacteria, and they’re the first ones you get!
How about the next video being about testing various bacteria products to see how effective they actually are. Perform a fishless cycle with the products and show the water tests, see which work and how fast. I say this because I had used two different brands of bacteria for over a month and always just jad ammonia spikes. Then switched to a fluval filter (which I know helps) and used "Microbe Lift Special Blend Water Care" bacteria and within 1.5 weeks I had a cycle. Please test the products as a fishless cycle so this way we know if there is a change it is the product only and not the natural cycle from the fish-in tanks.
Yeah mate that would be perfect to see what bacteria products work the best
I agree. I keep fish but I work at a pet shop and theres all these products that claim they can instantly cycle a tank...so you could add fish the same day you get a new tank....i dont believe it:/
Stability worked great for me
@@snikerdoodlefox3979 I find most work, but if it's out of date or it's been sitting on the shelf forever or it's been exposed to extreme heat the effectiveness may go down, and you can't always tell
@@katnoto8993 I like your points. I think that there's a dr. Tims brand something like that he also claims to be the first. In that he was the first to look outside of what is used in sewage treatment and that's how he found these bacteria that work at a lower toxicity scale.
Personally I have never understood why people would buy bacteria when all you really need to do is fill container with water add ammonia source and the bacteria that populate will be alive and they will work because they wouldn't have came to the tank otherwise.
As a newbie, I really wish you had done the second half of the video by introducing the bacteria and showing us what happens. You kinda left us hangin'!
You keep testing
He has other videos that explain the whole cycle better. This video is specifically dealing with this ammonia product. He has lots of good videos explaining the whole process and how it works
Now we wait! It can take between 1 week and 2-3 months. You do an API test on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate once every few weeks. You should see ammonia slowly start to go down and nitrite go up. Then you will see nitrite go down and nitrate go up. When there's 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and between 1-40ppm nitrate the tank is fully cycled
@@lemonlizard1thank you for that explanation . Helpful
@@lt7378 no problem!
Seachem prime and stability works wonders. Prime neutralizes amonia and removes chlorine and chloramine so your fish can be introduced the first day. Stability introduces good bacteria. Amazing products and have peace of mind being a new aquarium owner
Would be an AMAZING video if you could put the Fritz in there after you put the ammonia in there. Then time lapse the test results so we can watch the cycle happen all the way to Nitrate. It would be a good way to show how long it takes, also.
A small syringe is a good addition to the API Master Test Kit so you can quickly get the vial filled right to the line.
Just started using a syringe today Soo much faster!!
@@bostonparkflyer and less water spill around the aquarium, of course my big Goldfish decides to put a lake on my desk frequently anyway.
I swear I've watched 20+ videos on tank cycling and this is the first one thats clicked. I appreciate the effort you put into your videos
New fish keeper here! I had purchased a 10 gallon tank and set it up, put water conditioner in it as per instruction, and added beneficial bacteria. Before coming across your channel, I was depending on the expert advice from my big chain local pet store (we all know it lol)….I had different staff telling me different things that were very contradicting and confusing. Long story short, I was told I could add fish right away. Within 24 hours I came home with a total of 10 little guys (and inch or less) and acclimated them and everything was awesome at first! I fed them, seen some pooping, and then the problem started. Air hunger and death after a few hours. Within the first 6 I lost 6, by the morning all had passed. I was devastated and felt like a fish killer. I started to look up on UA-cam and came across your channel and have learned a lot. I didn’t have enough good bacteria to eat the ammonia buildup and should have let the tank cycle correctly and NOT introduced too many fish at one time. Now I’ve let the tank cycle, had the water tested, and have had three adorable platys for over a week. They are doing great. The only issue is that I had a bacteria bloom occur a day or so after I added the fish. I let it be and monitored it wasn’t getting worse and tested the water and everything looks good. There is a slime I feel but can’t see any buildup on the tank. Filter is clean (in tank water removed of course) and I did a 25% water change two days ago and still the water is cloudy. Any idea what it could be from? I tried to get the substrate cleaned the most and only feed in small amounts usually twice a day ( a little pinch and usually one is enough for them). Fish are not in any distress. Love your channel! So much info!
I am new to the hobby and I just want to say thank you guys so much for your videos! You make things so easy to understand. I have been obsessively watching your channel for the last week everyday after work to get as much info as I can absorb. You guys are great!
Also it's best to first start with Dechlorinated water(chlorine kills bacteria), aeration(Bacteria loves air),filtration, substrate(bacteria lives on surface area). The way I seeded bacteria, I took top soil from a potted house plant and added a thin even layer to bottom before i added the substrate, (there is bacteria there) unless of course you go dirted tank then your good to go With John's instructions. Great video Bud!
actually The Air is more for Movement they don't need air at all actually otherwise you couldn't store them in a sealed bottle for over a year.. bacteria doesn't "breathe" it does use Oxygen to to get rid of ammonia as a biological process though.
@@AlbertoMartinez765 I'm sure they call it aerobic bacteria for a reason, however I don't buy into this bacteria in a bottle either.
Aquarium cycling is everything in this hobbies.
I just referred someone buying their first tank to your videos at my local fish store today, that's awesome you put up this video lol You've got a very easy going way of teaching people this stuff that makes information easy to digest. Keep the great videos coming!
Back in 1971 when I started , we always established a tank by setting it up , waiting a few days , and then added a couple fish per week until the population was where it should be. Never had any issues. I still do it that way.
That was the way we did it back n the 60s/70s..I still do that now...
Same
The cycle is such a difficult thing to make a video about. I think back to when I was learning about it and it was so frustrating and confusing no matter how many videos I watched. Now that I know, I often wonder about how to explain it effectively to a new fish keeper. Good job John
Hold the reagent bottle vertical. Drop size is 20-30% smaller when held at 45 degrees.
Wouldn't the drops be smaller if the bottle was held horizontally, so the force of gravity would be pushing down on it less?
@@Blake-cr5ws thats what he meant
Hey John! Can you make a video about the types of algae in aquariums and how to deal with them? Would help a lot of people get to know more about how to treat certain algae’s and in depth info. Thanks! -from a Canadian subscriber
Great video on establishing the initial parameters of a successfully balanced tank! So helpful!!!
Weird question, I absolutely love your fish they are so beautiful. You also always have really good water clarity, If it's possible could you maybe take some pictures of some of your favorite? I would love to paint them. TMI but I just got back into the hobby after a long time due to my autoimmune disease. Painting just makes me feel better and I love painting fish/Aquatics.
Seachem Stability is the best "bacteria in a bottle" product because it's the only one that has aerobic and anaerobic bacteria spores. If your tank is setup right, you could have anaerobic bacteria grow and reduce nitrates.
I agree with this
Oooo you finally tried the pure ammonia?! Nice
Jon loved this video, for the first time understood more about cycle.
Will get this product.
Thank you
John!! I just ordered these products from you. We had an urgent need for a quarantine/sick fishy tank. We didn’t have time for a full cycle etc. the fishless fuel / bacteria was great and a super easy way to put a rush on those kids getting the rest they needed!
Here's a tip for ya John, I use pipets to put the water from the tank into those vials... much more precise, and no need to worry about test chemical residue getting in the tank.
Phew! I honestly thought for a second that you were gonna dump ammonia into a fish's current home....
Yeah, you got me with the title this time around. 😂
Yep... what’s what I’m doing right now. I didn’t know about that product, so I used Dr. Tim’s Aquatics Ammonium Chloride. I’ve started 8 days ago. Ammonia is going down, nitrite still a bit on the higher side, nitrite showing up.
It’s also important to learn to don’t stall the cycle by adding too much ammonia.
@@medkow7415 good for you!
I've added 10% ammonia up to a final concentration of 20 ppm without stalling the cycle. I've heard that you can go much higher without any problems, but I haven't tried it myself.
@@claytoniumX I preferred to play it safe and now my cycle is complete. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 ppm. It took me 16 days to cycle my fish tank. I will do a water change before adding fish next week. For now I just have a cleaning crew of Amano, 2 Mexican dwarf crayfish, 2 black nerite and 1 super red bristlenose pleco.
knowing how to cycle an aquarium is essential, especially for those who are new to this hobby, I myself was treated like a bad person by my LFS because I didn't understand at first what I did wrong when I added my fish and they all died...they told me it wasn't cycled yet but didn't know how to help me cycle it...I thank John for doing these videos because he taught me what my LFS couldn't.
Howdy! Thanks for all of the great content over the years. Interesting Ammonia challenge here and was curious what the KGT community would advise if anyone sees this. Not new to keeping (4years) but new-ish to formal testing via the master kit (less than 1 year). I returned today from a 3 day trip to find 2 blue mystery snails i received from an online vendor about 3 months ago had passed. Took a water reading and was interested in the potential responses. Readings and stats to follow :
20 gallon
Filter: Shark Adv 400 running at about 70%, 1-extremely small sponge filter (for bubbles)
Temp : unheated at 75degrees
Stock: 3 adult platys and 5 fry/juveniles , 11 mystery snails. Tank is about 50 % planted.
Ph: 6.4 (always ran slightly sub 7)
Ammonia = 8ppm (immediately dosed with prime)
Nitrite = 0ppm (this seems insane considering the ammonia reading though i think most of the ammonia is ionized. Rest of the tank seems happy)
Nitrate = 30ppm
Thoughts? Thanks to anyone who responds in advance
One in this Hobby of Fishkeeping can’t post enough about cycling an Aquarium!! Keep it coming KG Tropicals and anyone else wether it is a video on Fishtube or on Instagram or Facebook etc!! We all have a responsibility to inform those who aren’t informed on the Nitrogen cycle and it’s importance!! 🤗👍🏼🐟🌱🐌👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🤗🤗
Now Fritz has someone peeing in bottles!...lol
Great video. Keep teaching fish keepers how to keep fish keeping.
Thank YOU this is the first video that has made so much sense to me. I needed to see this...I am at a 5th week starting up a new tank...and I have some inexpensive fish in there helping me....cycle...and so far things are ok...but I am monitoring closely...now I know more thanks to you
Beginner here and just wanted to say your videos are very helpful. Also....GO NATS! Die hard Nats fan here.
Love your work brother keep it up. KG and prime time aquatics are my favourite channels hands down
Hi - I have a terrible habit of adding too much bacteria , and what happened this time ( advised by my lovely award winning local fish shop ) is that they did not have enough to eat , basically dies ; turned to this horrible brown sludge which blocked the filter , and started another ammonia spike . Microbelift ( I used special blend ) say that you can't overdose , but I think that this shows that you sort of can . Hve left the tank another week ( no water changes ) - & now the vile is lovely and yellow . So I guess you can have too much of a good thing ! Would so love a betta from you guys , but live in the UK . Such great video's though - I've learned so much :)
The powder is ammonium chloride which Fritz sells lol. I get it from work and cycled multiple tanks with it. It's the same as the liquid bottle you have but without water added to it.
What's happened when you added the fritz did it work instant. How long does it take what did the 1st dose take the ammonia level too
Hi just finished doing fishless cycle after having to shut tanks down temporarily , finally quarantine tank is ready , now have 10 demon eartheaters , I used ammonia on mine , brilliant video , explains everything, loving you from uk
Lol, I found that high pitched voice far funnier than it should have been. Great video. I will have to look at that product, especially for inert substrate tanks as an ammonia source.
I regularly peed in my tank. Worked great!! It cycled the tank in 15 days. Now it’s filled with discus. Lol.
You can never have too much aquarium cycling content.. everyone should be well versed in it as like you said it is the foundation of keeping an aquarium.
Once again another great informative Video. I always save dirty old filters. When I start a new tank. I start to filter it
Then I take other water from another tank add it and after 3 weeks tanks ready for fish. Tank has ammonia, good bacteria, the parameters are good. And I always put a few shiners in first. Like coal miners and canaries, the shiners will let you know if your tank is not right. We kept a brook trout in our spring house. Live fish. Water was great. If trout died. Water was bad.
When doing this, if you buy this product in your fish shop, ask if you can have a nice piece of filter medium, usually a pad that has been in their filter for a while. Put it in your filter. It will have both types of beneficial bacteria on it already and the amonia will cause the bacteria on the used pad to multiply and spread. It helps quicken the cycle a bit more. Please correct this if im mistaken as a new aquarium keeper.
I put fish in the tank and then add a double dose of live Bacteria and tetra easy balance which has vitamins and regulates the ph and aquarium salt. Never had an issue doing it that way. Feed them once every other day and in two days I check ph and ammonia always tested 7.0 ph and zero ammonia and then I keep testing twice a week for a month and a half and it’s still the same levels. This is all done in a tank that’s less than 10 gallons.
Been cycling 17 tanks....not easy but as long as you KEEP TESTING....and fixing with Prime, and adding Stability, tanks will cycle SAFELY!
Man, there could be never enough cycling videos. It’s so important
I did exactly the same as you and got the same results. Even looks like the same green color. Thanks for this helpful product.
Always cycle with filter material from an established tank. You can fully populate a tank from day one. Just check the ammonia and feed sparingly. I have done this successfully four times.
Jezza One I’m doing it at the moment , today is day 13 and so far so good ...
Good vid. Very informative. I usually use a sponge filter or hob from an established tank but this great if someone doesn’t have that handy. 👍
Started my tank up 4 days ago I put fluval flourish and apibquick start and every morning I put a few servings (like 4 fish worth) of micro fish pellets in. Iv already tested for amonia and I now have nitrites and nitrates ( low amount) but it's a 15gal tank so it reacts faster than a large tank.
Its the only way I will cycle an aquarium but I use pure cleaning ammonia and know its fully cycled when it will get rid of at least 2 ppm ammonia over 24 hrs leaving no nitrite either. I do however use a dechlorinator to new tap water before adding the beneficial bacteria. one of the main benefits I find is that I can fully stock the tank immediately . Well done on another good video.
You should do a video on how to test water and what the results mean and how to get desired results it may sound self explanatory but I know it would’ve helped me starting off and I know it’ll help new tank owners
Fritz also sells powdered ammonium chloride for fish less cycling.
Thats what I used to do my 1st fishless cycle.
This topic is worth talking about again and again
I recently started my first aquarium in over 20 years and the one really thing NOBODY mentioned in cycle videos was Surface Disruption. I went three weeks with zero cycle until I redirected my filter to disrupt the surface. BOOM cycled in two days.
Could you further explain please? I am new and need some advice lol
@@mikehunt2576 you need to make sure the surface of the water is moving. Ripples or bubbles (or both) will help get oxygen into the water as well as help your tank cycle.
@@jordanarnall oh okay. Thank you and another question my water is a little cloudy for some reason, do you know if that is normal? I’m new to this, I just built my first aquarium, and I want the best possible health for my fish so I am doing every single thing by the book and am willing to buy good equipment.
@@jordanarnall currently just finished my first full week of the tank cycling. Goes without saying but it’s fishless
@@mikehunt2576 cloudy water during a cycle is normal. It's just bacterial bloom. It will subside.
I used this recently alongside using a spongefilter from a pre-established tank (and keeping it there), and using about 40% water from that same tank. Ammonia has gone down to 0 now, but the nitrites are at 0.25 and the nitrate's at 5. Isn't ready for fish yet anyway. Got more plants I want to add, just gotta wait for a few more days before I can order them.
doesnt' instruction say shake bottle 2 for 30 second before putting 8 drops in and then shake the tube for one minute before starting the 5 min timer???
I increased ammonia instantly with fish food, and without it rotting in the tank too. I put some fish food in a glass mug with old dechlorinated water, then placed the mug in a pan of water on the hob (not too hot). It's basically 'double boiling', a bit like how you would melt chocolate. Once it's been 5-10 minutes, I take the mug out and let the fish food sink while cooling. Then pour it into a seperate cup once cooled, but don't let any of the fish food get in (which is not hard tbh). Tank went cloudy for 2 days then cleared. Ammonia went from 0 to 2.5ppm in a few days.
There nitrate cycle is the foundation of fish keeping. You can never talk about it enough. However removal of chlorine seems to be left out of the discussion more often than not. That chlorine will destroy your cycle is the first hard lesson I had to learn in the hobby.
CVS earwax removal kit has a nice rubber bulb that holds enough water to do all the tests. Very precise too. Can't believe you're dipping the test tubes.
You can easily get ammonia NH3 liquid from any chemical supplier. Or you can use rotting dead fish as ammonia source too
Hi John. I am in dire need for an answer. QUESTION: Currently I have an ammonia spike 8.0 Ammonia but 0 Nitrites and 0 Nitrates. I am
at my week 3 of fishless cycling. I only have a 2 gallon tank with HOB filter intended for a single betta. (I know it’s very small please don’t get mad. It was a gift.) I have Anubias Nana, few marimo moss balls and floaters (frogbits). Anyways I am weirded out by the current reading and I don’t know what to do. At the end of my week 2 cycling I thought my ammonia is already going down because from 2.0 it went down to 0.50, nitirites to 0.25 when after two days it spiked to 8.0 with 0 nitirites and nitrates same as what I am having still and this is after a couple of 50% water changes and removal of dead plant leaves and excess food on the gravel. I have API Quickstart which I applied a few times already starting from the beginning of the cycle. I have experienced bacterial blooms a couple of times too. I was looking for answers online but can’t really find a definite answer to my concern.
Why am I having 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates. My test kit is API which expiry is still 2025. I sincerely hope you can help me🙏🏼 What do you think exactly is happening? What shall I do?
PS: Thanks to you and Lisa for the videos. I am learning alot as I am very new to this hobby.
16:50 That dark green vile vial of ammonia is like Kryptonite to fish.
Great video as usual, John. :)
That's actually what I did in my latest fish tank! Thank you for the video! Now I can watch this if I do it again and forgot something instead of reading a couple articles first.
Like your video. Your explanation easy to understand. Learn a lot from your video. You simplified it to make it understandable. Thank you
I just use the plants and add some value water of black tea. After weak just added one snail and that is all.
And fishless start could be full, after adding fish should be some grows of ammonia.
I use ammonia powder, i mix whats needed in a shaker bottle, then add it to a fresh new tank (after purifying the water of chlorine ect of course), then add the bacteria to eat it up.
Lotta good info. Unfortunately "No peeing in the aquarium !" is what I will remember most. LOL Foreign matter in the aquarium is a good reason to never put your aquarium in the area where you entertain guests for parties. "Gee...I wonder if fish like Cheetos? Guess not...oh well. " Great video again.
For your video "I Spiked AMMONIA On Purpose in My Acquarium" I would love to see how the FritzZime 7 work and continue the process.
Nice product!!!!
An article I was reading said to use the Fritz powdered ammonia, and for a 20-gallon tank the ratio to use is so teeny tiny, it is ridiculous to measure. I wish I had known about this like a month ago. I'm currently using my tiny stevia scoop as a measuring spoon for it to cycle my daughter's new 20-gallon tank and just adding in teeny tiny bits at a time until I get to level I need until I figure out how much to use. For me, I think one little scoop will go up one ppm. This liquid amonia product is obviously a much much better solution than that powdered kind if you have a smaller tank!! Honestly we will never use all of that powdered ammonia, ever. Lol!
Looking for some advice. From what I understand the cycle process takes 2-6 weeks. I setup my first aquarium, a 7 gallon cube tank(planted and no fish). Used a bio starter and some minerals for the plants. Had cloudy "milky" water the first day, brown algae the second. Third day the "milky" water cleared up and I noticed some white fungus on my driftwood. I had test strips that I found weren't really cutting the mustard on testing. There was bleeding of the pads (Nitrites and Nitrates, couldn't tell exactly which was bleeding) onto the others and messing with the colors. So day 4 I picked up the API master kit (also adding pinch of fish food from that day forward as well). So first and second days testing all params, I saw ammonia and nitrites at 0, nitrates at 5 ppm. The third and fourth(today) day I measured 0 across the board. I find it hard to believe that my tank has cycled in a week. So I have not added any living animals yet. I want to give it at least another week and continue monitoring. I think my ultimate question is might it be a good idea to add something like this Fishless Fuel to test the cycle? To see the ammonia spike and see if the nitrites then nitrates follow shortly after.
What are you using as your ammonia source?
When I cycled my tank I used a bottle of ammonia and had to add ammonia when I noticed the level of it was going down. Especially when I saw it was at zero, to continue to feed the bacteria.
Also, you may already know, but the bottles that test nitrate need to be shaken before using, as they fall out of solution easily. I didn't know that, and was getting a false read on my nitrates for months. 😅
@@AdelardRen I had not initially added any ammonia to the setup. All the research I had done (been about a month and a half now) never mentioned it, or maybe I didn't pay attention enough when they did. I know you need it cause it has to start somewhere, I guess as a newbie I overlooked it actually adding it myself. I've had some initial die-off of the dwarf hairgrass I added which I assume some ammonia may come from but it's probably not enough. Also been four days of adding fish food and haven't seen ammonia yet. Maybe it's gonna take a bit longer. Just seen so much activity from biological processes. My tank seems pretty 'alive' already. The biofilm has almost completely enveloped my driftwood which I did clean the other day with a water change.
I'm wondering if my first nitrate test was false. I followed the directions from the booklet since it was my first time but could be a chance.
@@hologram952 Yeah, I've heard it can be a slow start with fish food, since it takes time to break down. The plant die back would cause some ammonia, but not much. If you think it would be easier for you, you could definitely get a bottle of this stuff to feed the bacteria. It would cut out any wait time on fish food breaking down. My understanding is that you also need to keep adding fish food.
You do need to keep adding the bottled ammonia, but that seems less.... Wasteful than continually adding food, if that makes sense.
Yeah, hard to say. You'll probably find out for sure on your next test. If you followed the instructions you're probably fine. I read the instructions for one test, and thought they were the same for all. I have since discovered it's a pretty common mistake.
could you do a video on cycling with hardy snails if you have experience with that? i’ve been cycling my future shrimp tank that way and i’d love to hear more about it :) thanks for posting this great video!
Snails are the best first live organismes for Aquarium :) i m always adding them just on first day after temperature stabilizes with some fish food.
This has been the most helpful video yet... but I also watched the others ;)
Thanks for the video..
I have a situation....2 and half weeks back ,I had to change the stand of my cichlid/mbuna tank....The tank is overstocked.I had to remove everything...top filters...rocks..substate...I kept it out ... for a few hours...NOT in water.....
I put the whole tank up again and i have been losing fish over the past 10 days...atleast 12 mbunas...never lost that much in 10 months since I got them.....
is it the loss of the beneficial baceria that caused it?? Otherwise there is no other drastic change I made....
What is your opinion??
After doing this and using the Fritz bacteria or API quickstart to start the cycle, do you need to use quickstart again or an amonia remover with subsequent water changes?
This video is ridiculously helpful and I wish I had this last month when I started my cycle. TT-TT
I planned on doing a fishless cycle to prep the tank for a sick betta I had my eye on. Unfortunately I had to get him early, because his condition was getting worse, so I had to do a "fish-in" cycle. I measured the parameters every day (still do) and I made sure that the ammonia NEVER went above .50 ppm. Whenever it reached .50 ppm, I immediately did a 25%-50% water change. All this while I was treating his bacterial infection with kanaplex. >.> That was a nightmare, but it is cycled now.
I'm confused about reading the API test. Do you hold the vial directly against the white of the API test card, or a distance away from it. The color changes drastically between holding it direct against the card and a finger or two away from the card.
I am cycling a new tank and ghost feeding for my ammonia source. I have spiked at 5 with Ammonia levels and I have been stuck there for 2 weeks without any nitrites. Why am I stalled? I have stopped feeding. Do I need to do a water change to bring the ammonia down? Are the levels high & not allowing the good bacteria? I am also adding Seachum Stability daily .
This is unrelated but pancakes that look like discus would be AWESOMEEE (I swear I'm obsessed with chiclids)
Maybe a gelatin type of powder would work as a binder for the moss/water mix.
I used some of the common small snails you see in freshwater aquariums as an ammonia source and cycled my tank for over a month. It worked pretty well and all my fish have been doing great! Those snails were going to start appearing because of the live plants anyway.
I get 6 feeder goldfish at 34 cents a piece. Add prime add stability, then weekly water change good to go in 30 daysish.
Jon I just started my first saltwater tank. I used an old filter from my 75 to start cycle. I just don't know if it's the same bacteria as the freshwater? I'm assuming mostly NO, but hoped some would survive. I used a quick start and did food for over a week. Ammonia tested "ok". Did my freshwater filter/bacteria help?
Awesome to the point..it’s very simple I use ace pure ammonia from ace hardware ..5 bucks for a gallon and works like a charm ..never failed me yet ..✌🏻
I have new 230 gallon and new media + add prime and bacteria I run water 2 week and I added new fishes but the ammonia is so high 8.0 ppm what should I do for next the step? Thank you have a good day!
Nitrites can take ages to get to 0ppm with a new tank set up. At 0,3 mg/l of nitrite added a couple of Zebra Danio's , and after 10 days nitrites were zero. .Total cycling time 7 weeks with average temp 70 F PH 7.8 - 8.
I'm extremely gentle with the cycle in my tank, to the point when I need to change my filter cartridges, I cut off the filter fuzz from the old cartridge and put it in with the new one for a month. I've never had the ammonia spike after a filter change.
Awesome video. It is only a fraction of the topic though. I’d love to see someone really do an in-depth discussion on this one day. Why do I say this?
Arguably, there are 3 groups of bacteria we can regulate in an aquarium. And our “cycle” in an aquarium is actually a very small portion of the larger Nitrogen Cycle, the greater cycle involves the atmosphere, terrestrial soil, soil bacteria, & plants, and all the things that eat them, and the detritivores which in-turn eat waste/dead organic matter.
But the first group we regulate in aquariums is the “nitrogen cycle” bacteria you discuss. This is a collection of around 7 genus’s of bacteria, all of which are nitrogen-oxidizing bacteria. As you described, the “cycle” is allowing the aquarium to be first colonized by these bacteria as they consume their preferred food sources: ammonia & nitrite. As they colonize, they will grow a biofilm over available surface area. And this cycle will never end so long as Ammonia is produced by aquatic livestock. It is a never-ending cyclical process.
The other bacteria worth exploring, which is why I am writing this:
1. Facultative anaerobic bacteria that perform denitrification, which occur in deep porous rock and deep sediment (>4-6 inches). These “breath” compounds that contain Oxygen in regions that lack sufficient dissolved O2, such as “breathing” Nitrate. And in turn they reverse the Nitrogen cycle. They can produce products like Nitrite and also Nitrogen gas that leaves the aquarium. They can be challenging to keep because you need deep sand, and you need Infaunal invertebrates in your substrate to regulate the gas-exchange; or you can produce other less than desired compounds which can be harmful to the tank.
2. The second group is heterotrophic bacteria, which mineralize organic waste. Generally, these do not easily sustain their own colonies long-term in aquariums, and they may need to be reintroduced periodically. Fritz and Dr. Tim’s sell some examples. It can also be difficult to control their numbers and create blooms, so an UV sterilizer can be added if it gets out of hand, or a protein skimmer is often used to help remove an overabundance in Marine aquariums.
If you see “Carbon dosing”, it is an attempt to regulate either/both Facultative anaerobes & heterotrophic bacteria
How about a second video??? how to and for how long do you add the good bacteria??? the testing of this section and the final appearance of the nitrates and the testing of that till it is time to add the fish safely - always good to see it done!!! thanks for the videos - prefer them to the live chats - more going on!!!! Cheers Kay
People think ammonia is only produced from poop and food. The truth is that ammonia is excreted through a fishes gills. If you have many fish, that will be the number 1 contributor to the production of ammonia in your aquarium.
The fish are like ohhh new friends
Quick question. Im currently doing a fishless cycle in a 55g. Adding ammonium chloride to keep the ammonia up between 3-5ppm. Would it be safe to add plants? Or does ammonia hurt plants? Im dying to order some beautiful plants but a little gun shy as I dont want them dying and wasting money. Id truly appreciate your opinion. Ty
I generally keep some sort of safe start product in my fish cabinet at all times watching the date on it because if something crashes I want something on hand to just go... o... big water change... throw in a helper culture...
Always 90° on reagent bottle. Your test might be compromised the way you hold it
After you add the ammonia and then the bacteria you add cycles to Nitrate, do you proceed with water changes until you get to 0ppm on your nitrate?
Explanation skills are on point 🤌🏽
Will using a cycled filter , substrate from a established tank introduce enough ammonia to start your cycle? Thus eliminating having to use ammonia additives ?
I remember cycling my first tank, I felt like a chemist lol! Now these days when I want to start a new tank, I use bacteria 🦠 from my tanks I’ve already got started. Whether it’s in the form of substrate, a decoration that’s been sitting in my tank for awhile, or a dirty filter or multiple of these depending on the size of my new tank. I’ll do a water change and fill a bucket up with some tank water, clean out my filter in it, and then tank my new filter cartridge or sponge and have it soak a bit in that water. Then just place inside the new tank and carefully add fish. API water testing kit is a MUST for new and veteran fish keepers. I will still test my water every month in a finished tank. Will check water every DAY for new tanks.
Do I have to keep adding Amonia to the tank during a fishless cycle? I have low to none Amonia and high Nitrites. Showing 10-20ppm nitrates also
Just a few questions what to use meaning chemicals every water change for a 55 gal and what's the ideal on the chart for all the bacteria on the chart ???