Fertilizer

All plants require an uninterrupted supply of 14 nutrient elements to grow properly.

These are the Macro-nutrients:

• nitrates (N)
• phosphates (P)
• calcium (Ca)
• chloride (Cl)
• sodium (Na)
• magnesium (Mg)
• potassium (K)
• sulfates (S)

And the micro-nutrients:

• iron (Fe)
• boron (B)
• copper (Cu)
• zinc (Zn)
• molybdenum (Mo)
• manganese (Mn)

The macro-nutrients in the aquarium should come from water changes (tap water normally has all these nutrients in small amounts) and small amounts from the fish. Water changes should be done at least every 2 weeks and about 15% should be drained and replaced. This should supply sufficient macros.

The micro-nutrients are different and are normally in short supply in tap water. The other problem with the micro-nutrients is that they are very unstable in their inorganic form and normally precipitate and become unusable.

The Chelate Breakthrough

The discovery of an organic molecule the chelate which binds to metal-ions tightly allowing them to be dissolved in a water solution with no precipitation so making the nutrient available to the plant. This very important for aquatic plants which normally have a very large appetite for iron and may need as much as 4ppm to allow healthy growth without chlorosis.

Chelate Types

There are six types of chelates important to hydroponic growth but only two that need to be mentioned for aquarium plants both for production and in the aquarium.

EDTA (Ethylene-Diamene-Tetra-Acetic-acid) is the first and most commonly known. This is not ideally suited for aquatic plants because it is unstable at a higher pH than 6.0 and generally aquarium conditions are between pH6.0 and pH8.0. This is also a cheaper chelate and so is unfortunately used to cut costs, so absorption is limited.

DTPA (Dethylene-Triamine-Penta-Acetic-acid) would be a better choice and should be more widely used because it is stable up to a pH of 7.5. This is within the aquariums conditions.

When looking for a fertilizer as a very general rule look for:

1. Preferably a liquid
2. Low or No macro-nutrients
3. High Iron (Fe) in the chelated form
4. All the other micro-nutrients also in a chelated form if possible

Aquarium Lightning

Aquarium Lightning

The four most important criteria in determining the light you need are:
• Lumens per watt
• Lumen focus (as well a restrike, although less of an issue as per my research and tests than focus)
• PAR (this is important to understand as well as related useful light energy)
• Watts (or watts per gallon, however this term is way over used/simplistic)

Here are a few Kelvin numbers:
*Absolute zero = 0 K (-273.15C)
*Waters freezing point = 273.15 K (0 C)
*Waters boiling point = 373.1339K (100C)
Kelvin is used in the lighting industry to define the Color temperature of a bulb. Higher color temperature lamps above 5500 K are "cool" (green–blue) colors, and lower color temperature lamps below 3000 K are "warm" (yellow–red) colors.

A few notes about Kelvin:* Plant chlorophyll absorbs light at wavelengths of 300 to 700 nm (a Kelvin rating of about 6400 strikes a good balance here, which is why this is the best Kelvin temperature for freshwater plants and symbiotic zooxanthellae in corals).
* The lower the "K", the more yellow, then red the light appears, such as a 4500 K bulb.
* The higher the "K", the bluer the light appears, such as a 20, 000 K bulb.
*Higher Kelvin Color Temperature lights penetrate water more deeply, even more so in saltwater, however there is less of the infrared "PAR spike" as well. * The human eye sees mostly sees light around 5500K.
* Candle flame = 1850 – 1900 K
* Sunlight (1 hour after dawn) = 3500 K
* Typical summer light (sun + sky) = 6500 K
* Cool white fluorescent = 3400 K

*The 6500 Kevin bulbs have produced the best freshwater plant growth (as this Kelvin lamp generally has more of the infrared nm spike need by "higher" plants, but still has some of the 425-500 nm blue).

In regards to the original question, I don't think there is a definitive Kelvin rating that is best for plant growth. The measurement itself is only meaningful to humans, as it generally indicates what kind of hue the light gives off as perceived through the human eye. Lower values are more red-ish in appearance, while higher values appear more and more blue.

That said, shorter wavelength blue light penetrates much farther into the water than the longer wavelength red. This may be why 6700k+ Kelvin bulbs seem to be better for plant growth, since the blue light is more readily available for the plant to use compared to the lower Kelvin lights.

However, plants actually use a broad range of the light spectrum for photosynthesis... not just the blues. This is known as PAR, or Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Basically, it is the output of light needed by plants for the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis actually uses the very much of the 650 to 670 nm range of the light spectrum which appears to humans as deep orange to red color. It also uses much of the 430 to 475 nm range of the spectrum (varying shades of blue), but not quite as much as the red range. The range of colors which human eyes are most sensitive to are the yellow/green range (550-620nm) is almost completely unused in photosynthesis, which is why most plants appear green in color (reflected light). It also explains why many warm/cool white bulbs are so terrible for growing plants--they mostly have the yellow/green tint that humans are so sensitive to but plants don't use at all.

So what should you look for in a bulb if the Kelvin rating isn't the best measurement to use for growing plants? I would recommend trying to find the spectral power distribution graphs for the light bulbs you plan to use. Most manufacturers of aquarium-specific light bulbs will put this graph right on the cardboard case of the light bulb for you to read. You want the graph to look like the letter "M"... good bulbs for growing plants will have a higher concentration of light being output in the 430-475nm range, almost no power in the 500-600nm range, and another large curve or spike around 650-675nm.

If you decide to buy a cheaper bulb from places like Home Depot or Lowes (which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing at all), you may have to dig a little deeper for your information. Try looking around the manufacturer's website. Many of them have the spectral power distribution data on their sites if you poke around enough.

Here are some of the graphs for the bulbs mentioned earlier in the thread:

LFS ( Local Fish shops)

DADAR

Fish Fantacy (yes, with a 'c' and not an 's')
Prem Kamal, Gokhale Road,
North, Dadar. It's situated about 200m after the Portuguese Church traffic light.
Prop. Vinod Khade 9869524302

fastest fishless cycle

fastest fishless cycle

Please note: Fishless cycling is the ONLY way a tank should be prepared for fish.

PWC Partial Water changes

The purpose of cycling is to build up the beneficial bacteria in a tank that
feed off the waste materials of your fish/inverts.
Without these present in great enough numbers, your fish will kill themselves with their own waste.
By building up these bacteria prior to adding in fish, you avoid harming your fish.
Unlike traditional cycling where a small amount of hearty fish are introduced into a tank,
and slowly additional fish are added,
fishless cycling (when properly performed) allows for a complete stocking of the tank at once.
This is a huge benefit, and one which is often overlooked.


The 2 types of bacteria we are looking to grow convert ammonia (fish waste which is quite toxic)
to nitrIte (actually more toxic than ammonia but not as long term damaging),
and finally to nitrAte (relatively non-toxic unless allowed to build up to large amounts).
So that's:
ammonia---->nitrIte--->nitrAte

The first conversion to nitrIte occurs faster than the second conversion to nitrAte.
Once the cycle is completed PWC's are required to keep the nitrAte level acceptable (general consensus is <40ppm) unless plants are present.

-Setup the tank, put all filters/heaters/decorations/etc in place.
Fill your tank up with tap water. DO NOT USE A DECHLORINATOR AT THIS TIME!

-Turn everything on and make sure it all works.
Better to find out now that the heater is broken, then 2 weeks into the cycle when nothing is happening

-Let the tank run for 30 minutes or so and check for leaks/malfunctions

-Now add in your dechlorinator (I prefer Prime).
Waiting to use a dechlorinator essentially sterilizes your tank from any contaminants
(especially if you have chloramines in your tap water).

-Purchase a good liquid reagent test kit that tests ammonia, nitrIte, nitrAte, pH, etc.
A lot of us on here use the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals FreshWater Master Test Kit (AP test kit for short).

-Now you need an ammonia source! Many fishkeeper's forget this step and without food, the bacteria will not multiply.
Pure ammonia is the easiest and best way to do a fishless cycle however,
you can use fish food or a raw shrimp but measurements will not be as accurate.
You need to find pure ammonia that does not contain any additives such as detergents or scents.

-With the ammonia purchased, and your test kit handy, dose the tank to ~5ppm ammonia.
If you add too much, do a Partial water change to reduce the level, if you add too little, dose more.
It doesn't need to be exact, but just aim for 3-5ppm.
Every couple of days test the ammonia level, when it gets below 1ppm, add more ammonia to keep the level above 1ppm.
Normally when I see it get below 1ppm, I dose 3-4ppm back in.
Never let it go to zero (until the cycle is finished) or you risk killing off your ammonia to nitrIte bacteria!


-Turn your heater up! Aim for 85-87F.
This increased temperature speeds up the metabolism of the bacteria which reduces the cycle time.


-Turn on any bubble wands, lower the water an inch or two if using HOB filters, turn on any PH's you might have.
Increasing agitation increases the dissolved O2 levels which bacteria like/want/need.

-Buy/borrow a small bottle of pH down. Add 1-2 drops per 4 gallons of tank water.
These pH products contain large amounts of phosphates which your bacteria need to grow.
This small amount will not affect the pH of the tank and will supply all the phosphate needed.
Lots of "my cycle stopped/stalled" posts can be attributed to phosphate deficiency.
A small amount of fishfood can probably also be substituted in place of this.


-Add in a VERY small amount of flake fish food.
When I mean small I mean microscopic!
About the size of a grain or 2 of rice.
Pulverize it into a very fine powder and add it in.
This will take care of any trace elements required by the bacteria and probably the phosphate requirement as well.



-Now its time to seed the tank!
This is the single most important step in the entire cycle.
The more seed material you can procure, the faster the cycle will go.
Seed material is anything you can take from an established tank.
Filter media (sponges/floss/ceramic media) is the #1 best.
This stuff is FULL of bacteria and exactly what you want.
Next up would be substrate (sand/gravel).
And last but not least would be decorations/ornaments.
Do you have a friend with a gaudy/hideous pink castle that's been in his goldfish tank for 3 years?
Beg/plead/steal it from him/her for a couple of weeks.
But make sure you keep anything wet in the tank water until
you can add it to your tank If it dries out in transit, the bacteria's dead!


With your tank setup and seed material you now want to maximize colonization of the surfaces.
If you are given a piece of filter media squish it in the tank water first.
This will cloud the tank with bacteria laden particles.
These will fly all over the tank and "seed" the surfaces with bacteria.
Then put the filter material in your filter.
It doesn't matter if it's not made to fit, find a way to get it in there.
HOB and canister filters normally allow for several compartments, make one of them the seed filter material.
Place it at the FRONT of the filtering.
By that I mean put the seed material as the first thing the water hits when entering the filter.
This will cause any bacteria that is released from the seed material to contact the new filter first, which is where you want the bacteria to be.


If you are given substrate (and don't mind it in the tank) spread it out all over the bottom.
This maximizes surface area and will allow the most contact with the bacteria and food source.



If the substrate is something you don't want in the tank after the cycle put it in the foot of a new UNWASHED piece of pantyhose.
Rinse the pantyhose under tap water but make sure it never went in the wash.
Detergents/fabric softener will kill your tank!
Squish the substrate around every day or two.
You'll notice it will cloud the tank.
This is a good thing as bacteria is being released into the water.
This is how I cycled my 20 gallon.
I did not have filter media, only a small amount of gravel from an established tank.
I put 1/2 the gravel in a filter insert in my HOB, and the rest in some pantyhose (since I had PFS and didn't want the gravel).
A couple of weeks after the cycle finished I removed the seed gravel (you don't want to remove it too soon or you may cause a minicycle).



Now for a note about bacteria.
They are surface adherers.
That is, very little of the bacteria is present in the water itself, the majority is attached to the surfaces in the tank.
This means that a PWC during the cycle is not necessarily a bad thing.
It's normally not needed, but if it is for some reason (say you overdose on the ammonia), don't fret!


A quick word on pH.
Ideally you want the pH of the tank to be ~7.5.
The ammonia to nitrIte bacteria prefer a higher pH (closer to 8.0), while the nitrIte to nitrAte bacteria prefer a lower pH (closer to 7.3).
Go too high and your nitrItes will build up, go too low and your ammonia won't get converted.
If you have a pH crash (either too high or too low, say pH 6.0 or pH 9.0) you have to do a PWC.
At these ranges your bacteria will seriously begin to slow down metabolism.


Keep the tank lights off and direct/indirect sunlight to a minimum.
This time in the tank is RIPE for algae outbreaks.
High ammonia levels, steady CO2 levels (from high aeration), and possible light can cause your tank to look like pea soup.
The bacteria do NOT require a light source, and in fact, direct sunlight can cause the bacteria to multiply slower.
Bottom line, keep it dark!


So now you have the perfect temperature, a steady food source with trace elements in abundence, good oxygen levels, your all set!


When you see your ammonia level drop to below 1ppm, increase it back up to 3-5ppm.
You will most likely build up a LARGE amount of nitrIte because the bacteria that convert nitrIte to nitrAte were at a disadvantage waiting for their food (nitrIte).
I've often thought of creating a product of pure nitrIte for cycling.
That way you can dose both ammonia and nitrIte at the beginning which would speed up the entire cycle.
Now don't go and steal my idea!



Watch your nitrAte levels.
When they start to rise wait about 5-7days and, if your nitrIte levels are really high (>10ppm),
I'd recommend a large PWC to bring the number down into a readable range.
This will not affect the cycle, and will keep you sane as you can watch the levels vary.
You might see the levels continue to go up as you will still have more ammonia converting bacteria,
but if you watch the nitrAtes you'll know your heading in the right direction. Several members on here have really been done the cycle,
but because there was so much nitrIte in the tank they didn't know it! (hint I was one of them....)

Once you can convert 1-2ppm ammonia completely to nitrAte in 24hours or less you can do a large (or several)
large PWC's to get the nitrAtes below 40ppm (<20ppm preferably).
Now decrease the tank temperature to 78-82F if housing tropicals, otherwise whatever temperature you need.
Make sure the temp is stable before addition of fish.

Now your all set to fully or near fully stock your tank!

TANK LOAD PLAN

http://www.thetropicalfishtank.com/tropical-fish-information/the-unusual-tropical-betta-fish/
3 x Albino Cory (Corydoras aeneus)
6 x Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)
3 x Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
5 x Ghost Shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.)
5 x Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
Tank (LxDxH): 24 x 12 x 12 inch (15.0gUS)
Filters: Aqua One Aquis 500
• Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Guppy, minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.
• Warning: At least 4 x Albino Cory are recommended in a group.

Recommended temperature range: 22 - 24 C. [Display in Farenheit]
Recommended pH range: 6 - 7.5.
Recommended hardness range: 5 - 15 dH.


Warning: You should add more aquarium filtration capacity.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 94%.
Recommended water change schedule: 43% per week.
Your aquarium stocking level is 105%.

AIR PUMP / FILTER DIY

http://www.pet-expo.com/trivia/aquariums-pumps.htm
http://www.petsnpets.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=61_82_83

Manufactures of powerheads rate their "pumps" based on gallons per hour (GPH). A rating of 120 GPH means that the pump will move 120 gallons of water in an hour.

To determine the correct powerhead for your system know that most experts conclude that a healthy environment requires that the water be completely circulated at least five to six (5-6) times an hour. Therefore if your aquarium is 20 gallons, you should choose a powerhead that will pump 20 gallons times 5 (20x5) or at least 100-120 GPH. Choosing a powerhead that moves as much as 10 times the actual water volume of your aquarium is certainly acceptable.

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http://www.petfish.net/articles/Do-It-Yourself/sponge_filter.php



Material List:

8 inch length of 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch PVC pipe (Lowes, Homedepot) approx $2.00 for a 10 foot pipe
4 inch by 4 inch block of foam rubber (different sizes available from Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart etc) Very cheap.
8 inch length of rigid airline tubing (Available at Petsmart for about $2.00 for a 4 foot length)
Marbles, slate or rocks to use as a weight for the filter
Silicone for glueing the parts together

Notes On Construction:
These filters can be made in bulk quantities faster and cheaper. Be sure to get "open pore sponge", to be sure that's what you have you can try to blow thru the sponge, if you can, it's open pore = good, if you can't, it's closed pore = bad.
Making the uplift tube:
Cut the PVC pipe into 8 inch lengths. On the bottom of the uplift tube drill a few holes to allow the entrance of water into the pipe from the sides. You can either drill holes or use a hacksaw to cut slits, either way is fine.
Silicone the rigid airline tubing on to the inside of the uplift tube. An alternate way to accomplish this is to drill a slanted hole so that the rigid tube can be slightly bent and forced to the bottom of the uplift tube. Natural friction will hold fast the rigid airline tubing.
Cut up the sponge into 4 inch cubes, larger or smaller, it's up to you.
Cut or drill a hole in the sponge to snugly accept the PVC uplift tube. One way to do this is to wet the sponge and freeze it to allow easier drilling. I find that just plunging a razor knife into the dry sponge works quite well. Be very careful.
The sponge is going to naturally float until it is well water logged, that's why the marbles or slate is used as a weight to help hold the sponge on the bottom of the tank.
I prefer to silicone a piece of slate or tile to the bottom of the sponge filter.
(I have found that hot glue will come undone under water, but your luck might be better, or I might have the wrong kind of hot glue)
Now hook your filter up to an airpump and it's ready to start filtering.
A quick way to populate the sponge filter with "good guy" bacteria is to run it a week or 2 in a tank with an established sponge filter. Or squeaze an established sponge filter in the water of the new tank so that the new filter will suck up the bacteria released from the established filter.
These filters are very efficient. One of these in a 10 gallon tank will supply all the filtration required to keep it clean and balanced. The costs of these filters if made in quantities of about 10 at a time will be under $2.00 each. Pretty good deal huh?

Acrylic Aquarium

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If you are willing to transport it from Goregaon-E (w.exp. highway) to Yari road, you can get in touch with Shekhar (9987509762, 9869480313) He is quite reasonable and he can also make a nice acrylic hood for you as per your requirement along with lighting fixtures.
His shop (Tanvi Aquarium) is bang on the highway, left hand side if you are travelling north (opposite SRPF camp)
You can give my reference if you want.

http://borneosucker.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-11-03T15%3A49%3A00%2B08%3A00&max-results=7
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Best site : http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Gopi_Making_an_Acrylic_Aquarium.html

http://www.procurefast.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=83&category_id=28&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

http://www.princeplastics.com/eng_careerpopp.htm


Aquarium Height Sheet Thickness
1 to 12 inches 1/4 inch
12 - 18 inches 3/8 inch
18 - 24 inches 1/2 inch
24 - 30 inches 3/4 inch


1mm = just over 1/32 inch
2mm = just over 1/16 inch
3mm = almost 1/8 inch
4mm = 5/32 inch (= a bit over 1/8 inch)
5mm = just over 3/16 inch
6mm = almost 1/4 inch
7mm = almost 9/32 inch (= a bit over 1/4 inch)
8mm = 5/16 inch
9mm = almost 3/8 inch
10mm = just over 3/8 inch
11mm = almost 7/16 inch
12mm = almost 15/32 inch (= almost 1/2 inch)
13mm = just over 1/2 inch
14mm = almost 9/16 inch
15mm = almost 19/32 inch
16mm = 5/8 inch
17mm = almost 11/16 inch
18mm = just over 11/16 inch
19mm = 3/4 inch
20mm = 25/32 inch
21mm = just over 13/16 inch
22mm = almost 7/8 inch
23mm = 29/32 inch
24mm = just over 15/16 inch
25mm = almost 1 inch

STARTER FISH

http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/
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Good Freshwater Fish for Beginners

Here is our list of freshwater fish that would be great for the beginner to start with. For pricing purposes, we used the LiveAquaria.com site.


Anabantids (Bettas and Gouramis) Bettas are also known as Siamese Fighting Fish (as in the fish that will attack its own mirror image). Bettas and Gouramis are beautiful labyrinth fishes meaning that they get air at the surface of the water through a labyrinth organ. The downside with male Bettas is that you can only keep one Betta male in a tank (you can have other fish but no other male Bettas). Gouramis are usually peaceful additions to the community tank. Price range for Bettas is $2.49 to $6.49. Price range for Gouramis is $2.49 to $12.99.
Cichlids. There are so many different Cichlid species, that you will have no problem picking one that suits your aquarium. Cichlids can get large and are territorial during breeding season. They can be prolific in captivity? Price range for African Cichlids is $5.99 to $39.99. Price range for New World Cichlids is $3.99 to $59.99.
Cyprinids (White Cloud Mountain Minnow, Zebra Danios, Rasboras, and Cherry Barbs) These little guys are hardy. You will find tons of color and pattern variations. You will also enjoy watching their schooling behavior. If you had to pick one fish to start with, you could not go wrong with a White Cloud Mountain Minnow. Price range is $1.29 to $7.99.
Livebearers (Guppies, Platies, and Swordtails) These beautiful fish will stay small (under 3 inches for the most part) but that is not the only thing about these guys that makes them a great pick. Brilliantly colored and happy in the community tank, these peaceful fish are extremely easy to keep. Out of all the starter fish, they are the easiest to breed in captivity. Guppies look like they should cost way more than their going price; you'll easily get excited about these fish. Price range is $1.99 to $5.99 to $34.99.
Tetras are so cheap it is practically criminal! Tetras are great additions to the community tank and their vivid colors will attract your attention every time they dart around in their little schools. Price range is $1.49 to $7.99 with most of them in the under $3 range.
Loaches are bottom dwellers that differentiate themselves from most of the fish in this list. They are more secretive; they tend to hang out alone, with many being nocturnal. Loaches require currents in the water as they are stream dwellers in the wild. They will also take care of your snail population if you have a problem with it. Price range is $2.99 to $13.99.

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http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/fish-popular.html
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Zebra Danios is indeed one of the best choices. There's one time, i've poured in ammonia at the same time as putting them in a 75-gallon tank. Problem was, i overdosed. Probably 3-4 times the MAXIMUM of what an Ammonia Meter can normally measure. 5/6 died instantaneously, but the 6th one never died. This shows how hard a Zebra Danio can really be.
But make sure you have a lid with them. They do jump out. And they super fast.

Another choice is Guppies. I've cycled a tank with 14 guppies before. At the end of the cycle., NONE of them died. It might be luck, or probably because i was paying REALLY close attention to the tank.

I've had 2 guppy fry raised in an ice-cappuccino cup till adult form. I've moved them into a 5 gallon now, 2-years old, still living.

So my conclusion is, Guppies and Zebra Danios are the hardiest freshwater fishes you can find and are best candidates for Fish Cycling. However, I suggest Fishless Cycling, since it's a faster, can put in tons of fishes at once at the end, and no risk of scarifying fish.

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pygmy cories
copper harlequin rasboras
cherry barbs
Cardinal/Neon tetras are about the most common fish that beginners want to include but that we like to advise that people wait on. For some reason they do much better after the tank has aged 6 months regardless of cycling.
Neon tetras don't always do well in new tanks, not sure why but they have a higher death rate in new tanks. If you can avoid adding them first then do.

SMALL TROPICAL FISHES

http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/fishcyclefw.shtml
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Minnows,%20Danios.htm

Guppies.
look up cycling a tank before you go off and buy some guppies they WILL DIE if you do not cycle your tank

neon tetras*****
they are middle level swimmers, but you need to buy at least 6 or more as they are schooling fish. there about 1/2 inch or smaller and non-aggressive.
Not good for Cycling

Philippine goby

Zebra Danio
Good for cycling
Danios insist on being in schools. The more the merrier.

albino Corydoras
Catfish Males smaller than 2 inches, females larger
While almost all Plecostomus species feed on algae, they too need a varied diet.
Not to be added w/o cycling

How to do Fishless Cycling

By Cichlid dude at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090402233249AAdp1hP


Ammonia is introduced into the aquarium via fish waste and uneaten food. The fish waste and excess food will break down into either ionized ammonium (NH4) or un-ionized ammonia (NH3). Ammonium is not harmful to tropical fish but ammonia is. Whether the material turns into ammonium or ammonia depends on the ph level of the water. If the ph is under 7, you will have ammonium. If the ph is 7 or higher you will have ammonia.

Stage 2
Soon, bacteria called nitrosomonas will develop and they will oxidize the ammonia in the tank, essentially eliminating it. The byproduct of ammonia oxidation is Nitrites. So we no longer have ammonia in the tank, but we now have another toxin to deal with - Nitrites. Nitrites are just as toxic to tropical fish as ammonia. If you have a test kit, you should be able to see the nitrite levels rise around the end of the first or second week.

Stage 3
Bacteria called nitrobacter will develop and they will convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not as harmful to tropical fish as ammonia or nitrites, but nitrate is still harmful in large amounts. The quickest way to rid your aquarium of nitrates is to perform partial water changes. Once your tank is established you will need to monitor your tank water for high nitrate levels and perform partial water changes as necessary. There are other methods to control nitrates in aquariums besides water changes. For freshwater fish tanks, live aquarium plants will use up some of the nitrates. In saltwater fish tanks, live rock and deep sand beds can have anaerobic areas where denitrifying bacteria can breakdown nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas that escapes through the water surface of the aquarium.

Getting The Nitrogen Cycle Started
There are two ways to get the aquarium cycle started, either with fish or without fish.

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle With Fish
This is not the preferred way to get the nitrogen cycle started because the fish are being exposed to ammonia and nitrites during this process. Many fish can not and will not make it through the cycling process. Often times the fish become stressed and fish disease starts to break out. I wonder what percentage of disease is caused by the cycling of new aquariums?

Certain species are hardier than others and seem to tolerate the start-up cycle better than others. For freshwater tanks, the zebra danio is a very hardy fish that many use to get the nitrogen cycle started. For saltwater tanks, some have reported success using damselfish to get the process started. Again, using fish to cycle is not a good idea and you may be throwing your money (on dead fish) out the window. There is a better way. Read on, young grasshopper.

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle Fishless
There are a few different ways to get this process started. To easily get an ammonia reading from your tank water try the Seachem Ammonia Alert. It sticks inside the tank and has a circle that changes color depending on the ammonia levels in the tank.

Option 1:
Using Fish Food
Drop in a few flakes every 12 hours. As the food decomposes it will release ammonia. You will have to continue to "feed" the tank throughout the process to keep it going.

Option 2:
Use a small piece of raw fish or a raw shrimp
Drop a 2 inch by 1 inch chunk of raw fish or a raw shrimp into the tank. As it decomposes it will release ammonia into the tank.

Option 3:
Use 100% pure ammonia.
Using a dropper, add 5 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water. If you don't get an ammonia reading with your test kit, add some more drops until you start to see an ammonia reading. Keep track of how many drops you've used so you can repeat this process daily. Continue to dose the tank with ammonia until you start to get nitrite readings with your test kit. Once you can detect nitrites you should only add 3 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water, or if you added more drops originally to get an ammonia reading cut the amount of drops used in half. Continue this process daily until you get nitrate readings with your test kit. Do a 30% water change and your tank is ready.

Option 4:
Use gravel and/or filter media from an established and cycled tank
This is the best and fastest way to go. This will seed the tank with all of the necessary bacteria for the nitrogen cycle. "Feed" the tank daily with flake food until you are getting nitrate readings. Depending on how fast you were able to get the gravel and filter media into your tank, you may be getting nitrate readings in only a day or two. There are some drawbacks to this method. Ask your source if they have recently used any copper medications in the tank. If they have and you are planning to have invertebrates in the tank you should probably not use this method. Invertebrates will not tolerate copper. Get a copper test kit to determine if it's safe to use.

Good luck!!!~~~~<><~~~~><>~~~~


To Make Cycling Faster

http://www.bluecrayfish.com/cycle.htm


2. Keep the tank only about 50-65% full. This creates a waterfall effect as the water leaves the filter, and when the water from the filter hits the surface of the aquarium water, there is a great deal of water turbulence, exposing more water to more air more quickly, and leading to increased oxygenation, and thus, faster cycling.

3. Keep the aquarium light on 24 hours per day during cycling. Only do this if you have no pets in the aquarium which need less light, or which need darkness. The increased light leads to faster cycling.

4. Use as many air stones and air pumps as you have access to, which will fit in the aquarium. Keep them all running all the time. This leads to increased oxygenation, which leads to faster cycling. Only do this if you have no pets in the aquarium which need calm, or still water.

5. Keep the filter running the entire time the aquarium is undergoing the cycling process. This increases water flow, and insures that good bacteria build up in the filter material, both of which lead to faster cycling.

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2 Sunset platies require 100 bacteria to process their waste
5ppm of ammonia requires 10000 bacteria to process it's waste.
9900 bacteria would die when you added just 2 sunset platys.

Then when you added 4 shrimp and 4 corys imagine they took around 500 bacteria to process their waste. Well that 100 would have to double 5 times before the ammonia would be kept stable, and then it would take additional times for them to actually remove ammonia+nitrite from the water.

However if you add a large group alltogether then you keep most of your bacteria colony hopefully.
And so when you then add new fish, it should hopefully only need to double once to produce sufficient numbers to process waste.
That way you will never risk seeing an ammonia spike.
Eitherways there is certainly no point in waiting 2weeks, you could add fish every couple of days as it will have definitely caught up by then


Luckily I have reread the article on cycling. I had inconveniently forgotten that the nitrite had to be getting to zero within 12 hours also. I couldn't understand why the nitrite level wasn't going down when the ammonia was disappearing after 12 hours. I now realise we are only half way through cycling!

I wasn't aware that the bacteria would be dying if they weren't being fed by ammonia so I will take your advice and once we are fully cycled we will virtually fully stock. Thanks again.

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) Buy liquid testing kits for ammonia and nitrite
2) Buy pure ammonia (from a hardware store or department store)
3) Add enough ammonia to the tank to read 5ppm (parts per million) or5 mg/l (milligram per litre) on the test kit.
4) Test every day for ammonia and always add enough ammonia to keep the levels at 5ppm or 5 mg/l
5) Keep testing until you see the levels of ammonia reach zero within 12 hours of adding new ammonia
6) Start testing for nitrite and ammonia, and keep adding new ammonia if you need to
7) Keep testing for both until they both reach 0 after 12 hours
8) Do a very large water change (90%)
9) Add fish

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