Category: Aquarium Care

In order to cycle your new aquarium or fish tank you should know a little bit about the nitrogen cycle. What you are doing is trying to create a perfect ecosystem capable of holding life. How do you do that you ask, easy! There are several steps that you need to do in order to properly cycle a new aquarium, if not you’ll end up having problems with fish dying or becoming stressed which tend to lead to fish diseases. Through simple steps you can create a perfect ecosystem for your goldfish right in your home.

If your anything like me before getting into any new hobby you’ve probably done your research and browsed thousands of sites, read aquarium books and everything you need to know about goldfish. You’ve probably came across the term “New Tank Syndrome” which is basically where new aquarium hobbyist lose all their fish as a result of high levels of ammonia in their fish tank. This is because the aquarium was not properly cycled and they may have perhaps done some things wrong during the cycling process.

What people need to understand that this is a new tank set up and their is no beneficial bacteria in the aquarium when you first begin. You need to get the fish tank cycled yourself to be able to sustain life. There need to be that beneficial bacteria in your aquarium in order to break down the fish waste. Goldfish create a lot of waste, which leads to ammonia which is very toxic to fish.

What you need to do to properly cycle your new aquarium or fish tank is add a few goldfish or an other type of fish to get the process going. Remember your fish tank should have at least 2 inches of aquarium gravel at the bottom of the tank. This is another place where the good beneficial bacteria will start to grow. You should also have the aquarium filter and pump running for at least 24 hours before introducing goldfish to your fish tank. What you don’t want to do is add too many goldfish at the start of the cycling process as this will lead to problems. To cycle a new aquarium you need to start off small with a few fish just to get some bacteria in the water and get the process started. Once fish are introduced the cycling process begins.

Now what will happen is your goldfish will begin eating, creating fish waste, which creates ammonia. The beneficial bacteria that is now growing inside the aquarium will break down the ammonia and form nitrite. What aquarium owners need to do is always test your water quality and record the readings during this process. When a new tank is being cycled ammonia levels will spike which can kill your goldfish. If your goldfish are showing signs of stress then you will need to lower your ammonia levels in your aquarium. Once the bacteria has broken down the ammonia into nitrite is yet another level of concern. High nitrite levels can poison and kill your fish and you need to test your water quality often during the cycling process. The nitrite will then be turned into nitrate which is relatively harmless to fish. When you do regular water changes is when you will remove the end product nitrate from your aquarium. This whole process is known as the nitrogen cycle. In order to properly cycle a new fish tank it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Be patient!

When your cycling your fish tank you should do regular small water changes. I would do a 10% water change everyday or two. What a lot of people make mistakes at is doing very large water changes which is defeating the purpose of cycling it. If you do this your fighting a losing battle. I know people get scared that they are going to lose their fish when they see the readings of ammonia or nitrite they tested for, but don’t be. The beneficial bacteria is trying to colonize in the aquarium gravel, the filter media etc.. If you do lets say a 50% water change your basically going back to square one. Give it time! Do small water changes, test regularly, record readings and allow the time for the beneficial bacteria to grow. After your done cycling your new aquarium when you test for ammonia and nitrite you should not detect any, if you do your doing something wrong. Cycling a fish tank is easy as long as you follow the simple steps provided, don’t add to many fish to begin with and allow the time necessary for the beneficial bacteria to grow. Once your aquarium is cycled is when you really get to enjoy your new fish tank as you begin taking care of your goldfish.

***Tip, gradually add more goldfish to your aquarium that your tank is capable of holding to reduce the stress on your filter caused by the increased amount of fish waste being produced. Slow and steady wins the race!***

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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