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when i set up my 27 gallon all i did to the water was let it run through my filter for a day or two then i added some plants and some plant fertilizer that i got form my pets store and then the next day i added my fish and they are doin fine. was this a good idea

amico, good job getting your plants in first, planting some nitrogen sponges should really ease the stress on your fish during the NITROGEN CYCLE! *cue scary music*

If you haven't heard of the NITROGEN CYCLE, this is a link that should explain everything for you.

To sum it up,

Fish produce waste, AMMONIA is one waste product.

Little bacteria "eat" the ammonia, converting it into NITRITE.

In the last step of the cycle, another team of bacteria eats the nitrite, and turns it into NITRATE.

Pretty simple when you look at it that way.

Here's the problem though: ammonia is highly toxic to our fish, nitrIte is also pretty bad for them, and nitrAte is bad in large amounts.

So, what do we do?

We get the bacteria to do the work for us! (And do partial water changes to reduce the amount of nitrates in the tank).... So where do we fit in? Be patient, I'm getting to that now.

The first thing you will want to do on the road to perfect water quality is buy yourself a MASTER TEST KIT. You'll especially want tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte and pH so make sure you have those at least. The only chemical additive you really need for your tank is a good DECHLORINATOR that also removes CHLORAMINES (check the bottle, and add it to your tap water before you put it in the tank according to the directions).

If you want, you can pick up what's known as a BACTERIAL STARTER, which will help speed the cycling process along. Good ones to look for: New & Improved CYCLE, Bio-Spira. Dose according to package directions.

So, while your tank is CYCLING, the only thing you do is test the water every few days, and dose with your bacterial starter if you're using it. Unless your fish are sick or dying, don't perform any water changes and just let the bacteria do their thing. Sounds easy, but this is where a lot of new aquarists mess up! So cycling rule #1 is: Be patient and leave the damn tank alone!

Also, make sure you start slow. If you are cycling the tank with fish in it, please only use a FEW HARDY ones. The number and type of fish to use depends on the size of your tank and what sort of fish you want to keep in it eventually.

While you're testing, here is what you're going to see:

1. Ammonia will slowly start to rise. This is the stage that is most stressful, both on the fish and on the aquarist. Don't worry, if you leave it alone it will be over soon.

2. Following an ammonia *spike*, levels of ammonia will start to drop. NitrItes appear, and rise.

3. Ammonia should fall to zero soon. Nitrite will *spike*, and then fall. NitrAte will start to show up on tests.

Don't stop now, you're almost DONE!!!!
This is the stage where most people get impatient. Keep in mind that the average cycle can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks or even longer sometimes. Have faith in your bacteria, they are your friends and will never fail you so long as you respect them!

4. Nitrite will drop to ZERO, and Nitrate will continue to rise. YOU'RE DONE!!!! Have a party!!!!

So after cycling, your tests should be:
Ammonia: 0
NitrIte: 0
NitrAte: something that isn't zero.

Now, hang on there, buster. A lot of people get really excited when the cycle is finally over and just dump a whole bunch of fish in the tank all at once. BAD IDEA! What you need to do is go easy on your bacteria, and increase the amount of waste (read: fishies) they have to deal with SLOWLY so you don't overwhelm them. If you overwhelm them you will end up right where you began, with ammonia in the tank again, a very frustrating situation. Stock slowly, don't overfeed and all will be well.

Ok, now for the nitrAtes. If you just leave the tank after cycling, nitrAtes will eventually build up and build up, since there is nothing to eat them. Plants will remove some nitrate, but not all. To stop the build up of nitrate, we do WATER CHANGES. Your aim is to keep nitrate in the tank below about 20 ppm. Unless your tank is over stocked, this should be easy to do with a simple water change every week to two weeks of about 10-20% of the total volume of water in the tank. When you do water changes you will also want to VACUUM 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank bottom to get rid of poo. You can get a SIPHON or GRAVEL VAC at the fish store to do this, and alternate which half of the tank you vacuum each time you do it.

Test your water every few weeks once your tank is cycled, just to make sure you're on track and to spot any problems before they get out of hand. As you get more and more familiar with your tank, and as it ages and becomes more stable, the need to test will be reduced. For now, though, make sure you keep an eye on it.

So that's all really! Perfect water quality is not as hard as it sounds!

A few questions I have for you specifically:
1. What size is your tank?
2. What kind of filter do you have?
3. What plants do you have?
4. What fish did you put in there?
5. What are your test readings now? (If you don't have test kits yet, that one can wait.)

Answering those questions will help us give some more specific input as to what you need to do for your water quality and fish/plant health.

I hope this isn't too overwhelming for you, I know it is a lot of info all at once. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, privately or on the boards and I will be happy to help.

Last edited by SHEILAH at 11-Jan-2005 09:48

my tank size it a 27 gallon
i have one jewelle cichlid and two convicts(the jewelle is 2.5 inches and teh convicts are smaller)
i have to amazon sword 5 inches tall and one fake
i have a peingun 125 bio wheel power filter
and i am gettin a test kit payday