subject: Tips On Cycling Your New Aquarium [print this page] Freshwater tropical fish tanks can be a fantastically addictive hobby yet peaceful at the same time. However, so many people will never experience them because feel baffled that the set up and maintenance of the aquarium is too complicated. In truth, this isn't really the case. An aquarium can be really simple to setup and look after as long as you adhere to a couple of simple rules. They are, firstly, you ought to make sure that the tank completes a complete cycle of its nitrogen cycle before stocking it with the majority of your fish and, secondly, don't over stock it with fish.
The size of tropical fish tanks is also an important factor. Not surprisingly, if you would like to keep a lot of fish then it is a good idea to invest in a large fish tank. Generally speaking though, the larger the tank the simpler it will be for you to keep. The size of the aquarium does directly relate to the number of tropical fish that you can keep in it but also, the more water that you have the more opportunity you will have to react and improve your water quality should it all start to go a little bit wrong!
As well as your aquarium you will also need a decent quality filter, a heater, lighting, gravel (substrate) as well as a hood (these often come with the aquarium and may also have lighting units built in). More and more nowadays, suppliers are selling complete packages which include all of these components. I tend to use Aquarium House who are a price comparison web site for aquarium supplies. They show many goods from top suppliers all in one place without you having to visit loads of different websites and you can check the best prices in the market before buying. A lot of the goods on the website also include price match guarantees so you can be sure of a really good deal.
The initial thing to do once you have bought all of your bits is to wash off all the decorations and the substrate prior to putting it in the tank. Its fine to just rinse them off with hot water but if you do use soap then be sure that you get all of it off before placing items in the aquarium. Now you can go ahead and fill up the tank, making sure that it is in its final position because it will be very heavy when! You can plug the leads in but make certain that you leave a dip in the leads before the plug socket so that any water can run off on to the floor. Ensure that all of the equipment fits comfortably into the tank. Make any cut outs in the hood that you need to (for equipment that hangs on the side etc).
Use room temperature water to fill your tank and add some aquarium water conditioner. Once full, you can test the filter and heater. Though tempting at this point, now is not the time to begin filling your tank with your fish. Firstly, you must cycle your tank so as to develop a strong bacteria bed which will make a nice healthy habitat for your fish.
Cycling the tank is a crucial stage in setting up your new fish tank. The bacteria bed will filter out the ammonia that is created by decaying food and waste from your fish. If you dont complete this step correctly, your water will not be at healthy levels to support your fish. During the cycling process, you need to introduce ammonia in to the tank which causes bacteria to take hold in your substrate and filter. This bacteria will then eat the ammonia, thus reducing the ammonia levels and enhancing the water quality. This bacteria will, as a bi-product, produce nitrite which is quite toxic to the fish but, fortunately, another bacteria will start to develop and this digests the nitrite and releases nitrate. So, as you can see, it is important to run a full cycle of your tank and the water quality right before spending a lot of money on expensive fish.
So as to get the cycling process started the best way thing to do is add a few, hardy fresh water fish, for example Zebra Danios, which will be able to handle the inhospitable water conditions present before cycling is complete. It is well worth investing in a good quality water test kit so you are able to test the nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels in the tank and determine when the tank is fully cycled. Cycling will be complete when the ammonia and nitrite levels have peaked and settled back to zero. Now you can go ahead and start stocking the tank with more fish! Yay!
From here on in you just need to perform regular, straightforward maintenance like changing the filter media, eradicating any algae build up etc.
When stocking your fish, be cautious not to add too many in one go or you will risk over burdening your filter and thus reducing the water quality. A good idea is to buy one new tropical fish per week until you get to your maximum or desired number. As a rule of thumb, you should be working on approx. 1 inch of fish per gallon of water so a 40 gallon tank could hold about 40 inches of fish which would roughly be around 30 fish.
Standard Maintainence - Check fish daily for signs of ill health and make sure that the equipment is functioning correctly. Once a week, remove any algae that has accumulated. Once a month carry out a partial water change of about 25% (condition it and dechlorinate it prior to adding it into your tank).
Thats about it! So not really that complicated is it. Remember, a little at a time, dont overstock and make sure you enjoy your new hobby!
