AquascapeGuide - How to Cycle an Aquarium
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2024
- #AquascapeGuide #Cycling #PlantedAquarium
In this video we talk about:
0:00 - Introduction
0:13 - How do you cycle an aquarium?
1:03 - What is the cycle?
2:08 - How do we get this bacteria?
7:05 - What happens if my cycle stalls?
7:57 - Couteracting PH & KH drops
09:09 - How filtration can stall cycling
11:03 - How many fish can I add now that I'm cycled?
12:43 - The Dark Start Method
13:21 - Why youse the Dark Start Method
14:30 - Recap
*** IF YOU HAVE FISH IN YOUR TANK, AND YOU'RE SHOWING AMMONIA AND NITRITES, DOWNLOAD THIS FREE CHART NOW! IT WILL HELP YOU NAVIGATE THIS SITUATION THIS VIDEO IS FOR THOSE WITHOUT FISH IN THEIR TANKS! - www.aquascapeguide.com/produc...
OUR LINKS:
Free online ASG Course: www.aquascapeguide.com/asgu
Free interactive Algae Guide: www.aquascapeguide.com/algae-...
ASG's Store - www.aquascapeguide.com/shop
REFERENCED VIDEOS:
Aquascape Guide - Filtration explained and how to set up a canister filter / EP 6 - Filtration
• Aquascape Guide - Filt...
Aquascape Guide - Water Chemistry for a Planted Aquarium / EP 5 - Water Parameters
• Aquascape Guide - Wate...
PRODUCTS REFERENCED:
API Ammonia Test Kit - amzn.to/37cIVQb
API Nitrite Test Kit amzn.to/3LILCbb
API Nitrate Test Kit - amzn.to/3yaBrIi
API Freshwater Master Kit - amzn.to/3FeNS7v
Dr. Tim's Ammonia: amzn.to/3MQSbbA
Seachem Stability: amzn.to/3vFF5bv
API Quick Start: amzn.to/3vFF5bv
Fluval Canister Filters - amzn.to/38QHJCc
This has been the most straight forward, informative cycling video out of the hundreds I have been watching. How does this video not have more views??? And also the amount of time put into this video, amazing.
Aaawwww! Thank you so much. That makes my heart so happy 😊 I work hard to turn complex subject, in easily digestible videos. I feel like others overcomplicate things. But I just keep my head down and try to keep creating videos for others to learn from! Appreciate your kind words. Help me share the video to get me more subscribers! 😜
This video is the most educational of all. Deserved to have millions of views and likes
Thank you so much! We are just trying to help fast track people on the science of these tanks so they can be successful right out of the gate ;) See you around!
I have watched a half dozen videos on cycling an aquarium, and this is by far the best. Expertly explained and produced, in a very comprehensive way. You guys are amazeballs, and deserve to have a lot more traction than you currently have. Keep it up!
Thank you Ryan. This means so much to me. I started ASG not knowing if anyone would even care to listen to me rambling, but people seem to enjoy and learn from the video, which is all I could ask for. I really enjoy passing on what Ive looks l learned over the 18 years in the hobby :) Help me share these video and let's blow this channel up! I'll keep creating content ;)
I concur! This is the most easy to understand presentation on this topic that I’ve found! I’ll be checking out your channel for more useful videos.
This video deserves a lot more likes. Very educational, I was feeling lost with the whole cycling process. Thank you
Why thank you! People over complicate this hobby. I'm not sure why. hahaha. So I just try to keep things short and sweet :) See you around!
Like others have said, this is hands down the BEST video on setting up your first aquarium. Very informative and easy to understand.
Yaaaaaay! Mission accomplished ;) Thank you for the kind words
This is the best video out there, Thanks a lot!
Aawwww, thank you! You're welcome. Hope it helps 😊
Kyle, awesome ....... will be sharing regularly
Out of all of my content, this is my most watched video believe it or not! lol. Quick and to the point man.
As always the most comprehensive explaination and easiest to understand video on this subject. Amazing work!!!
Why thank you Neil! 😊
Ur video is the best and easy to understand oh my god thanks saw so Mandy and never understood none I understand thanks so much for ur hard work to help othwrs
Thank you so much for your kind words! Glad my videos have helped :) That is the whole purpose.
Wow this is what I'm missing with my aquascape. Really educational. Auto subs
Awesome! Glad this helped you :)
These videos are incredibly well done. I already know all this stuff but have been thoroughly entertained watching this entire series as a recap. Bravo!
Awwwww, thank you for the kind words! I try to make them entertaining so its just SUPER boring. HAHAHA. Its takes me a nice amount of time to animate Phyl, but I feel like he makes it fun ;) These comments are what keep me animating. THAT, and there isn't a lot of great information out there on the science side of things. Lots of scaping videos, but a lot of people are just guessing on the science side of things. Anywho, glad they are bringing you joy. Help share them with our hobby!
@@aquascapeguide He def makes it fun. the humor is spot on. Just the right amount, too. So many other videos online go overboard with the humor which can be overwhelming, Im suprised this channel doesnt have more views. Im definitely using these videos when I bring people into the hobby!
@@teemohnay Thank you so much :) And yeah, the point of these videos is to teach the science, the humor is just me having fun while I'm teaching ;) Appreciate all the support and check out the website as well at AqusacapeGuide.com
Very good video
Thank you! 😊
Woohoo!!!
I'm using DARK START method, and it gave me SUPERB results!
The force is strong with you... (Vader breathing)... hahahaha. Good. I'm glad it's working for you! We processed a dark start on a reef tank we recently set up before making the video and was like "wait, why couldn't you dark start a freshwater tank and skip diatoms all together!". Hahaha. Did you learn about the dark start from this video? Also, you have not planted the tank, correct?
@@aquascapeguide Yeah, I heard this method here and start to search through the internet as well, This is great method too since I don't have enough budget to spend on one time so I was able to gather all of them and now I'm on my 70th day on Dark start cycling, I'm just waiting for my plants to arrive in next 2 days. I'm so excited!
@@dm7797 Awesome! We're excited for you! Good luck with the new scape :)
hi Phil, great video with great straight forward info. just what i need. my question is about feeding my wood attached plants and stone attached plants while my tank is cycling. do i need to feed? if so then do i use bottle ferts or will they feed from ammonia or nitrites ? not sure on this at all. any advice will be most welcome. thanks
Hi David! I would dose VERY little ferts while is cycling. The reason behind this thinking is that the tanks is high in organics (ammonia and nitrites) so it can be pretty unstable. Instabilities lead to algae and this is why I'm become more and more of a fan of the dark start method, which is cycling your tank with the lights off, THEN planting. Furthermore, plants LOVE ammonia and nitrites over nitrates as its a simpler compound for them to uptake, so that will help "feed", kind of. After the tank is done cycling, and you've done some large water changes to reset the water column, THEN I would start dosing ferts for those water column feeders ;) And if you have not already, check out the ASG Feralization Kit. We have a TH-cam video on it within our channel. Hope that helps. Reach out if you have more questions!
I’m currently trying to cycle my tank without fish. Once I return from a week away I will think about adding fish if the tests are correct. I’ve got live plants in my tank with a sand substrate. So far apart from fertilising the plants (mainly attached to the bogwood) two plants in small pots, the readings have been nil for ammonia and nitrates. But today the tests were nil for ammonia but the nitrite was at .50. I’ve been using liquid carbon to feed the plants. I added some crushed coral to bring the ph up from 6. It’s now 6.5. I have a seasoned tank already and can move over some media from the filter but was waiting to do that when I’m nearly ready to add the betta fish I hope to buy. The recently seasoned tank readings are good. Nil ammonia nil nitrites. When should I add the media from my first tank. I assumed days before I add my new fish? I have some prime and quick start ready for if needed. My live plants are doing well in both tanks.
You should add bio media to your filtrer from day one as that is where the bacteria develops. But did you add an ammonia source and get your ammonia up to 2-3ppm, because if not, then your tank isn't cycling. But the time the cycle is done, you'll be around 60ppm of nitrates. That is when you process 100% water change to clean up the water column and you're good to add a few fish at a time, about 5-7 days apart. You do not want to dump a bunch of fish in at once. Furthermore, I would ditch the crushed coral and learn how to adjust your water chemistry manually. If you go to our Part 1 playlist, there is a Water Chemistry video I would watch. - th-cam.com/video/3-rJePrlGec/w-d-xo.htmlsi=43ozs4CQkPh6tJQd- I am not a fan of processes what we can not control. We need control over our tank to provide consistency. I also don't like crushed coral because it jacks up your GH, KH and PH, again uncontrollably. Planted tanks like soft water and crushed coral will you push you into the double digits for GH which most plants won't like. I have an article about this on my website here - www.aquascapeguide.com/post/should-i-use-cuttlebone-for-my-snails-in-my-aquarium
@@aquascapeguide Thanks. My tap water is 6.5 PH when I have tested it. We have soft water here. I look at your website site article and get an ammonia source. I’ve got some bio media that I haven’t used yet and also have some in my first tank that’s been in there for two months in the filter, in a little bag. I have the juwel filter and a sponge filter in there. I put some bio media in the filter replacing one of the sponges. Once I have added the ammonia source in my new tank I’ll put the bio media in. I’ve also got some small rocks that I’ve had in my first tank for a month that are intended for my new little tank. In my new tank I’ve been letting my live plants get settled and they seem to be doing ok. Thank for the advice.
Hello! Wonderful videos, thanks! What does it mean if your ammonia and nitrites AND nitrates sit at zero, after the tank is up and running. Does a tank need nitrates present in order to be healthy? How do you raise nitrates from zero to the sweet spot? Thanks, I'm off to buy a canister filter.
So when cycling a tank, if you added the right amount of ammonia, you nitrates should be around 20-40ppm. If at the end of the cycle you have no nitrates, your tank didn't cycle. What can happen though, AFTER the tank has cycled and you process a larger water change to remove all those nitrates, IF you tank is CO2 inject with a high PAR light, you plants can eat up all of the nitrates, and this is why we need to provide or supplement nutrients into the water column and/or at the substrate. Check out our Providing Nutrients video for more info on our approach there. Glad you liked the video! :) - th-cam.com/video/83ggwJmKXWk/w-d-xo.html
Thank god you made this video. People really do over complicate it! Thank you!!
Also, after the cycle is complete I have to do a 75%+ water change? I think I’m not understanding that part correctly. Thanks!
Right! I don't know why people have to overcomplicate these things. The thinking behind the large water change after the tank is done cycling is you don't want to start your tank off with really high nitrates. So the idea is to get the water all cleaned up, then you can start adding livestock slowly over time. If you had 60 to 80 parts per million of nitrates then you added fish it's only going to go up from there. So I suggest just to get the water all cleaned up, then add your livestock.
@@aquascapeguide Awesome. Thank you for the quick reply!
HI, I am totally confused and wish I had found this few weeks ago. Anyway, started a fairly well planted tank about 15 days ago using Amazonia 2 Aqua soil. Filled the tank and checked ammonia following day, it was 8.0 ppm which kind of was expected because of the Amazonia soil. Following day was down to Ammonia +4.0 ppm with no nitrite. Following day was Ammonia 4.0, nitrite at 0.25 ppm, nitrate 20.0 ppm, so had been told to do water change of 50% which I did. Couple of days later Ammonia 2.0 Nitrite 1.0 Nitrate 40.ppm. Couple of days later again Ammonia 0.25, Nitrite 2.0, Nitrate 80, did water change of 30%. Then Ammonia 0, Nitrite 20., Nitrate 80 so 30%. 2 days ago Ammonia 0, Nitrite 1.0, Nitrate +40 so another 30% change. Today Ammonia 0.00, Nitrite 0.00, Nitrate is hovering around 40 ppm. Does this mean almost ready for fish? Could it be done this quick or have I totally lost the plot? This is a 55 gallon aquarium planted to resemble Amazon river, so has only Amazon plants and will have ONLY 1 small Bristlenosed Pleco, 9 peppered cory's and several types of tiny tetra's. I currently have Aquaclear 70 running, is that enough filter for this set-up?
Yes! If your ammonia and nitrites are at zero, and stay there for a week, you're good to start adding some fish. As stated in the video, go slow. Add a couple fish a week. We don't want to overload our system. And you should really watch the rest of our PART 1 playlist series, or take our free online course. I'll add some links for you so you can keep learning... never stop asking why ;) Filtration video - th-cam.com/video/4Lu9Ctq-_uo/w-d-xo.html - ASG University, our free online course - www.aquascapeguide.com/asgu
Top Video
Can I add Stability along with Dr Tim’s Ammonia or do the cycle then add stability
Stability is a dormant bacteria that seeds your cycling tank and is supposed to help speed up the cycle from what Seachem claims. I haven't seen a huge reduction in cycling times the few times i've used it, but it never hurts to add bacteria to try and speed the cycle up! The product I've seen that helps the quickest is Fritz 7 as its live bacteria in a bottle. You can check it out here - amzn.to/46UtdC8
Thank you
Fantastic video which makes it so much easier to understand having watched several! I used fritz fishless fuel as my ammonia source couldnt get hold of dr tims in the uk - my ammonia is sat at 4.0ppm, your video suggests a water change for anything over 3 - how big should my water change be in terms of percentage - its a 14 gallon tank? i have 2.0ppm Nitrites and 20ppm Nitrates. I used API quick start a few days before adding ammonia (as i was struggling to get hold of any) which is where my nitrites/nitrates came from originally.
Thank you for the kind words! Yeah, I feel like people overcomplicate things in this hobby. HAHAHA. And for context, I only suggest to do a water change over 3ppm in case you have plants in the tank, as the ammonia can be hard on them. If the plants are not melting, or showing signs of stress, I'd just let it ride and not process a water change. IF you feel like you want to change the water, to get it down 1ppm, you'd do a 25% water change which would be around 3.5g. And it sounds like you are doing everything right, you just need to be patient and let the tank develop the necessary bacterias. Just keep and eye on your PH, and if it gets too close to 6.0, use some baking soda to kick it back up. The cycle process can eat through your KH, that for sure. Hope that helps! Ask more questions if you've got them!
@@aquascapeguide thanks so much for responding. My tank is planted and I've noticed some plant melt so ill do a change tomorrow. I may have accidently squeezed the bottle a little too much😂 it's strange the fritz fishless is to add 4 drops per gallon which is like 56 drops for me in my 14gal which seems like a lot. We aren't in any rush to get fish want to get it all right before we do. Is there another video on KH I think I've missed that one, Ive only tested my PH once it was 7.4 but I'll retest
You're welcome! And yeah, Dr Tims is the same way. It 80 drops to cycle a 20g. HAHAHA. It does feel like a lot ;) But yeah, do a little water change to get the ammonia down and that will help the plants out a bit. They actually like ammonia over nitrites, over nitrates, believe it or not. They will uptake the ammonia as a macro nutrients :) So a small one might help them a little. Just don't change too much as we need the ammonia and nitrites still to cycle the tank. And at the end of the video there is a troubleshooting cycling section. It talks about the KH/PH drop can stall the cycling process, and what to do it that happens to you. But we also have a water chemistry video that talks all about GH/KH/PH if you want to learn more about water chem :) Regardless, it sounds like you are sitting pretty and Im glad you are going into this tank with the low and slow mindset. Nothing in this hobby happens quickly. Time and small adjustments is where its at ;)
@@aquascapeguide thanks so much for your help ☺️ this is my first tank so trying to do it the 'right way' done lots of research. I did watch to the end which is where I learnt the KH I dont have a test bottle for that I'll have a look for one.
Good man, take your time and you'll do it right ;) And it sounds like you have a PH test kit, so just keep an eye on that. When your PH drops too low, its just an indication that your KH is low, so you can hold off on one of those kits until later. I know there is a nice amount of gear to acquire in this hobby. HAHAHA. Good luck bud!
what is i use fish food only to my tank to create ammonia. can i also have my carbon back hang filter while i’m starting my new tank cycle. no fish added yet and i don’t want to add live plants
Fish food doesn't break down very quickly, and also doesn't create much ammonia. People have even used a piece of cooked shrimp, but it just takes forever to break down. So that is why I don't suggest it. By the time you dose enough food to get your ammonia up, you've spent the cost of just buying ammonia from the dollar store ;) So that is why I don't recommend it. And we have an article on our website about what carbon removes from the water, but its fine to run during the cycling process. It won't really do much for the tank as of now, but remove tannins. Here is the full article - www.aquascapeguide.com/post/should-you-use-activated-carbon-in-your-planted-tank-a-balancing-act
Hi, thank you for the educational video it's very informative. I love how it is presented also. I did have a question. I have an open top tank and my water levels drop due to evaporation. Would it be okay during a cycle to top this up? If so, should I still use prime or just some quick start, whilst I top up. I don't want to stuff up the cycle that's been going for these past 8 days. Cheers in advance.
You're welcome! I enjoying helping others navigate this hobby. And yeah, you can totally top off while it's cycling. And You can use both prime and quick start while doing so. Just remember to calculate The dosage by the amount of water you're putting in, not the entire tank. So if you're only putting in 5 gallons, only put in the calculation for 5 gallons of prime. And the quick start isn't needed, but it's helpful :) Hope that answer's your question. Reach out if you have more!
@@aquascapeguide Awesome thank you for getting back to me. However, I didn't see your comment in regard to dosage, per the amount of water. So, I added Quick start, but the amount required for my tank i.e. 188ltr prior to doing this my Nitrites were 5ppm and Nitrates 100ppm. As of today, my Nitrites are at 0ppm and Nitrates 20ppm. Have I stuffed up my cycle, what should I do please? I am on day 14 of my cycle and used the ammonia method. Thank you in advance.
@@ArthasMenethil-qx2vj I would say just leave the tank be until you don't have any more ammonia and nitrites. When you get to zero ammonia and nitrites, do a 100% water change to clear out all the nitrates from the water column and you're good to add a few fish. Don't go crazy and add a ton of fish. Just a few here and there so you don't overwhelm your bacteria. But it sounds like you are getting close to the end of cycling!
@@aquascapeguide Awesome, thank you for taking the time to get back to me on this.
@@ArthasMenethil-qx2vj You're welcome! Good luck and I hope your cycle is over with quickly! ;)
I’d like to try the dark start, but doesn’t the plants need light, especially for 6 weeks?
Yes. You DO NOT want to plant the tank until AFTER the dark start. As you are thinking the plants will need light. If you already planted the tank then you wouldn't be able to do a dark start :/ Lame... I know.
This is another great movie, as is the whole series. However, I'm a bit confused by the advice not to make replacements during the cycling of the aquarium. Currently, manufacturers / aquascaoers recommend frequent water changes when starting plant aquariums on active substrates. Every day in the first week, in the second week every other day and so on. So which method is correct?
If you don’t have plants in the tank and/or you keep ammonia below 3pmm, as the video instructs, you don’t need to process water changes until the tank is cycled.
Hi Sebastian, thanks for asking this question! I'm sure someone else will find this helpful. So I like to learn/teach the why's so we are not just blindly following someone without know why, right?!. So the why behind why professionals say to process water changes, is because of ammonia. Aquasoils that are packed with TONS of nutrients leach a lot of ammonia. I'm specifically thinking of ADA Amazonia V1. Ammonia at really high levels, like 5ppm+ will kill livestock and burn plants. If you use something like Fluval Stratum, which has little to no nutrients in it, it will leach little to no ammonia, so there is no need for a water change. If you are running ADA, and your ammonia is around 5ppm, if you process a 50% water change, it will get you back down to 2.5ppms, which is the range we want to keep things in. If you are processing water changes on a tank with little ammonia in, then you are just removing the "food" that the bacteria needs to develop. We need ammonia in the tank to feed and develop nitrifying bacteria. So don't just process water changes because someone says so, check your ammonia, get it to 2-3ppm and let things cycle. IF you substrate leaches ammonia, and pushes you above 2-3ppm, then process water changes to get it back down to 2-3ppm. Make sense?
@@aquascapeguide Thank you very much for the detailed explanation and your time. Now all the dots are connected :)
@@sebastianszymanski2633 Perfect! Glad I could help connect dots with ya. Later scaper!
Do you know the Ammonia Concentration level in Dr. Tim's ammonia? I use a calculator to figure out how many drops to add to get it to 2-3ppm
Unfortunlety I don't. Im sorry. I tried googling it for you and even looked on my bottle, and they don't post what the concentration levels are. Sorry about that!
@@aquascapeguide No worries. Couldn't figure it out myself and its probably intentional on their part.
Do you leave filter running when doing the cycling
Yes! You need your filter running so your nitrifying bacteria can develop in your biomedia. Check out our filtration guide in our Part 1 Playlist.
Hey ! I think you are doing well.
Just had a question.. Do plants waste produce enough ammonia? Because i don't have any ammonia suppliment. But I used Stability once a week.
Thank you for the kind words! And no, plant waster, or detritus as we call it, its going to be enough ammonia to get things started. We really need an ammonia source to start things out. I suggest getting some instead of tossing a small fish in, for cruelty reasons.
@@aquascapeguide Thanks for the Information man . Yeah I add some shrimp 😋.. Another thing I have a tight budget and the water supplier can not give me the info So Is only Ammonia kit is enough to check whether it is cycled or not.
Thats a bummer. Then you might just need to fly blind and if you do add fish, add them REAL slowly to the tank. Like don't go tossing in 10 fish. Maybe add 1 small fish at at time to allow your filtration and bacteria to catch up! :) If you water turns milky white at any point, then you'll need to start doing heavy water changes. That is a sign your water has dangerous amount of ammonia in it. Good luck! Reach out if you have more questions.
Dr. Tims website says that extremely high nitrite levels can stall the cycle. Mine is >10 ppm, is this something to worry about?
Well I would definitely follow Dr. Tims advice! However, did it specify freshwater or saltwater? I know some of his products are designed for saltwater. I will say that I've seen more issues with low PH stalling the cycling process than I have high nitrites. Regardless, if you're worried about it, you can process a little 25% water change to see if the cycle picks up again. In the video I talk about NOT processing water changes as we need the ammonia and nitrites are needed to feed the cycle, but if you have a lot of ammonia and nitrites in the water column, a little water change isn't going to hurt anything. Hope that helps!
@@aquascapeguide Thanks so much for responding. Much appreciated!
You're welcome! Good luck with the cycle. Cycling a tank is probably the least fun part of the hobby. Its like watching paint dry. lol
Thanks so much for this video! A question regarding my current cycle...
My nitrates are reading 20-40ppm which is good, to my understanding. But my ammonia can't seem to get down to 0; it stays at around 0.25-0.50ppm. I'm still dosing Stability daily. Nitrites are zero too. It's been like this for almost a week. Do I keep dosing product daily?
Schweird. As you are thinking, everything looks good. Higher nitrates and no nitrites show that the compounds are being processed out. But always having ammonia is odd. Is your aquasoil leaching ammonia? Aquasois can leach ammonia for months, especially nice ones like ADA. Did you put fish in before it was fully cycled? It could just be the fish producing it. What is your filtration like? You could be under filtered or not have enough circulation. Do you have chloramines in your tap water? When you use a dechlorinator like Seachem Prime with chloramines, the chlorine goes away, but it leaves ammonia behind which is not good. Let me know. You can also hit me up on my website to help you troubleshoot.
@@aquascapeguide thanks so much! Yes I would’ve thought everything is processing as it should. I’m using Stratum, temps around 25 Celsius, ph around 6.5.
Just the stock hang on back filter with seperate powerhead and sponge section.
I’m churning through bottles of product! It seems stability doesn’t bring my reading up to 2ppm ammonia. Should I ghost feed as well as daily Stability? 10G slightly planted tank.
Thanks for your help!
@@DanielSing90 Stratum doesn't leach ammonia very much, so you're fine there. Do you have dedicated biomedia in your HOB? You'll want that in there. And Stability is a bacteria in a bottle. Its not a source of ammonia. Are you dosing ammonia? Or are you just getting your ammonia from ghost feeding? Also, do you know if you have chloramines in your tap water?
@@aquascapeguide Noobie so sorry if I mix my terminology here. There is a carbon cartridge in the HOB. I am not currently dosing ammonia, I have just added a small square of old filter media from a tiny 2.6G tank thats cycled.
I have not been ghost feeding at all but was wondering if that might be a possible step.
Daily dosing of Stability does not bring up, or down the ammonia from 0.25ppm.
Chlorine is indeed present in my (Sydney) tap water, not sure about chloramine??
Thanks for all your help.
You're good! My entire channel is dedicated to newbies. Hahaha. The carbon you can remove unless you're needing to remove tannins or chemicals. And good that you moved some cycled biomedia from your smaller tank. That is what I was trying to see if you've done. Stability creates the bacteria needed to cycle your tank. It "seeds" the bacteria, so that is good. But I've got bad news, I googled it and Sydney uses chloramies. There is a carbon in the US that Fluval makes called ZeroCarb. It has an ammonia remover in it. I would suggest finding something like that to run some chemical filtration to remove the ammonia from the tank. Each time you do a water changes, you'll be adding ammonia into the tank which sucks. You should be able to test your tap water for ammonia and see if that is the source.
What about putting bacteria when your cycling tank you didnt say.
Bacteria is uneeded to cycle a tank, so I don't talk much about it. Most bacteria that is sold in a bottle is dormant and not living... with the exception of Fritz Turbo 7 which is live bacteria is the seller can keep it live before getting it to you. Overall Im just not a fan of things that are uneeded. One is just using money that can go into better gear ;) All you need is ammonia, some biomedia, and time.
Can I have plants in the tank while I’m cycling? Like I have already scaped it (ofc no fish)
Mb I didn’t watch all the way 😅
Lol. Jumping the gun a little uh? ;) But Im glad you feel like you can ask questions.
Great video! I have a question. Once I add the initial dose of ammonia 2-3 PPM, will I need to continue adding a dose of ammonia daily to keep the beneficial bacteria alive since there are no fish in the tank?
Thanks for your question. I don't dose anymore after the initial dose. Once it's all processed to nitrates, and there is no ammonia or nitrites, I do a 100% water change to clean up the water and then start adding small amounts of fish over time. If your tank goes weeks without fish after cycling, then once in a while, I would kick the ammonia up to 1ppm and let it process out just to keep the bacteria fed, as you suggested. But fishless cycling is a process that prepares the tank for fish, so if you're not ready to add fish, then I would hold off on cycling. Think about it you don't have livestock in the tank, you don't need to cycle the tank. You could hardscape and add plants without cycling the tank at all.
Thanks so much for responding I really appreciate it. Subscribed! I guess I was afraid the bacteria would die off without a constant source of ammonia. I will monitor closely and add fish once the ammonia and nitrites are at zero. Have a great day!
You're welcome! And thanks for the sub. Every sub counts, right! hehehe. And nah, you're good for a little bit after the tank is done cycling. Just don't wait weeks to put fish in and you'll be ok ;) Oh, also, don't dump ALL the fish you want in the tank at once. Add a couple each week moving forward. This will allow your bacteria to catch up to the bioload each time you add fish. Some hobbyists will be like "my cycle is done!"... then go to their local fish store and buy ALLLLL the fish and dump them in. lol. As stated in the video, add a few schooling fish, a couple medium sized fish, or one large fish at a time and you'll be golden.
You have been a life saver! Thanks so much! My ammonia is now down to 0 and nitrites are super high >10ppm when using tetra test strips and 5ppm using API liquid test kit. How high is too high for nitrites? Will this stall the cycle? I'm wondering if I should top off the water to try and bring it down a bit?
Hey there! If i add ammonia and quick start how long do i wait for my fish to be added?
It usually takes about 3-4 weeks for a tank to cycle. I've used API Quick Start in the past, AND Seachem Stability and didn't see that large of a reduction in cycling time. This is because both are not live cultures, but you're just seeding the tank with "dormant" bacteria. The product that helps cycle the tank the quickest is Fritz 7 as its live bacteria in a bottle. You can check it out here - amzn.to/46UtdC8
@@aquascapeguide Thank You!
You're welcome! And thanks for having the courage to ask your question! I totally think it helps others when scrolling through comments to see questions that maybe I didn't address well enough, or at all. It extends the information being covered. So thank you! ~ Later Scaper ;P
Im doing cycle around 15 days now. (dark start method) I dont add any wood or stone.. But my water change colour to kinda yellow and light green. I do a water change and it get clear again but the next day it become yellow and light green again. Do you know what is happen?
So the yellowing sounds like something is leaching into your water column from your substrate. What substrate are you using? The green I'm not sure about. Green water is generally from an algae bloom, but that generally comes from too might light and high organics in the water... and if you're processing a dark start, then you'd have not light hitting the tank. UNLESS, its near a window where its receiving direct or strong bounced lighting. Where is the aquarium located?
Im using soil for aquascape. Im from indonesia. Im using Master soil and Platinum soil. And my aquarium is in a room with no sun light coming. I know usually green water is from green algae but theres no light hit my aquarium and the yellow thing usually come from wood tannins but i dont use any wood. Its so strange...
Actually i quit aquascape like 1 year ago becouse algae keep attack me and i dont do cycle in the past. So now i want to start again using my old substrate but with cycling this time... Just wanna try again.. But the water arghh.. its make me crazy.
Well at least you already replay me and try to help me... Not like others channel.. So thank you very much.. I will try to wait for another 2 weeks and see... If the problem still exist then im ganna rescap all >
@@hendrysimon2800 I could also be from your aquasoil. You can try one of 2 things. 1) Running carbon will help remove the tannins out of the water. If carbon does, then we know its just leaching from the soil. If the green goes away as well, then we know its not an algae bloom. 2) You can try running RODI water, or distilled water. We do have to remineralize it to the prior GH/KH, but if it goes away, then we know its coming from your water source. That would be my approach to troubleshooting your issue. It sounds like you have the rest covered. And all algae is just from an imbalance. Check out our Part 1 playlist. It covered everything you need to know to gain balance in your tank :) - th-cam.com/play/PL4JK1fROtWxcja1_5UJU3evmRnBhpy76e.html
@@aquascapeguide thank you
My tank is starting to produce some algae on the sides of my planted tank do I scrape it off or just leave it in the tank?
This is common due to the organics in the tank! So I wouldn't worry. This is also why the dark start is popular, which is talked about at the end of the video. But what I would do is let the tank completely cycle, then process a 100% water change to get the tank all cleaned up, then you can start adding your fish slowly. That is how I like to do it ;) Hope that helps!
@@aquascapeguide So I would put completely fresh conditioned water when the cycling process is done?
Yup! Get the tank all cleaned up and reset before you add fish. If not, you'll have a ton of nitrates in the tank due to the cycling process. This can lead to GDA which you're probably experiencing now. So its best to do a reset before adding fish which will make more nitrates.
@@aquascapeguide Ok thank you so much 🙏
What is KH, and how do I test for it?
Check out the water chemistry video in our Part 1 playlist. It talks about how to test your GH, KH and PH. But KH is your carbonate hardness. Its what keep your PH from moving when an acid appears in the tank. A couple examples of acids that we deal with are tannis from leaching wood, and the byproduct of the cycle process produces an acid. Also, KH effects PH. We sometimes need to adjust it to make sure our livestock are happy. So its good to learn how to test and adjust these things. See if you can find our water chemistry video! It will make sense of it all ;)
can we use fish food instead as food for the bacteria ?
We don't suggest it as it can he hard to get your ammonia up to 2-3ppm quickly, so then you don't know how much ammonia your tank is processing. That and it can take a while for the food to turn into ammonia. Food just doesn't turn into ammonia when it get put into the aquarium. It can take days to break down a small amount of fish flakes even, nonetheless a bunch of blood worms or fish pellets. This is why we simply suggest getting an ammonia source. Its easier to control.
I don’t know if I’m done, or need to start over. Please help. I set my 7 gallon AIO tank adding ammonia on 6/23, to 2-3 ppm, I had been adding Stability, prior to this. On 6/28, Ammonia was .25, Nitrite 2.0, Nitrate 5.0. Today, 7/3, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 0. This just seems faster than I expected, did I mess up somewhere, or is the tank cycled?
What is weird to me is that you have zero nitrates. The end of the cycle produces nitrates and you should be around 40-60ppm of it at the end of the cycle. We're you processing water changes during your cycle? If so, you were exporting the organics needed to cycle the tank. What you can do is put 1-2ppm in, and if it's gone in a couple of days, then you know your cycled. Again, it's just odd you don't have any nitrates in your tank.
@@aquascapeguide , no, I haven’t been doing water changes, but it’s a UNS 30a tank, 7gal, AIO cube with no lid. There has been evaporation with the hot weather, and I’ve had to add water, especially in the filter area. Could that have broken my cycle?
What did you use for your ammonia source? To test if your tank is cycled, you can add enough to get the ammonia to 1ppm and it should process out really quickly, like within a few days and you should show nitrates. If that doesn't happen, you didn't cycle the tank properly.
@@aquascapeguide I used Dr. Tims Ammonia, and the API Master Kit to test. Thanks, I’ll try again.
@@laurentoevs2320 That is perfect Hit the tank again and watch it all spits out to nitrates. If it happen quickly, then you know you're cycled.
Spoken like a chemistry textbook.
🤣 I'll take that as a compliment. Hopefully it was a little less dry than a textbook 😉
hahaha i did it correctly on accident
Hey! So long as you got there! That is all that matters... we've gotta protect dem fishies! hehehe. Or as my 2yo daughter calls them, shippies ;P