So you've got your first fish tank....or maybe your first in a while.
Great. Let's get started. I'll bet you filled up the tank, turned on the pumps, lights, and heaters, and let the water age for a day, just to be on the safe side, then bought fish to go into your wonderful new toy, right?
Now you've gotten curious as to why you're losing fish. So you've gone online, since all the answers to all the questions are on the internet, and stumbled upon this great little forum. Then you read about this thing called "fishless cycling" that everyone seems to be so big on, all the time thinking, "well, that's great, but I've already got fish, so how do I do that now?".....
There's not a lot of information in the way of cycling your tank with fish out there, because, quite frankly, fishless cycling is the better way to go if possible. It's less stressful on the first fish that go into the tank. But, most of us didn't do it that way the first time out because we didn't know to. So, for those of us (most of us) that buy first, ask questions later, here's a little rundown of what to expect when you've chosen (or stumbled into) cycling the "fishy" way....(grab a seat and get comfy, it's a long post)
First and foremost, be prepared to lose fish. It's often a part of it. Do a little research, and if you can, trade in the fish that are less tolerant of bad water conditions. If this happens to be "all" of your current fish, well, there you go. Trade them all in, and do a fishless cycle.... If you've got something that is hardy, say goldfish, then you should be okay, providing you've not totally overstocked your tank. Try for one or two fish and no more for the cycling portion of your tank ownership experience, that way you minimize the potential for losses. Use the credit from your trade in to buy a testing kit, and buy the good one with lots of tests in it. You'll need one for ph, ammonia, and nitrates/nitrites at least, and water hardness tests are also a good idea, although not completely necessary to start with.
Now, what you should expect.... You're going to have an ammonia spike, if you haven't already. Your fish will gasp at the surface, and your trusty test kit will show readings that would be consistent to pouring windex into your tank. Do water changes regularly, and by regularly I mean daily, 20% at least. (Now, don't assume that "at least" means it's okay to dump all the water and refill...that'll just start all of this over...)
Then your ammonia will even out a little, and you'll have a nitrite spike. Hungry bacteria are munching away on your ammonia problem, and created this one. Once again, your fish will be quite uncomfortable, and your readings will shoot through the roof. Keep up with the water changes, you don't have too much further before other hungry bacteria take over converting your nitrItes to nitrAtes, which are removed by, you guessed it, water changes.
You'll probably experience at some point in all of this a bacterial bloom, where the whole tank turns milky white, like someone poured chalk or milk of magnesia into your water. This will usually go away in a few days, and it's pretty much the last step in this little drama. Once the bacteria have set up in your tank, you're home free. Now all you have to do is be a responsible hobbyist. Don't overcrowd your tank, don't overfeed its inhabitants, and do regular (this time I mean weekly or biweekly) water changes. Keep your test kits handy, they'll be of great use to you whenever you have more problems in the future (since we will badger you for tank specs and parameters anytime you ask us a question ) Be patient, this process could take a couple of weeks, or it could take a month or longer. It depends on your individual situation....
Good luck to you in your quest for a healthy tank. If anyone else has a pearl of wisdom to add, feel free to do so....
Great. Let's get started. I'll bet you filled up the tank, turned on the pumps, lights, and heaters, and let the water age for a day, just to be on the safe side, then bought fish to go into your wonderful new toy, right?
Now you've gotten curious as to why you're losing fish. So you've gone online, since all the answers to all the questions are on the internet, and stumbled upon this great little forum. Then you read about this thing called "fishless cycling" that everyone seems to be so big on, all the time thinking, "well, that's great, but I've already got fish, so how do I do that now?".....
There's not a lot of information in the way of cycling your tank with fish out there, because, quite frankly, fishless cycling is the better way to go if possible. It's less stressful on the first fish that go into the tank. But, most of us didn't do it that way the first time out because we didn't know to. So, for those of us (most of us) that buy first, ask questions later, here's a little rundown of what to expect when you've chosen (or stumbled into) cycling the "fishy" way....(grab a seat and get comfy, it's a long post)
First and foremost, be prepared to lose fish. It's often a part of it. Do a little research, and if you can, trade in the fish that are less tolerant of bad water conditions. If this happens to be "all" of your current fish, well, there you go. Trade them all in, and do a fishless cycle.... If you've got something that is hardy, say goldfish, then you should be okay, providing you've not totally overstocked your tank. Try for one or two fish and no more for the cycling portion of your tank ownership experience, that way you minimize the potential for losses. Use the credit from your trade in to buy a testing kit, and buy the good one with lots of tests in it. You'll need one for ph, ammonia, and nitrates/nitrites at least, and water hardness tests are also a good idea, although not completely necessary to start with.
Now, what you should expect.... You're going to have an ammonia spike, if you haven't already. Your fish will gasp at the surface, and your trusty test kit will show readings that would be consistent to pouring windex into your tank. Do water changes regularly, and by regularly I mean daily, 20% at least. (Now, don't assume that "at least" means it's okay to dump all the water and refill...that'll just start all of this over...)
Then your ammonia will even out a little, and you'll have a nitrite spike. Hungry bacteria are munching away on your ammonia problem, and created this one. Once again, your fish will be quite uncomfortable, and your readings will shoot through the roof. Keep up with the water changes, you don't have too much further before other hungry bacteria take over converting your nitrItes to nitrAtes, which are removed by, you guessed it, water changes.
You'll probably experience at some point in all of this a bacterial bloom, where the whole tank turns milky white, like someone poured chalk or milk of magnesia into your water. This will usually go away in a few days, and it's pretty much the last step in this little drama. Once the bacteria have set up in your tank, you're home free. Now all you have to do is be a responsible hobbyist. Don't overcrowd your tank, don't overfeed its inhabitants, and do regular (this time I mean weekly or biweekly) water changes. Keep your test kits handy, they'll be of great use to you whenever you have more problems in the future (since we will badger you for tank specs and parameters anytime you ask us a question ) Be patient, this process could take a couple of weeks, or it could take a month or longer. It depends on your individual situation....
Good luck to you in your quest for a healthy tank. If anyone else has a pearl of wisdom to add, feel free to do so....