Cycling

[Sandzee23]

Ive had my tank for some time now and i cycled it when i first got it as most people would do.

i set it up and left it running as i went on holiday for 2 weeks. When i cam back i added fish and now im at this stage. I was reading topics on this earlier and it says things about ammonia and water changes per day etc etc. I didnt do all that. My plans are to get a new tank (Jewel Vision 260) and i want to know how to cycle it. can anyone help?... simple steps needed

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Sandzee23,

Fishless cycling (or fish-in cycling, either one) is something that often only needs to be done once at the beginning of a continuous set of tank-keeping. That is because once one has a cycled filter, the mature media in that filter can be used to "clone" another biofilter for a new tank.

There are several ways to do this. Up to one third of the biomedia from the already cycled filter can be cut (chopped, divided, whatever..) and introduced to the inside of the new filter, beginning what we call a "clone" process. The filter is then subjected to our standard fishless cycling process but it usually passes its tests within a week or two, unlike a true "from scratch" fishless cycle which might typically tank 2 months instead of 2 weeks! The old filter can also be "cleaned" in the nice new tank with the nice new cloned filter and that will help it along even more!

There are other methods of handling a move up to a new tank and filter, depending on your plans for the old tank and fish. The members will be able to help you with a number of options. Your homework assignment though (since you never really learned about real cycling in the beginning) for now should be to go to our Beginners Resource Center and read 3 articles to start: The Nitrogen Cycle, The Fishless Cycle and The Fish-In Cycle. Those are a great background to get you asking questions. Don't be afraid to search and read other threads too!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Sandzee23]

ah thanks