Question: Tank Cycling

[oceangoddess106]

I have heard and read much about cycling your tank but after much research im still not sure what good it does. If anyone has the time and knowledge could they explain it to me with a description a newbie to aquariums could understand. Also is there a good way to cycle my tank if all I own are my 2 axolotls?

 

[Kerry1968]

Have you got your axolotls in the uncycled tank? How long have you had the tank set up? Do you have a filter running?

If you have your axolotls in the tank then you will have to be meticulous about water changes and you should be doing 20% changes every day (with fresh dechlorinated water).

This is basically all you need to do until your tank is cycled. If you have your axies in the tank, which many people don't recommend, then they will provide the source of ammonia to get the tank cycling (with their poo).

If you don't have them in the cycling tank then you will need a source of ammonia added to the tank (you can add the axies poo, or you can put a piece of shrimp or some fishfood in there).

So to the cycling process.

You start with ammonia, which is toxic to axolotls and fish, this is then 'eaten' by the bacteria in the tank and the bacteria then produce waste in the form of nitrite.

Nitrite is also toxic, this is then 'eaten' by more bacteria which then produce waste in the form of nitrate.

Nitrate is toxic too for fish and axolotls, but less so and is the end product of cycling your tank.

Once you have nitrates you are nearly done and your axies will be safe and happy in your tank, as long as you perform 20% changes weekly thereafter.

So to cycle your tank you will need to do regular checks on the chemistry of your tank to check for ammonia levels, nitrite levels and nitrate levels. This will need to be done almost daily intially, you will then see an ammonia 'spike' (the ammonia levels rise dramatically) then checking daily along with the water changes you will see the ammonia levels drop and the nitrites start to rise. After this you will start to see a little indication of nitrates.

You are aiming for a reading of

zero ammonia

zero nitrites

20-60ppm nitrates

I have found the best kit to take all these readings is API master test kit for freshwater.

I hope you understand all this, it sounds complicated, but it really isn't and once you get your tank cycled it's such a great feeling after all the hard work!

Good luck!

 

[Greg31]

great post, helped me understand as well!

 

[Kerry1968]

Thank you, I just hope I've got it all right!

Once it was explained to me in laymans terms it helped me to understand each part much easier, especially where the nitries and nitrates actually come from!

 

[Greg31]

haha, i cant tell you how much i have read, and how little i have actually understood about it. Your post made complete sense to me.

 

[oceangoddess106]

we actually bought the tank to house the axolotls.they are very rare to come by where we live so we got them as soon as the pet store had them in. So just to make sure I am understanding this correctly I just keep there tank fresh until I have a amonia spike followed by a nitrite spike then im done?

I know its not recomended to keep pets in an uncycled tank but we bought them as soon as we saw them and have just been going from there. Until i started resaerch I have never even heard of the term "nitrogin cycle" or whatever it is called.

I thank you kerry and just to reassure everyone the tank reading have been steadily healthy and we change when we see fit. The axies are happy and healthy :happy:

 

[Markw]

The axies shouldnt be in a tank that isnt cycled unless youre doing at least 20% water change every day. The ammonia spike you have to encounter is very stressing on the axies. Even more so with the nitrite spike that comes afterwards. Cycling is completely finished when the ammonia has went up, then back down. Then the nitrite goes up then back down. Then the nitrates stay elevated above zero. The ammonia and nitrite should hold steady at zero. Then your tank is cycled.

Mark

 

[oceangoddess106]

Just one more question, will the 20% daily change prolong the cycling process? If so would it be smart to move the axies to a 1.5g tank while I keep my plants, ghost shrimp, and maybe a few added guppies in the display tank I plan on keeping the axies in normally while the cycleing process takes place?

Oh and I apologize kerry for not answering your questions earlier but if you are still interested, yes we have been keeping them in the uncycled tank mainly because it is the only tank we have set up. We are using the "waterfall" type filter I guess you would call it. The filter sits outside the tank and pulls the current in spilling out into the tank over the top if I am using an incorrect term, and we have had the axies in the tank going on three weeks now.

 

[Markw]

The 20% water change every day is what people do to keep their tank from cycling while they have axies in it I believe, so yes. It will prolong the cycling of your tank. If you put your axies in a different tank with more uncycled water, you will still have to do the 20+% water change every day to make sure the ammonia doesnt get too high and cause another cycle in that tank until yours is done. Axies and axie food produce alot of nitrogenous waste which gets turned into ammonia. Once your ammonia gets too high, for lack of better terms it gets eaten away by the nitrites, which then cause another cycle. So, I would move them until your cycle is complete in the other tank, and wherever you move them to, make sure you change the water every day by at lest 20% to make sure they arent giving another cycle. I have seen some people keep their guys in a tote/bin/other plastic container with an airstone and fan ontop (to make sure the temp doesnt get too high) and be perfectly fine until their tank was done cycling. The high ammonia and nitrites could prove detrimental to your axies' health, and it would be wise of you to avoid this. Hope this helps. Keep us posted.

Mark

 

[oceangoddess106]

I have been doing daily water test ( I dont have a kit so I cant give numbers) and amonia, nitirite, and nitirate reading have been coming back healthy. I plan to just keep up with that and and the normal partial water changes and if and when I see a spike anywhere I will promptly move them to a different tank and do 20% daily water changes while there normal tank goes through the cycles.

 

[ianclick]

It is entirely possible to have axoltols in the tank while it is cycling and is not really too much more hassle than regular tank maintenance.

Moving your axolotls around will cause them more stress than an uncycled tank, providing you do regular 20-30% water changes and monitor your parameters there is no real risk.

Once your tank is cycled, you still need to do water changes and the 20% changes during cycling help to keep the ammonia levels safe. A 20% water change won't really significantly slow the cycling process down.

 

[Kerry1968]

I agree with Ian, I don't really see the point in doing daily changes on two tanks! I cycled mine with the axolotls in the tank, they were fine, I didn't see any signs of stress. As long as you are vigilant with the water changes and keep an eye on the water chemistry you should be fine.