# how do i cycle my tank



## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

is there anyway to do it at my house i dont mind taking my betta out for a day or two and btw its a 10 gallon tank and theres a heater filter a plant and a decor. Im wondering how do i cycle it before my fish dies. Btw he is extremely healthy right now so i dont want to ruin it


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## Willow (Mar 20, 2005)

How long has the tank been set up? If it's been more than a month, it's probably already cycled itself and you don't have to worry. Bettas are tough and can usually withstand the cycling process, but a fishless cycle is still best. Do you have a test kit? You'll need one so that you can know when the cycling is complete.


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## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

wow that made me feel a relief. I hope so thxx a lot


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## khachdatinh (Sep 17, 2007)

what is cycled?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

cycled=having completed the cycling process. That is having an established bacterial colony such that the ammonia produced by your fish is almost instantly converted to nitrite then nitrate. In a cycled tank, ammonia is always 0, nitrite is 0, nitrate climbs until you change water. A cycled tank needs water changes to keep the nitrate low. An uncycled tank needs water changes to keep ammonia low and so need larger and more frequent water changes than a cycled tank. Cycling and keeping a tank cycled is much easier in larger aquariums. In tanks and containers of 5 gallons or less it is often easier to make large, frequent water changes rather than try to cycle a tank. Killie fishkeepers often do 100% waterchanges in half gallon containers (fill one, move fish, empty, refill, move next fish, repeat). Large water changes are also often done with temporary or quarantine tanks and in places with an easy, cheap supply of water, such as fish wholesalers in Asia on a river. Although bacteria will grow on any surface, don't assume an unfiltered tank is cycled just because it has gravel. Without water flow, the bacteria colonies may not be sufficient to handle the ammonia produced from feeding the fish. *KB*: Be sure to test for ammonia & nitrite before reducing your waterchange schedule. If your tank ever tests positive for ammonia, either it isn't cycled, or the filter isn't enough (unlikely unless you way overfeed).


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## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

ok so if i cycle my 10 gallon with my betta will it harm my betta. My tank may be already cycled but i dont even know


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## khachdatinh (Sep 17, 2007)

ah Thanks for the explaination. I'm still like an old timer raising fish. I normally get a big tank. put soil in the bottom, throw in a bunch of floating plants such as water hyacinth and never change water. I look very dirty but within a week the dirt fell to the bottom and the water will look clean. Those that in 1 gallon, half gallon I change 100% water all the time every 2-3 days. Most of the tanks i put outdoor but winter comes and i bought a bunch of 10 gallons to put them all in and having difficulty how to keep them all warm.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Thats like a pond. I understand water hyacinths make pretty decent filters and also soak up nitrate. Cycling tanks and overfiltering (using more filtration than in nature or even typical aquariums of the past) allows us to keep more fish in less water. Newbies are prone to overstocking a small tank so cycling is important. Much better than reading "I had 2 of my 10 fish die, so I bought 4 more and 6 died". Bigalsonline has tank heaters cheap, but the amount of electricity they use really adds up. It might be cheaper to run a space heater at night, esp. if this is only temporary.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

> if i cycle my 10 gallon with my betta will it harm my betta


Not if you keep the ammonia and nitrite levels low. It shouldn't be too difficult as you only have 1 fish in ten gallons.


> My tank may be already cycled but i dont even know


 Feed your fish, wait a few hours, test the water (or take a sample to tank for testing) for ammonia level. If ammonia is 0, repeat with nitrite. If both are zero, chances are your tank has already cycled. If either is present you can get a test kit so you can watch the end of the process. How often are you changing water and what %? More than likely you've keep both ammonia and nitrite from reaching toxic levels just with clean water. Once you know your cycle is complete, you can use a nitrate test to determine how much water you need to change regularly. Once you set a schedule, you can cut back on testing to once every month or so. When a fish grows, we feed more, and then need to change more water. If you have money and are in a hurry get some BioSpira or Stability and use as directed.


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## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

i am changing it everyy week and around 40%


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Thats a nice safe schedule even if the tank hasn't cycled yet. Once it does, you may be able to cut back to 20% weekly, or even 10% if you feed lightly. There is nothing wrong with the larger water changes, but if you need to cut back, make sure your tank is cycled before you do.


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## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

ok thanks until i see that i guess ill stick to 30 or 40%


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

http://www.fishaholics.org/articles.php?ArtId=12


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## Sunaynire (Nov 10, 2007)

I just saw your other thread with your pictures, and what kind of filtration do you have on the tank? Unless you have some sort of biological filter on it you can't build the bacteria needed to cyle the tank.


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## kbjunior8 (Sep 3, 2007)

i have a elite stingray filter


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## livebearer_love (Nov 26, 2007)

whats the best way to cycle a tank without fish?
I usually use Cycle® but i've heard it isn't the best...


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## Willow (Mar 20, 2005)

Cycle might help a teensy bit but not much. One way to do a fishless cycle is to throw a shrimp (a dead shrimp, the kind you'd eat) into the tank, and the ammonia it releases as it rots will start the cycle. You can also just add ammonia to the tank, but you have to be careful to use plain ammonia, not lemon-scented or whatever. You'll need a test kit so that you'll know the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. Without a test kit, you can't know for sure when the tank is done cycling. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it, too, but I'm no expert. Try Googling "fishless cycle", I'm sure you'll find some info.


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## ikermalli (Sep 23, 2007)

He has had his tank for a while now so it should be cycled, around 2 months now. Also he now has four gouramis in his tank... just wondering, I already have a filter in my own 20G tank (penguin 150) but I feel it is not doing that great of a job. Should I get another filter? Like a powerhead filter like the Hagen aquaball series filter? But I would probably get the one for the 10G because I do not want the water to move too fast


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