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Nitrogen Cycle or "New tank syndrome"
The Nitrogen cycle is also known as "new tank syndrome"
This is the process by which nitrifying bacteria colonize in your filter
and gravel. This is the single most important step in establishing your
aquarium ecosystem.
As soon as you add fish to a brand new, clean, clear-watered aquarium,
they start to make waste. Excess food and fish waste both contain bacteria
that will utilize oxygen to break the waste down into ammonia. This is
the first step in the Nitrogen cycle. You need to get a test kit and check
the Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite levels during this time. You will see
the ammonia level rise past the point that it is extreamly dangerous for
the fish.
Ammonia is very toxic to fish, irritating their gill tissues and causing
severe damage to other body tissues. We call this Ammonia burn, because
it basically burns your fish's sensitive tissues.
After the Ammonia spikes by having the benefical bacteria multiply in
your tank, the levels will begin to decline because this bacteria further
break the ammonia down into nitrite.
This is the second step toward cycling your aquarium. Just because you
are in the second part of the cycle you need to know that Nitrite is still
very toxic to fish. It destroys the hemoglobin in their blood, which carries
their oxygen. In simple terms, nitrite will suffocate your fish. This
causes stress, and any kind of stress will affect your fish's immune system,
leading to disease and usually death. The Nitrite will also spike just
as the Ammonia did and then begin to decline after it reaches a peak.
The Nitrite breaks down into Nitrate. Far less toxic than ammonia and
nitrite. Nitrate is the end product of the Nitrogen cycle. This chemical
is only toxic at high levels, above 50 parts per million or so. Nitrites
will slowly increase in the aquarium. There are very few ways to remove
Nitrates from the aquarium.
To keep nitrate at a healthy level, most aquarists do water changes
every 14 to 18 days, removing only about 20 percent of their aquarium's
water and replacing it with new water. It is important to only change
this small amount, or you will lose too much bacteria and the cycle will
begin again!
Live plants are also somthing you can use to help keep nitrate under
control, the plants use it as fertilizer.
The whole cycle usually takes 4 weeks or more, depending on how quickly
your bacteria grow. It can take longer, especially for saltwater aquariums.
There are now a few reliable products avaliable on the market that contain
actual bacteria, to give your aquarium a little boost through the cycle.
There is also a process known as fishless cycling that many have tried
with great sucess.
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