CYCLING your tank does not simply mean letting it run without any fish in it. Let me say that again. CYCLING your tank does not simply mean letting it run without any fish in it.

Cycling a tank has to do with getting the Nitrogen Cycle established, which is where bacteria turn ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrates. Ammonia and nitrite are very harmful to fish. Nitrates are not nearly as bad. These "beneficial bacteria" of the Nitrogen Cycle require two things to effectively do their thing -- food and a place to live. Most filters, as well as all the surfaces of an aquarium, provide the places for the bacteria to live. The food is in the form of ammonia (which is fish wastes and decaying things in the tank) and nitrite. A tank just sitting there with nothing in it is not building the bacteria of the Nitrogen Cycle.

Now -- here comes the punch line. Many folks on FishChannel.com like "fishless" cycling of a tank, which involves feeding the bacteria with either plain ammonia, or decaying fish food or cocktail shrimps, until the NC is established. This works fine -- but it takes anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks, during which time you do not have anything in your tank except ammonia and/or rotting shrimps. Most folks -- especially new hobbyists -- simply don't want to look at an empty tank for 6 weeks. Therefore they go to their local fish store. The good lfs's will explain the Nitrogen Cycle, and help you slowly add fish to your tank. The not so good lfs's will load a bunch of fish on you and wish you well. THE REALLY GOOD LOCAL FISH STORES WILL SELL YOU ANY ONE OF THE BACTERIA "STARTERS" NOW AVAILABLE. I'm been told that writing something in caps on a post is the equivalent of yelling -- that's what I intended to do above. There are a number of products available now that will establish the Nitrogen Cycle in a tank, with a number of fish in the tank, without harming the fish at all. I've been testing every one of these products I can find, and so far I've tested 7 or 8 , and I have only found one that didn't work, and that was a very minor brand. All of the "tank starters" from the major manufacturers work. My definition of "working" is that I used them, and the next day put the entire tank of fish into the tank, and in a few days I measured zero ammonia, zero nitrite and some nitrates -- this means that the bacteria of the Nitrogen Cycle were established, and happily converting ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite into nitrates.

PLEASE -- whenever you are starting a new tank, use one of the biological starters -- both you and your fish will be much happier. There really is no excuse for New Tank Syndrome any more.

Also, whenever you add more fish to the tank, first do a 25% water change, and add some of the biological starter along with the new fish.

Please let me know what you guys think -- and I apologize for yelling.

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Be warned -- everyone at college has a weird roommate. If you don't have a weird roomate -- then you're the weird roommate.
                                                                                                  Conan O'Brien, Stuyvesant High School.