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| So you have a new tank and you filled it up, put the filter together,
mounted the heater into place and turned on the lights. You have all
the plants and decorations where you want them....
You are ready for fish.
But, your filter is not ready for a full population of fish yet.
The filter is running and moving the water and cleaning out crud, right? Of course!
But a very important part of your filter is the part you can't see. "Beneficial Bacteria", also known as "Nitrifying Bacteria" has to grow in your tank that clings to your filter pads, gravel and decorations. This happens after you add the first fish. An
aquarium filter removes the larger visible stuff, but it also must develop this bacteria to
remove the dissolved fish waste. The first few weeks of a tank's life as these bacteria colonies develop is known as "New-Tank Syndrome" or the "Break-in Period". Many people call it "Cycling". Get some test kits to monitor it yourself, or take a sample of water to your local fish store and have it tested. Just be sure to get the actual levels of each toxin from the fish store people. Don't let them tell you "It's okay" Or it "It's a little off". We need numbers so we can compare results and measure progress. You may have to do 25% water changes to keep them low enough that your new fish don't die while the break-in period continues.
This is how the process works;
Dissolved fish waste turns into toxic ammonia in the tank water.
The beneficial bacteria feed on the ammonia and produce nitrite which is also toxic.
Another type of bacteria must then grow to eat the nitrite.
The bacteria then produce a much less harmful toxin called nitrate.
Nitrate is removed with our weekly 25% water changes. Keep it below 40 ppm. Lower is even better.
So....ammonia (fish pee and poo) turns into- nitrite that turns into- nitrate which is removed by our weekly changes
The entire
process in a new tank can take 6 to 8 weeks to complete because these "nitrifying"
bacteria grow quite slowly. The process can go much faster if you use a method called "fishless cycling". If you do an internet search with that phrase you will find information about it. It works quite well and it doesn't endanger the health and lives of fish, but most new hobbyists don't want to wait that long to actually put fish in their new tank. Another way to help ease and sometimes speed the process is to take a cup or two of gravel from a healthy established tank and add it to your new one. The gravel from another healthy tank will have beneficial bacteria on it and will "seed" yours with it.
Start off your new tank with only one or two small hardy fish for every ten gallons (about 40 liters) of water and don't add more until the 6
to 8 weeks has gone by. Hard to be patient, but it is worth it to keep
your fish alive and healthy through the crazy break-in process. Too many fish at first will cause the toxins to rise so high that it kills your new fish. Even if your new fish are doing well and everything looks good, don't be tempted to get more fish yet. Watch the levels of ammonia and nitrite. Once they have both spiked and then dropped to "zero" you can add more fish very slowly. More about that later...
Avoid changing the filter pads during break-in. This removes
the bacterial colonies that are essential to a balanced aquarium. You
can gently rinse the filter pad out in a container of aquarium water, but only if absolutely necessary. This
will preserve most of the bacteria colonies while still allowing your
filter to flow freely. Even using bacteria additives and water
conditioners when you first set up the tank will not make a tank begin
the cycle by itself. If there are no fish to provide food (fish waste)
for the bacteria, the beneficial bacteria cultures will die and you
will have to start the colonies all over again once fish are added to
the tank.
Feed your new fish VERY lightly. Any excess food will cause additional
waste your system cannot afford to have right now. If you see food
floating around or lying on the plants and gravel after five minutes,
too much food is going into the tank. Cut back a little each time you
feed until it is ALL gone 5 minutes after you feed them. Feed them once
a day.
During this "break-in period" your tank may become cloudy and/or milky
looking. You may have to tolerate this for the entire break-in period
but it is only temporary. Changing 25% of the water three times a week or more
until the break-in period is over helps a great deal. Changing water
reduces the ammonia and nitrites that rise while the bacteria continues
to multiply. If ammonia and/or nitrites become too high, your fish will
become stressed, ill and possibly die. Use a good water conditioner when you
replace the water and make sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water to avoid
shocking your fish.
When the break-in is over after 6 to 8 weeks and there are no nitrites
or ammonia present in the water you can slowly add more fish. Add one
or two every week until you reach the desired population. Adding fish slowly allows
the bacteria to adjust to the new population every time before adding
more. Monitor the nitrites and ammonia to be sure they don't come up after each new addition.
If they do, make a 25% water change and check them again. Don't add the
next fish until the levels are down again.
The safe maximum population for smaller types of fish is one inch (2.5 cm.) of adult fish
for every gallon (4 liters) of water in the tank. Do some research to be sure of
the future size of the fish you are interested in. Even though they are small when you buy
them, you have to base your population calculations on full-sized adult
fish. Many hobbyists have up to two inches per gallon but this can be
risky. If a water quality issue arises or a disease occurs it will
spread fast and furious in an over-populated tank. In any case, 25%
water changes with gravel vacuuming once a week, every week are absolutely essential for the
health of your fish.
**Please Note** Larger and messier fish such as goldfish, oscars, plecostomus, etc., cannot be stocked following the "one inch per gallon" rule. Imagine a 10 inch oscar in a little 10 gallon tank.....yikes! It just can't work. Only use this rule for fish that don't grow to be larger than 2 or 3 inches.
Once your tank establishes and finishes this whole break-in process, it goes on
consistently unless something happens to disturb it. Ammonia and
nitrite levels should always be "zero" in an established tank after the
break-in is over. Overcleaning your tank or cleaning/changing your filter pads too
often, overstocking with too many fish, or overfeeding, can all cause your
tank to become imbalanced. These things disturb the beneficial bacteria
and then wastes aren't being processed properly. Proper weekly maintenence will help keep your fish healthy and greatly reduce the chances of disease.
Following the above guidelines will help you get your new tank on the right track for long term success in keeping healthy fish.
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