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Nitrogen cycle-Betta specific

76K views 165 replies 58 participants last post by  Arnold 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Establishing the nitrogen cycle doesn't have to be something to fear or be overly complicated.

The filtered tank will cycle without you doing anything, however, since the process takes time to complete- if you don't make water changes the high levels of ammonia and nitrite can kill the Betta...But wait-you are going to make water changes anyway....RIGHT.....
So, you have been cycling your filtered tank with your Betta this whole time and didn't know it....See how easy that was......

Establishing the nitrogen cycle for the Betta in 1gal-10gal filtered tank can be safely completed with a healthy Betta with or without testing products.....provided that you make the needed water changes......

No matter what container you have your Betta in...You will need to make water changes due to the byproducts produced.....
The difference when cycling is that you are growing beneficial bacteria that can help keep the water safer with limited water changes once established.

Since the filtered tank is a closed system-you still have to make water changes.
Nothing leaves the tank until you remove it manually with the water change, however, once the nitrogen cycle is established-the BB can convert the most harmful byproduct (ammonia) to a less harmful byproduct(nitrate).....

You don't want to base water change needs on water test alone-due to the DOC's (dissolved organic compounds) that can be harmful when they buildup to high levels.

You can establish the nitrogen cycle in 1-4gal filtered tanks, however, due to limited surface area the cycle might not be stable and twice weekly water change will be needed to maintain water quality.

You don't have to have water test kit on hand to safely establish the nitrogen cycle for the Fish-in cycle method with a single Betta in a small filtered tank, however, having one can take the guess work out of the game...Plus, its a good idea to know how to properly run water prams test, understand what they mean, how they interact, what to do with test results and its really good overall to have this knowledge base for fish keeping in general and you can look cool and impress your friends....

Sadly, due to the cost of a freshwater master test kit-sometimes we can't always afford one and this is when you can take your water to the pet shop for a Free test-Just always get numbers-don't accept "Fine" or "Okay" and find out what type of test product they used too-watch them do it if you can.....


Understanding the beneficial bacteria:
The beneficial bacteria (BB) you are colonizing for the nitrogen cycle are self limiting. What this means-you can only grow a colony large enough based on-
Food source-byproducts from anything organic-like the Betta, fish food, live plants, shrimp, snails...etc....
Oxygen-when the water flow from the filter disrupts the surface you have gas exchange
Surface area-all areas inside the tank-like the walls, decorations, plants-both real and fake, in the top layer of the substrate and in the filter media.

The BB are sticky and adhere to all the surface areas within the tank-very little are in the water column itself.

The BB are alive..and many things can kill or slow the BB growth/colonizing.
Like dehydration, suffocation, chlorine/chloramines and some medications
If the BB dry up they die
If they are buried in mulm/debris that limits access to dissolved oxygen they can suffocate.
If the filter is turned off longer than 6 hours the BB will start to die
Both chlorine and chloramine will kill the BB
Many different medications will kill the BB
With pH 6 and less the BB can't colonize

It is important to vacuum the substrate in all areas that can be reached without moving anything or disruption of plant roots- at least weekly to keep the mulm/debris from suffocating the BB
It is important to rinse/swish the filter media in old tank water or fresh dechlorinated water a couple of times a month to maintain good water flow to the BB. The filter media should look dirty-this is normal and good.


The fishless cycle is intended for community tanks-this method was developed so that you could safely fully stock large tanks. Since we are only stocking our smaller filtered tanks with a single Betta and maybe some shrimp and/or snails. The Fishless method isn't always needed.

The Process:

Once you setup your tank and properly acclimate the Betta.

Your first water change should start on or about day 3 and schedule the second weekly from that point.....

In a 1gal-4gal filtered tank-without live plants:
Water changes of twice weekly 50%...1-50% water only and 1-50% to include the substrate by vacuum or stir and dip method.
Filter media needs swish/rinse in old tank water a couple of time a month
*The long term care and established cycle care will be the same on 1-4gal filtered tanks.

In 5gal-10gal filtered without live plants:
Water changes of twice weekly for the next 4-6 weeks
Of... 1-50% water only and 1-50% with vacuum in all areas you can reach without moving anything or disruption of plant roots.
*The 50% with vacuum will be the water change schedule for the life of the system to maintain water quality once the nitrogen cycle has established.
Filter media needs swish/rinse in old tank water a couple of time a month

*If you have water test kit-base the water only change on: ammonia, nitrite 0.25ppm or greater.
With a low bioload often you don't need the second water only-I always recommend it when you don't have test kit to err on the side of caution...its the safety net....

Live plants can change the cycling process as well, however, you have to have enough of the right species of plants that are actively growing.
Not all plants can use enough of the byproducts fast enough to help keep the water safe for the Betta.

Using lots of fast growing stem plants and floating plant you will have a silent cycle. The active plant growth can use the ammonia before conversion and it can take a long time if ever to see the nitrate reading we look for to tell us cycling stages/completeness.

With enough of the right species plants that are in active growth can also decrease water change needs in 1-4gal filtered tanks to 50% weekly.

*Remember-some additives can change or skew water prams results-
Like some dechlorinator products can change ammonia to ammonium so its not harmful to the Betta-but, live plants and BB can still use it as a food source to colonize.
Some plant foods can cause false readings in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Its not uncommon to have ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the source water
When using test kits-they test at a ppm level (parts per million) so you will always have some ammonia in the water at very low levels that can be used by the beneficial bacteria.

Once the nitrogen cycle has established your water prams should read:
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5-10ppm ideally...You want to keep this under 40ppm
pH-can vary- Betta can adapt to most source water pH without issue and use of chemical to altar the pH should be avoided-except in rare cases......
 
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#36 ·
What are the best plants to provide the oxigen needed?

I have a planted tank, it is small, only 2.5 gallons, and I have a filter but it is very low flow and does not agitate the water surface because my fish stops eating altogether if the surface is not still. :(

I have a pretty stable cycle established, but now i m worried it will collapse.

I have two Java ferns and dwarf hairgrass on most of the bottom. I just got some water wisteria to add but it will be in quarantine for a few more days before I can put it in.

With the grass I had to add a plant light and add a liquid CO2 additive daily and aquarium plant fertilizer with every water change.

I also have a moss ball, but I am not sure I like it and I might get rid of it.

What is a good amount of plants to keep in a 2.5 gallon to up the oxygen?
 
#38 ·
Do you mean overstocked with fish or plants?

My betta Guppy is an only fish, he has no companions and I don't think he wants any. he seems very happy. He is enjoying the less frequent water changes. I noticed he is starting to bite his tail whenever I do a water change so I am trying to keep it to a minimum to reduce stress, but still keep him healthy. I think more plants will help that process.

I am also considering a bubbler but i am not sure this will help either.

Can you over-plant?
 
#39 · (Edited by Moderator)
I wouldn't add a bubbler since that could drive off too much CO2 that is naturally in the tank for the plants.

With a single Betta in a 2.5gal tank with light filtration from a gentle flow filter, live active growing plants with maybe a few shrimp and/or snails....You don't need to worry about the dissolved oxygen levels in the tank.

I would recommend 50% weekly at most water changes-provided that the plants are thriving and no you can't over plant, however, you can have so many plants that you don't have room for the Betta to swim.
 
#40 ·
Thank OFL, I am glad I don't need the bubbler.

I don't have shrimp or snalils, should I consider getting some and what do they do for the tank?
 
#41 ·
I had a question on this (thanks so much for this BTW)

In a 1gal-4gal filtered tank-without live plants:
Water changes of twice weekly 50%...1-50% water only and 1-50% to include the substrate by vacuum or stir and dip method.
Filter media needs swish/rinse in old tank water a couple of time a month
*The long term care and established cycle care will be the same on 1-4gal filtered tanks.
What do the two types of water change do? What difference do the water only change and the substrate vacuum have on the chemistry of the water?

I'm trying to get the whole cycling thing down, and just really read this post and noticed the difference. I tend to vacuum every time I do a water change - is that removing too much stuff to get the cycle started?

Thanks so much for any explanations!
 
#42 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm trying to get the whole cycling thing down, and just really read this post and noticed the difference. I tend to vacuum every time I do a water change - is that removing too much stuff to get the cycle started?

Thanks so much for any explanations!
A lot of the beneficial bacteria are in the substrate and you only need to vacuum in all areas you can reach without moving anything one time a week...You can vacuuming half- twice a week will also be fine or a 1/3- 3 times a week...etc....
Sometimes its a bit of a balance with low stocking levels and/or small tanks....You don't want to remove too much BB at one time and cause a spike or leave too much mulm/debris that will suffocate or limit food delivery to the BB....Its all about balance....

The information I provide is just general guidelines or starting point for you-Aquariums are rarely the same and we will need to tweak things as we go to maintain that balance.....
 
#43 ·
Very good explanation on cycling thank you! I will keep this link for other people. Or if I will ever decide to do it. I don’t cycle my 3 gall and 5 gall because it pain for me to clean filter and do gravel vacuuming. I just do 100% and 50% water changes a week for all my tanks with betta acclimation. Sometimes I do just 100% water changes only .
I have 4 betta . Look like they all healthy for almost 3 years now.
 
#44 ·
I'm trying to cycle my 5 gallon, but I have no clue what I'm doing. I've read all the stickies, but it is still confusing. The filter I have in my 5 gallon ran in my cycled 10 gallon for about 3 days (not long enough, I know) and I have some gravel from the 10 gallon sitting by the filter intake. I also tore some of the cartridge off the one in the 10 gallon and put it in the filter in the 5 gallon. There is no ammonia source though. There are no fish in it. Do I put fish food in? How much? How often should I test the water? Do I change the water? How much?
 
#52 · (Edited by Moderator)
It's always best to do a fishless cycle when possible - ANY detectable amount of ammonia is harmful. I realize that sometimes people get in a situation where they have no choice but to do a cycle using fish, but I see no reason to encourage this outdated practice, especially with a betta.
No matter what you have your Betta in....It will produce byproducts and water changes will be needed. The hobby grade test products only test at a PPM level and so you will always have some level of Ammonia in the system.
Fish in general have natural protection from the slime coat and can tolerate much higher levels of ammonia than given credit.
The amount of ammonia exposed during the cycling process shouldn't be anymore than what they are exposed to on a regular bases between water changes and/or the time line of the BB consuming it.

The only difference in cycling and not...is the bacteria you are colonizing. Its a natural process that occurs in a tank when the bacteria needs are met. These bacteria are self limiting to the-food source, oxygen and surface area. By understanding the bacteria involved in the cycling process-will help you understand how cycling with a Betta can be safe.

With that said, it is best to fish-less cycle for community tanks-due to the limiting factors of the BB.
 
#58 ·
No matter what you have your Betta in....It will produce byproducts and water changes will be needed. The hobby grade test products only test at a PPM level and so you will always have some level of Ammonia in the system.
Fish in general have natural protection from the slime coat and can tolerate much higher levels of ammonia than given credit.
The amount of ammonia exposed during the cycling process shouldn't be anymore than what they are exposed to on a regular bases between water changes and/or the time line of the BB consuming it.

The only difference in cycling and not...is the bacteria you are colonizing. Its a natural process that occurs in a tank when the bacteria needs are met. These bacteria are self limiting to the-food source, oxygen and surface area. By understanding the bacteria involved in the cycling process-will help you understand how cycling with a Betta can be safe.

With that said, it is best to fish-less cycle for community tanks-due to the limiting factors of the BB
I understand exactly how the nitrogen cycle works - I've cycled quite a few tanks over my lifetime, both large and small. And I agree with you that there will always be trace amounts of ammonia in the tank. But I stand by what I said regarding exposing the fish, especially a betta, to the amount of ammonia that can be detected by a standard Nessler test AND exposing it to nitrite. Using Prime helps, but unless a more sophisticated test system is used (and they are available for around the same price as a Nessler test), there is no way for the average hobbyist doing a cycle for the first time to understand how much of that total ammonia reading is harmful and how much isn't, especially when you throw Ph into the mix. And as far as I know, all nitrite is harmful.

It's well established that exposure to toxic ammonia as well as nitrite can cause stress and both short term and long term health issues in fish. And with their long, flowing fins, bettas are especially susceptible to problems such as fin rot which is often a direct result of poor water quality and stress. For this reason I just don't see a reason to encourage fish-in cycles when fishless cycles are so easy to do (especially these days when there are products available that contain the correct species of bacteria to get the job done quickly) during which time the betta can be safely housed in another container getting frequent water changes to keep the ammonia at 0 and keep nitrite completely out of the equation.
 
#51 · (Edited)
I'm sorry if this question has already been asked, I will admit I did not read this entire thread. I am cycling a 5 gallon tank that was set up on Sunday. I just did a 30% water change today - water only. My question is, should I wait to vacuum the gravel until my tank is fully cycled or is it okay to go ahead and do that with every water change?

I'm also not sure if I should wait until I am getting ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings to do water changes? I used the strips to test today (that's all I have) and everything came back 0...but I did a water change anyway because I figured the fish would like it.

Edit:

Nevermind, I just read the original posting and all of my questions were answered. LOL. Sorry, and thanks OFL for the info :)
 
#54 ·
You can use a water conditioner like Seachem Prime, which will detoxify the ammonia. If your tank is cycled, your bacteria should be able to use the now detoxified ammonia.

I'm not sure what you would do if not, as I believe Seachem only binds ammonia for around a 24-48 hour or so period. After that I don't know what happens as to whether you would then have toxic ammonia floating around in your tank.
 
#55 ·
That's why I was asking in this thread. Because I wanted to know what to do if you are cycling and have ammonia in your tap water.
 
#62 ·
If the tank had just been set up, would you recommend dosing with prime every 48h until the tank is cycled? Or can the betta handle the ammonia until the tank is cycled?(say theres about .25ppm in the tap water, for example).
 
#57 ·
I have heard of bettas living years in ammonia. Would not surprise me if they can survive using fish for cycling. I have done it twice but never want to do it again.
 
#61 ·
Chocolate I was not talking about nitrate at all, just ammonia and nitrite. Nitrite is not really safe in any amount, especially if the fish is exposed to it for weeks at a time when cycling, although the addition of aquarium salt will help keep the nitrite from entering the fishes bloodstream.
 
#65 ·
Can we please stop arguing about whether a fish in cycle is okay or not and leave this thread for questions about the original subject? Thanks guys.
 
#66 ·
Crazy question, I am planning on doing a betta-fishless cycle, with no live plants. Once I understood the process fully, I started over thinking (danger alert) and realized, once I have all my beneficial bacteria established in my FIVE gallon tank, my betta fish's ammonia out-put wont be enough to sustain the bacteria and it will starve/die/vanish... though making my tank regress into another cycle? Would that happen?
 
#67 ·
That is the whole point of doing a fishless cycle. Ideally you should have enough bacteria present to cope with the bioload of a fully stocked tank. That is why the aim is usually to get the bacteria fully processing around 5ppm of ammonia in 24 hours.

Because you are only stocking the 5 gallon with a single betta, you may
initially have some die back of bacteria as it adjusts accordingly to the bioload of your fish.

However, if you monitor your parameters and keep an eye on things it shouldn't be enough to cause another cycle. A mini-cycle perhaps, but I wouldn't expect it to suddenly start causing a massive spike in your ammonia or nitrites.
 
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