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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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#133 ·
Well the weekend did the trick. I came in this morning and the nitrites had dropped to zero. I have a 20ppm reading on Nitrate which I think must be a good thing for the plants in the tank as they have all grown a couple of inches over the weekend. The water looks really clear and everyone in the tank seems very happy this morning. Thanks again for your help. Being a newbie I am more paranoid about this than I should be. It's comforting to have generous people on this forum willing to offer advice. Very grateful for the hand holding.
 

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#135 ·
Hi, thanks for all the info. It helped to clear things up. Could I ask for some specific advice? I got a betta yesterday. I'd been planning for it for a while but I hadn't heard about cycling until today.

My tank is new. It's 2.5 gallons and has two plants large enough to fill one of the corners, a bit of gravel for the plants to hold onto, and one ornament (big enough for the betta to swim into). I also have a bubble stone connected to an air pump blowing a very low stream of bubbles into the water.

The betta is about 4 months old and is active and healthy.

I had put fresh water into the tank (I use bottled water by the way, pH about 7.0-7.2 and added a bit of aquarium salt) a few hours before acclimatising the betta. But when I checked the tank today, the water was already cloudy (not terribly cloudy but it's easily visible). I googled some things and found info saying that it's related to the cycling process.

Is it indeed related? I'm wondering whether I should get into cycling with a filter and all, or just maintain the water with regular changes. But I really don't like the cloudy water!

Right now I'm planning to change 50% of the water in two days (3 days from when I got the betta), get more plants, and possibly get a small sponge filter. I'm not sure about the last, however, because from the advice I've read on this thread, changing the water regularly should maintain things, since I have a 2.5 gallon tank.

How does this sound, and is there anything else I should take into account? Thank you!
 
#136 · (Edited)
Bottled water may not contain all the minerals your fish needs to stay healthy. Conditioned tapwater is recommended. And Prime by Seachem is the most recommended conditioner because it detoxifies ammonia.

The cloudiness is a harmless bacteria lbloom. Unfortunately, it's not the nitrifying bacteria you want to cultivate in your tank.

Do not use salt.

A 50% change every three days is appropriate for a 2.5g tank. Use Prime at 2-drops/gal of tank size with every change.

A cycled tank is healthier, and a 2.5g can be safely cycled with a sponge filter (recommended). But a small tank is a little finicky. I'd say get used to tank maintenance and fishkeeping for a month or so. Read up on cycling---several stickies in this section. When you're comfortable caring for your fish, we'll coach you through the cycling process.

Live plants are a definite plus if you can handle them. And as many as you can maintain. Makes it a lot safer, especially in a small tank. See the "Planted tank" section of this forum.

Welcome to the forum.
 
#137 ·
I believe bottled water is nothing more than RO water.
 
#139 ·
For most applications, salt is snake oil for the aquarium.
 
#140 ·
Salt messes with their osmoregulation. (You can Google that if you're interested.) Betta are freshwater fish; they never see salt in their natural environment.

Bottled mineral water is OK. But what's wrong with your tapwater?

We'd love to continue answering your questions. But it would be better if you started a new thread. This one is drifting off-topic.
 
#142 ·
Welcome to the forum

In fish keeping, you will have to do a water change any time you have ammonia or nitrite in the water. Doesn't matter if you have plants or not, a filter or not. Ammonia and nitrite are poison for the fish so any time, in any situation, you have measurable ammonia/nitrite it is time for a water change. When you are doing a fish in cycle, that can be as frequent as every day. If you have a lot of plants, perhaps only once or twice a week. All depends on how long it takes to accumulate in the water. If you bought a 55 gallon and put a betta in it, you might never have to change the water while the tank cycles because there is so much water that it will take X amount of time to accumulate to measurable levels. Just to illustrate the point.

So yes, you can put the fish in right away, as long as you know you need to do water changes when the tests tell you.

Only makes a difference between new and used if the tank was in use when you bought it. Then, the bacteria will be there and you shouldnt have to cycle.
 
#145 ·
Hi everyone. I've had my 5 gallon tank Since early December, and I'm pretty sure I messed up the cycling because I did a couple of 100% water changes, including cleaning EVERYTHING. (The water looked murky, and fishy didn't look too good, so I panicked.) Now, the ammonia has finally been spiking. Again, I freaked out, also realized I hadn't been cleaning the substrate properly (changed from river rocks earlier, to gravel) and now finally have all the right stuff, vacuum, proper test kit (not API, because I was using Prime and so it wasn't working, so I gotSeaChem) and I think I'm getting closer to figuring things out... Ammonia is between .25 and .50, Nitrites finally seem to be rising, but Nitrates are still 0. So my questions are: Do I need to vacuum right now, or do I just do 25% water changes only until I see Nitrates? Also, will Prime mess up the cycling process by neutralizing Nitrite and Nitrates, or does it only convert the Ammonia to make it safer for fishy? Oh, it's not planted, I have a Fluval Spec 5 w/Sponge Filter & Water pump on low.
 
#146 ·
Prime does nothing to effect the cycle. It merely converts ammonia to a safe form.

Do not vacuum. Change 50% of the water whenever ammonia rises above 0.25ppm (on the total ammonia chart). A 50% change when nitrite rises above 0.25ppm. Don't worry about nitrate. Dose Prime @ 2-drops/gal of tank size and 1-drop/gal daily while cycling.

After cycling, a weekly 50% change with Prime should be your water change schedule forever.
 
#148 · (Edited)
Hi there,
I am new to fish keeping and recently bought my first Betta, his name is Lucky, and two Amano shrimp (Jacque and Jill- sadly Jill did not survive the move to her new home and was found to have died on day 3)
I decided to do a fish in cycle (well, actually until I looked at some of the forums on here i was pretty clued up on Betta's, but clueless on tanks and their cycle it seems) and am now on day 4. I have not done any tests yet, but after discovering the whole 'cycling process' I ordered a test strip kit online, with delivery being estimated for tomorrow.
The question I have is why is my water cloudy? Is this a normal part of the process? How long will it take to clear?
I have attached some pictures below to show you what i mean.

Just for the record I did rinse my gravel before adding it (although it is possible I maybe wasn't thorough enough.) And, the instructions for my tank were dismal, so it wasn't until day 2 when I was looking at the pre-assembled filter (it's kinda built in) that I realised the instructions had failed to mention that I needed to remove plastic bags from the carbon and ceramic filter medias, so the filter has only been running properly for probably a little over 24 hours now.
With the Betta I added the ornament along with one moss ball and the real plant on the bottom (any advice on to what this plant is would be appreciated), then on day two I added Water Lettuce and another moss ball, as well as the bog wood which came out of a LFS tank. I have a heater set to stay at 26C or 78F, and the built in filter is set to low to avoid fins getting sucked up and too strong a current for the Betta.

I have been using API Stress Coat and Stress Zyme to treat the water. And LoveFish Tropical Fish food pellets (recommended by Pets at Home, and they both seem happy to eat them)
Also, I dont know if it's relevant but since Day 2 my shrimp have (or has, being there is only one now) an aversion to the water, they were great day 1, chomping down food and on the moss balls, but then they would just stay in the top left hand corner of the tank by the filter intake not moving. Or swim around for a bit and then go straight back and not move for hours again, I also haven't noticed them eating much. I'm not sure if it's because Lucky bugs them? He was having a right go at the dead one at least but as far as I have seen is fine with the live one...

They are in a 19L tank, which i think converts to 4ish gallons imperial, 5 gallons US.

Day 1


Feeding Time


Day 2

(after a bit of disruption due to an escaping shrimp)

Day 3 (in process of 20% water change)


Sorry for the large volume of information... But any help would be appreciated :)
Thanks
 
#149 ·
After 4 days with a 5g tank, you're ready for at least a 50% water change--- as recommended near the start of this thread (which you should go back and re-read). Do a 50% change whenever your test shows ammonia of 0.50ppm. Same with nitrite when it appears.

Stresscoat is a good water conditioner. Use as instructed with every water change. As a safety precaution, dose Stresscoat at 1/2 strength every other day. Stresszyne does nothing useful. Return it if you can. Most of us use Prime water conditioner by Seachem. You might consider getting that when your Stresscoat runs out.

Shrimp are sensitive to ammonia. Its behavior may indicate an ammonia build-up. When in doubt, the first thing to do is a 50% water change with conditioner.

More water lettuce and other live plants always help. Use a 6500K (Kelvin -- color temperature) bulb. I think that striped plant is only semi-aquatic and may deteriorate over time. Check in the Planted Betta Tank section of this forum.

Upgrade your food. New Life Spectrum Betta and Omega One Betta Buffet are the best you can easily get.

Cloudiness may indicate the beginning of your cycle, especially as you added bogwood from the LFS which likely has nitrifying bacteria on. Sounds like you're on you way.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.
 
#150 ·
Thank you so much for your help, my test strips should be arriving today, so as soon as they do I will do the 50% water change (I did read the beginning of this forum, but as I had already done the 20% water change which was advised somewhere else I decided to wait a few days on the 50% not to over do it)

The stress coat and zyme both came together in a mini 'starter pack', but thanks for your advice, I will invest in the better one when renewing the product.

I don't seem to be able to locate either of the foods you suggested either online or when checking stock in LFS (I'm in UK... Possiblyb why?) But I have ordered 'Hikari Tropical Betta Bio-Gold Tropical Fish Food' as this was the mostly highly regarded one I could find.

Hopefully it is the start- the water seems to have started clearing again today now, so that can only be positive and the shrimp seems to have ventured back in the the depths... Well at least I can't see him on the water lettuce or the side :p

Thanks again for your kind help, and for welcoming me to the forum!:)
 
#151 ·
Hi all, I have a 2.5 gallon tank, with a filter. I do 2 50% water changes a week as per OFL instruction. "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"

I just got 2 anubias nana plants and one larger one. My question is - does this change my WC schedule? Should I still be adding a drop or 2 of prime on the days when I'm not changing the water?
 
#153 ·
hi. I have 5 gal hawkeye hex. planted (anubias, ludwigia broad, wisteria I believe and 2 marimos, I also have some frogbit and a crypt in QT and will be adding in 2 weeks. im using eco complete sub and a 50/50 daylight bulb. my filter is a mingon 60 rated for up to 3.5 gals. i am using a sponge in the filter and this in the filter

http://www.petsmart.com/supplies/fi...d36-5148398/cat-36-catid-300089?_t=pfm=search

50w adj heater 78 deg. today is the first day it is up an running. The betta is in it and is doing alright hes spunky. he is a Walmart rescue, faded with stress stripes but slowly coming around. im attempting a fish in cycle and just want to ensure i do this well for his sake...

i have .25 ammonia in my well water, so i am a bit confused.
i am using prime.

From my limited understanding ...
50% water change on day 3
50% water change day with vaccum day 6
continue this til cycled
add prime every day or every other day until cycle is complete?
how many drops? (5g)
should i be checking my readings daily with the api test kit or just every few days, or on water change days?
what should my readings say?

or perhaps im not supposed to follow the 50% change schedule and i should be doing changes based on tests?

i know this sticky is awesomely simplified but im really no joke dumb about this stuff and need it even more simplifies lol!
 
#154 ·
Your setup is just fine for a single Betta. You have everything you need to cycle safely. This is as simple as I can make it. CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

It's based on some of the information above, as well as other sources and experience.

With that Wisteria, Ludwigia and Frogbit eating up all the ammonia before the bacteria can get to it, I think you'll find your cycle is going to be a "backup" ammonia-reducer. The plants will be doing most of the work.

Not my business, but I think you ought to investigate why you have so much ammonia in your well.
 
#156 ·
Hi, I'm new to the forums and looking for a little help... I am trying to set up a new tank, and I was reading these forums before I bought anything so I'm trying to do a fishless cycle with pure ammonia, to have everything ready before I put a Betta into my tank.

I dosed the tank with ammonia and tetra safe start on 3/31, and finally started seeing a change two days ago, when it looked like nitrates were maybe starting to show in the tank. I tested again today, and I definitely have nitrates now (5.0ppm) but 0 nitrites and the ammonia hasn't seemed to drop at all since I dosed the tank (it's at about 4.0ppm). Should I be doing a water change, or just continue to let it to its thing?

I've attached a photo of my test from a few minutes ago. Thanks!
 

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#157 ·
As long as you don't dose the ammonia any higher, you're OK. But you might want to cut the ammonia in half by changing water. It'll make reproduction easier for the sensitive nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

If your cycle is producing nitrate already, you're really ahead of the game.

Would you start a new thread with this information? Because you're doing a fishless cycle, it would be easier for us to track.

Welcome to the forum.
 
#158 ·
I need a little advice here...We got our betta late September but of course, didn't know about cycling the tank. So dumb. I did get the API test kit and was concerned about ammonia, so I was doing 100% water changes, destroying any chance for our bacteria bed to grow. We have a 5 gallon filtered tank, with a heater at 78 degrees. After doing research, I realized I need to let some ammonia build but not too much, to attempt the nitrogen cycle. In the meantime, I noticed our new fish came home with fin rot. I was doing 25%-50% water changes with Prime conditioner, but I was also adding aquarium salt to attempt to address the fin rot. After off an on treatment, I wasn't seeing much improvement and was concerned about fin biting due to stress. I realized my filter current was too high, so I created a clean water bottle shield that diverts/blocks the water current. This has helped tremendously and I see that he is able to swim so much more easily. I have stopped using salt in his tank, instead opting for salt baths for 5 minutes but I have only done two, three days apart. I am noticing new growth on his tail...a clear, milky appearance. THe problem is that treating for the fin rot may have caused my cycle never to occur. Today I did a 30% water change and treated new water with Prime. When I tested the water my ammonia level was between .25 and .50! My nitrite was between .25 and .50 and my nitrate was between 0 and 5.0. Do I just continue to do daily water changes? Did the Prime affect my test results? I don't want to do too many water changes because I want my tank to cycle. I believe I was overcleaning the sand in the beginning. I hope all of this makes sense! Thank you in advance!!
 
#159 ·
So far, it sounds like you're doing everything right.

Your current readings indicate your tank is well on the way to being cycled. Keep doing what you're doing. Double check it against this: CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

Some people claim Prime can slow down a cycle. At the rate yours is progressing, this is a moot point. Use Prime regularly (daily) as long as you have ammonia in your water.

Your treatment for finrot seems to be working. Once you read 0.0ppm ammonia, just warm, clean water will do the trick -- along with high-protein, good-quality food.

Welcome to the forum.
 
#160 ·
Saltwater filter material?

I am a complete newby. My mom is 89 and lives with me. She got a 2.5 gal. National Geographic tank with filter for Christmas. She doesn't want to wait to cycle the tank and I thank you for your initial post with such great information. I was wondering if we could speed up the process by adding a small piece of salt water filter medium or if it has to come from a fresh water tank. My neighbors have a salt water tank. And if I could use it, how much would I need for such a small tank. We plan on getting a betta fish tomorrow. Would I add the medium before or after getting the fish. Any advice is welcome.
 
#161 · (Edited)
I see you are familiar with the technique of seeding the tank with live bacteria. Very good; you're a step ahead. Unfortunately, the bacteria for salt-water, while closely related, is not the same as the bacteria for fresh-water.

But, you're in luck; the bacteria for freshwater is all around you in the environment -- in the air and water everywhere. Or you can buy it from your Local Fish Store (LFS), if you like.

Cycling a tank with the fish in it is common practice in the Betta community. CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

You need a filter, a test kit (API Freshwater Master Test Kit) and Prime water conditioner by Seachem.

You don't have to cycle your tank immediately. You can safely keep a Betta in a 2.5g tank by doing regular water changes (half the water every third day) and adding a few drops of Prime every day.

Feed him New Life Spectrum brand Betta pellets (or semi-floating) or Omega One Betta Buffet pellets.

Use an adjustable 25W heater to keep his water around 80* -- check it with a separate thermometer.

Get some cloth artificial plants for him to hide in and feel secure, and a small cup for him to use as a cave for privacy.

Choose the most alert and active fish available, with no ripped or ragged fins or blemishes.

Read as much as you can on the forum, and feel free to ask any questions as often as you'd like.

Welcome to the forum.
 
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