Cycling can feel like a long and tedious process for beginners and advanced aquarist alike. Whether you are cycling with fish or doing a fish-less cycle, I will do what I can to share with you some of the tips I have learned that will make this process just a little bit easier for you.

Here is a list of tips you may find helpful:

    1. Seeding your tank
    2. Products
    3. Plants
    4. Strategies

Seeding your tank

Seeding is when you take a bacteria colony from an already established tank and put it into your new tank. Seeding can be used to help both a fishless cycle and a fish in cycle, and by having some already established media, you will be shortening the cycling process greatly. At some point I may add in different measurements of seeded material to this article, but to avoid confusing anyone further; I want to simply explain the benefits and materials that can be used.  For now, just know that the more seeded material you can use, the better as it shortens the process the more you use.  You can ask a friend with an aquarium or your LFS for some of this media. Here is a list of some of the things it can be;

  • handful of substrate (preferably some that is due for a cleaning)
  • used filter media (filter pads, ceramic rings, filter floss, biomedia balls)
  • porous decorations or piece of driftwood
  • Sponge specifically put into established tank’s filter for a few weeks
  • Filter, especially sponge filters. Click here to learn more

*Keep in mind that old tank water will not have enough established bacteria to seed a tank. Also keep any seeded material WET at all times with old tank water to ensure you do not kill off any colonies*

Once you have gotten a hold of some seeding material there are a few different ways you can add it to your tank, this is more of a preference with how you choose to incorporate it. If you do not plan on keeping the seeding material in your tank permanently, you can put it into new unwashed nylon stocking/pantyhose (but make sure you rinse stocking/pantyhose under tap water first)  and hang them inside your tank, or you can put it in your filter if it’s a seeded filter media or a sponge. Click here to learn about the risks in seeding.

Seeded filter

The filter is the heart of any aquarium; not only does it remove waste from the water, but it also holds the majority of your colonies. Almost all types of filters can be used to seed. The easiest is the sponge filter; it has many uses, but the biggest is for seeding material. You can have a sponge filter running in your tank at all times for insurance purposes. It gives you an established colony ready to be used at all times. Whether it’s to set up a quarantine tank, hospital tank, new tank, or friend’s tank; you will have a filter that’s potentially ready to go without even the need for cycling.

Many people measure the amount of gallons these filters were seeded in as a gauge for the amount of colonies. I don’t personally believe it has anything to do with the amount of gallons, and has more to do with the size of the filter and the amount of fish it was seeded with. For example; a filter that was used in a 50 gallon tank with 3 fish will not have the same amount of seeding material as a filter used in a 50 gallon tank with 10 fish of the same size. The latter filter will theoretically be able to support more fish at start up. With this same theory, if you were to move all of a seeded material into a larger tank it would still be able to house the same amount of fish as before, regardless of a tank even twice the size. Keep in mind, that seeded material isn’t just the filter, it would be substrate and all of the decorations. Therefore, if you did decide to use just a seeded filter, you would need to take this into account and consider your seeded filter could support around half of the amount of fish it was supporting before.

Useful Products

My goal is to give you a list of products that can help your cycling process no matter the method you choose. For now I will simply discuss the benefits of some probiotics and dechlorinators.

Probiotics

Not all probiotics are created equal. There are many different products on the market that will claim to give your tank an “instant cycle,” but please take this information with a grain of salt and realize that many of these can be gimmicks. Quality probiotics can help a cycle along, especially if you decide to add fish immediatly. I keep a probiotic in my household simply because it’s just a nice addition, much like a yogurt is good for our gut. I use probiotics if I cycle a tank, do a large water change, or start a medication. I have used Seachem Stability and Nitromax and have had success with them. There are other great products out there and there are also some that do not help at all, but I haven’t personally used them. It doesn’t hurt to add a probiotic, but don’t use it as your main cycling tool.

Dechlorinators

Some dechlorinators, not all, will help detoxify ammonia and nitrites. Products such as Seachem Prime and Amquel Plus are great options to not only make your tap water safe, but to help make ammonia and nitrites less harmful during the cycling process. They can be helpful tools, especially for fish-in cycles, but be sure not to add it more than every 24 hours.

Plants

Live plants can be used to help absorb ammonia during the cycling process. Besides possibly having a small amount of beneficial bacteria from another aquarium, it is not meant to cycle a tank on it’s own. Plants can be used to help absorb ammonia and nitrates making it less toxic for fish. While even a little plant will be somewhat useful in detoxifying ammonia, it does require a tank to have a much higher plant to fish ratio in order to be effective in cycling a tank. Do not simply add some plants in hopes that it will make cycling easier because plant keeping can be difficult on it’s own. You will need to know the requirements of the plants you’re keeping, and realize that many plants will need a quality plant light and a substrate that is specific for plants. If you do plan on adding plants regardless, I’d definitely recommend adding some when you add your fish since they can be at least help a little bit. Having plants die in your tank can be counterproductive, so make sure to choose a hardy, easier plant such as anubias, java fern, and/or some swords and avoid carpet/runners and high light plants until you are a little more comfortable.

Strategies

Heat

Warmer temperatures helps speed up the cycling process, but keep in mind that warmer water also reduces oxygen in the water and can be stressful for fish. Ideally you will want to have your temperature set up 86F, but please only do so if you are doing a fishless cycle. If you are doing a fish-in cycle, depending on the type of fish you have; you can have your heat set between 77F-81F but make sure that you have an additional oxygen source. Read below on ways to increase oxygen.

Increased Oxygen

The increase in oxygen in a tank will also help speed up the cycling process. To increase the amount of oxygen in your tank you will need an airstone (though for a larger tank you may need multiple airstones,) lower your water level to create more agitation at the surface with your filter, add a spraybar to the output of your filter, and/or a powerhead. Keep in mind that powerheads should only be used with fish that don’t require calmer waters as this can exhaust them quickly, as well as make sure to use the appropriate size since many powerheads could create too strong of a current.