New Tank Syndrome – break-in cycle – startup cycle – biological cycle – nitrification
Tweet ThisCall it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, New Tank Syndrome or the nitrogen cycle. They are all the same thing. Water coming out of the tap does not normally contain all of the elements, microbiology and ecosystems to sustain fish. They has to be established for the fish to live. And last, the 10 % Rule of Energy Movement.
If you have a fresh water fish tank, partial water changes are done to help clean the fish. Nature does not do partial water changes on lakes and oceans. So, what happens to the waste of fish and decomposed animals? They are eaten by bacterium generally creating ammonia. The nitrogen cycle.
In established aquariums, just as in nature, toxic ammonia from fish waste is broken down by bacteria into nitrite, which is itself broken down by a different group of bacteria into nitrate. In a newly set up aquarium, those bacteria are not present in any quantity, and it takes time – about a 4 to 6 weeks under normal circumstances – for those bacteria to multiply to the point of being able to keep up with the waste output of the fish. “New Tank Syndrome” and “The Break-In Cycle” describe the period in which ammonia and then nitrite levels rise to dangerous quantities before being converted into relatively harmless nitrate. Below is a diagram of the nitrogen cycle. Energy enters into the top of the system through Algae. There are two places where the energy exits. It exits through composting and fish. Energy is also consumed by the bacteria to keep them running.
For more information and videos on Nitrogen cycles, Click here
10 % Rule of Energy Movement
Energy has to be conserved between the inputs and outputs of any system. In the case of the food chain, all energy from food has to go someplace. When I’m talking about the food chain, I references the animal eating pyramid. It is a pyramid where the bottom is grasses and plants. The next smaller layer can be insects and small mammals, and so for and so on. Their energy density for the higher levels is higher than the lower levels (that means if your take and decompose the animal itself). As you move up the pyramid to the top, the energy density is the highest. It is thought that 10% of the energy consumed from the next lower level is absorbed. In some cases that is true. Depending on the animals and conditions, that number may hold true.
Take any level, the energy consumed by animals has to be absorbed by the animal or exited out the back end. The majority of the energy is still contained in the “back end” energy waste or poop. If only 10% of the energy is consumed by the animal, 90% of it goes out the back.
Case and points…..
If you take a chicken and compost its poop, you will find the energy density to be very high. The compost will have a low Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. Look at its diet. It is eating grains and insects. These are items higher on the food pyramid.
If you contrast that with a horse, the poop from a horse will have a lower energy density. In fact, most of the grass and grains go through a horse. Composting horse manure has a short lived high temperature cycle.
Rabbits have two stomachs. One stomach is used to take the grass and add an enzyme to help release the energy in grasses and veggies. When it goes through the rabbit for the second time, it goes through its intestines and a larger percentage of energy is absorbed. If you compost rabbit poop, you will find it is almost as “hot” as chicken poop.
Here is the point. Different animals absorb different percentages of energy form the lower pyramid levels. All of the energy is conserved. If it is not absorbed by the animal, it exits the animal and is used generally used for whatever decomposes it. These principles can be applied to Aquaponics. Fish poop is consumed by bacterium and the bacterium wastes are consumed by algae. There has to be enough energy exiting the fish to feed the algae, bacterium and back again, the fish.
For more information on Aquaponics, Click here
What is happening Ecologically in Your Tank?
A tank need not be “new” to go through this break-in process. Even well established aquariums can become “new” again in terms of the break-in cycle. Removing large quantities of bacteria, by changing the aquarium gravel for instance, will cause an “old” tank to go through another cycle. Poisoning the bacteria with medicines or shocking them with chlorinated water or sudden temperature changes will also set the cycling process back to day one.
New tanks are generally broken in by adding a few hardy fish and simply waiting out that first month. It is important to note that the cycling process does not begin until fish are added. Some hobbyists set up their aquarium for weeks or even months before adding fish, and are surprised to see high ammonia and nitrite readings shortly after fish are finally added. Smaller barbs (tiger, gold, rosy), larger tetras, danios (zebra, leopard, pearl, gold) and rasboras (heteromorpha, scissortail, redtail, brilliant) are hardy enough to withstand the temporarily high ammonia and nitrite levels and inexpensive enough to replace if some perish during a particularly rough cycle. Damselfish (blue, yellowtail or striped) and mollies are their saltwater counterparts. Anywhere from two to five inches of fish may be used per ten gallons of water – any less and the tank may go through another, but lesser, cycle when more fish are added later; any more and the ammonia and nitrite levels may rise beyond what even the hardy fish can tolerate. A few hardy Corydoras catfish (green or albino) may also be added to reduce the risk of overfeeding. Algae eating fish are generally unnecessary until after the cycling process is completed.
Stages of the Nitrogen Cycle
There are three stages of the nitrogen cycle, each of which presents different challenges.
Initial stage: The cycle begins when fish are introduced to the aquarium. Their feces, urine, as well as any uneaten food, are quickly broken down into either ionized or unionized ammonia. The ionized form, Ammonium (NH4), is present if the pH is below 7, and is not toxic to fish. The unionized form, Ammonia (NH3), is is present if the pH is 7 or above, and is highly toxic to fish. Any amount of unionized Ammonia (NH3) is dangerous, however once the levels reach 2 ppm, the fish are in grave danger. Ammonia usually begins rising by the third day after introducing fish.
Second stage: During this stage Nitrosomonas bacteria oxidize the ammonia, thus eliminating it. However, the by-product of ammonia oxidation is nitrite, which is also highly toxic to fish. Nitrites levels as low as low as 1 mg/l can be lethal to some fish. Nitrite usually begins rising by the end of the first week after introducing fish.
For more information and videos on Nitrogen cycles for water and soil, Click here
Third stage: In the last stage of the cycle, Nitrobacter bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not highly toxic to fish in low to moderate levels. Routine partial water changes will keep the nitrate levels within the safe range. Established tanks should be tested for nitrates every few months to ensure that levels are not becoming extremely high.
Now that you know what is happening, what should you do? Simple steps such as testing and changing the water will help you manage the nitrogen cycle without losing your fish.
What You Need To Do
The key for success is testing the water for ammonia and nitrites, and taking action quickly when problems occur. To aid in tracking the status of your aquarium, links to charts for logging your tests can be found under the charts section of this page. Each chart shows the danger zones and offers steps to reduce toxins before they result in loss of your fish.
Testing for ammonia: Begin testing on day three after adding the fish, and continue every day until the ammonia begins to drop. After it begins to fall, continue testing every other day until the ammonia reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the ammonia levels. Should ammonia reach the danger zone, take steps as shown on the chart. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing (gilling), clamped fins, erratic swimming, or hanging at the surface for air, take immediate action to lower the ammonia level. Chemicals such as Ammo-Lock will quickly neutralize toxic ammonia.
Testing for nitrites: Begin testing one week after adding the fish. Continue testing every second or third day, until it reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the nitrite levels and take steps as shown on the chart if nitrite reaches the danger zone. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing or hanging near the surface seemingly gasping for air, test for nitrite. If levels are elevated perform an immediate 25-50% water change and test daily until levels drop.
And What Not To Do
- Don’t add more fish – wait until the cycle is completed.
- Don’t change the filter media – the beneficial bacteria are growing there. Don’t disturb them until they have become well established.
- Don’t overfeed the fish – when in doubt underfeed your fish. Remember that anything going into the tank will produce wastes one way or another.
- Don’t try to alter the pH – the beneficial bacteria can be affected by changes in pH. Unless there is a serious problem with the pH, leave it alone during the startup cycle process.
Jump Starting Your Startup Cycle
If is possible to jump start your tank startup cycle by using compost extracts. Instead of waiting 6 to 8 weeks for your cycles to balance out, you can start a 500 gallon system in about 2 weeks. This sounds simpler than it is to do. There are two things you need to have before you start.
You will need:
- Conditioned compost for extraction for cycling.
- Extraction bag.
Conditioned Compost for Extraction for Cycling
The best type of compost to use contains high amounts of algae, bacteria and protozoa. The type of compost used will determine how fast the tank cycles. I’m not going into details. That is described in other sections on this website. Videos on making different types of compost are available on this website.
For videos and all skill levels of making organic compost, Click here
It is best not to guess what kind of compost you have. Do some analysis or find a place to look under a microscope to see what sort of compost you are making. If you can not test it yourself, there are labs all around the world that will check your microbiology for you
For infomration on how to check your compost, Click here
For this application it is best to get the highest amounts of bacteria and protozoan. The formula I use is 50% totally completed worm compost to 50% bacteria and protozoa dominated compost. You only need a hand full of each compost and place it in the extraction bag. I don’t use BSFL (black soldier fly larvae) directly in compost extracts . I use what they make in the extracts. Composting for this application cannot be stopped, but almost completed. You can’t have stopped compost. You will be waiting longer for cycling your tank. Black soldier fly larvae is kept in my compost bins. There is no direct application for them in Aquaponics because their post hatched stage is a micro arthropod. Their function is to move fungi and bacteria up to the foliar layer of plants. This is very similar to the green and blue bottle flies. Aquaponics is all water, not compost and leaves. Their life is around 30 days max.
For videos and information on making Compost Extractions, Click here
Extractions
I take the 400 um mesh bag of compost and put it in the fish take to extract the microbiology into the water. Some of the microorganism will be destroyed by chlorine and chloramine. Only a small percentage of the biology will be scarified to the chloramine gods. The rest will colonize in the tank and start the nitrogen cycles. In the mean time, I also put about 1/4 cup of liquid sea kelp. This is blended up seaweeds in liquid form. You can get that at any hydroponic store and some hardware stores
Depending on the water temperature, amount of fish present and food fed to the fish, you tank will cycle.
For more information on Aquaponics, Click here
Call it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, or the nitrogen cycle. They are all the same thing. Water coming out of the tap does not normally contain all of the elements, microbiology and ecosystems to sustain fish. They has to be established for the fish to live. And last, the 10 % Rule of Energy Movement.