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The Basics of Cycling - Cycle with fish

The basic process goes like this.

Fish waste --> ammonia --> nitrite --> nitrate
Nitrate is removed mainly by water change. It is also used for plants to grow.

The term cycling is applied to the process which takes place as a new aquarium 'matures'. This refers to build up the beneficial bacteria that breaks down ammonia and nitrite.

Ammonia and nitrite are very dangerous to fish. nitrate is not as dangerous, but it is best to keep it as low as possible.

Aquarium is consider mature when the ammonia and nitrite level are reduced to zero and nitrate level begins to rise.

Ammonia must be present for the aquarium to begin the cycling process. To begin the cycling process, people usually set up the tank and put some hard/cheap starter fish in there.

Use starter fish to begin the cycling process. Some excellent starter fish include danios, black tetras, and white clouds. Some other recommendations could include platies, other tetras, or some barbs. Do not use too many fish during this “cycling” process. Invariably beginners ask if it’s all right to start with angelfish, catfish, plecostomus, or other inappropriate fish. Resist the temptation to do this, and you will save yourself a lot of grief and disappointment during the first few months of operation.

When you get your starter fish home, float the bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to equalize the water temperature. This is very important, as fish are very sensitive to temperature changes. After equalizing the temperature, you can add about ¼ cup of water to the bag every 15 minutes for 1-2 hours. The fish can then be released into the aquarium. If at all possible, net the fish out of the bag into the aquarium, rather than dumping the water from the bag into your tank.

Be very cautious when feeding your fish, especially until the “cycling” is complete. Overfeeding is the most common mistake made with new aquariums. A fish’s stomach is probably about the size of its eye, so feed very sparingly. Your fish should eat everything you feed them within 3 minutes. If not, you probably fed too much. Just reduce the amount the next time you feed. Fish only need to be fed once a day.

After about 14 days, you can bring in a water sample to be tested for ammonia and nitrite. This will tell whether the tank has begun “cycling”. It can also tell you when it’s safe to start adding more fish. It is not a good idea to introduce additional fish once the aquarium has started to “cycle”. The ammonia and nitrite levels will typically rise to toxic levels during this process. Because you started with hardy fish, they will often survive these toxic levels. Because the increase happens so slowly, they are able to adapt with no adverse effects. To introduce new fish during this process can be very stressful to the new fish, since they haven’t had time to slowly acclimate to the elevated levels of ammonia and nitrite. Unfortunately, they often don’t survive this trauma.

Once the test on your aquarium water determines that your tank is safe, you can begin adding additional fish. Your pet store associate can help you determine which fish are compatible in terms of size and temperament for your aquarium. Add new fish in stages. It’s not a good idea to add a lot of new fish all at one time.1 or 2 fish then wait for 2 weeks,then 1 or 2 fish each week after that,test your water the same day,after about 6 hrs

Do not be disturbed if your aquarium becomes cloudy of hazy during the first several months of operation. This is normal, and usually disappears naturally after 2-3 months.

Routine tank maintenance should begin after the “cycling” process has been successful. Water changes of 20-25% should be performed every week. Fish do not respond well to significant chemical changes in their water. They do much better with small water changes done more frequently, than with massive water changes done infrequently. Adding water to the aquarium to replace water that has evaporated is not a water change. Again, be very sensitive to water temperature when doing water changes.

Fish I have used to cycle my tank
Feeder guppies
Goldfish
Algae Eater
Rosie red

I know a lot of people will say those fish are not the best fish to cycle a tank. I use them only because they are cheap. This is my personal opinion. Check out the links below you can see a lot more other fish you can use to cycle the tank.