The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Keeping an aquarium nitrogen cycle is important to maintain the health of your aquatic life. The process turns ammonia into nitrites and nitrates. This process takes anywhere from 2 weeks to several months. During this time, algae and other organisms consume the nitrates to grow.

If your aquarium is new, you can start the process of cycling without adding fish. Adding ammonia or fish food can help speed up the process. However, it must be stabilized slowly before introducing fish. You can also add starter cultures of bacteria to speed up the process. Alternatively, you can simply seed the new aquarium with the bacteria from an established aquarium. There are also commercial preparations of nitrifying bacteria you can buy at pet stores.

After a few weeks, the nitrite levels should start dropping. This means the bacteria are turning nitrites into nitrates. Make sure to do a 10% to 25% water change to ensure that the levels do not become too high. When the levels are below 20 ppm, the nitrogen cycle is complete.

Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter bacteria are responsible for converting nitrite into nitrate. Luckily, these bacteria are not toxic to most fish. If you have a well-established aquarium, you should check the nitrate levels every month. Changing the water regularly and performing routine water tests will help keep the nitrogen cycle in balance.

Besides cleaning the aquarium, you should also keep biological filter media in good condition. Keep in mind that the fish in your tank should be hardy so that they can survive. As you add fish, be sure to monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels daily. If the ammonia level is high, it may be harmful for the fish.

The aquarium nitrogen cycle is a natural two-step process that breaks down organic wastes into nitrates. The first step is the decomposition of decaying organics. When organic matter breaks down, it releases ammonia, a poisonous gas made up of Hydrogen and Nitrogen. Nitrosomonas bacteria transform ammonia into nitrites, which are less toxic to fish. The second stage of the process is the conversion of nitrites to nitrates. The result is a less-toxic form of ammonia, which is generally protected in many fish.

There are several ways to accelerate the aquarium nitrogen cycle. One of the fastest ways to speed up the process is by seeding your tank with bacteria. You can buy commercially prepared bacteria in liquid and freeze-dried forms, or you can also add bacteria-rich filter media from an existing aquarium. It is important to do this when ammonia is starting to form in the water, as the bacteria will die if they don’t have ammonia to feed on.

The process of cycling an aquarium should take weeks or months. It is important not to rush the process because this will not allow you to build beneficial bacteria colonies. If you rush the process, the ammonia and nitrite levels will spike and the marine life will be affected.