How to Cycle A New Aquarium

One important factor of success in keeping an aquarium is noticing the nitrogen cycle in your aquarium. Basically a nitrogen cycle is powered by beneficial bacterias that will process the waste ammonia from your fish and convert it into nitrites and then into relatively harmless nitrates.

If you add fish to an uncycled tank, then sometimes the fish result in fin rot, ick and other common fish diseases. Fish can be seen gasping at the top of the aquarium. That is probably because of excessive ammonia in the water that cause fish stress.

The only way to over come this is to wait until there are sufficient numbers of bacteria to convert the ammonia into nitrates. There are a few things that can be done to encourage the growth of the bacteria.

The traditional method to cycle a new aquarium is to add a few ‘hardy’ fish that will produce ammonia wastes to encourage bacteria growth. This method of cycling is very stressful for the fish. Many become stressed, damaged or simply die during the process. The high levels of ammonia causes ammonia burns burns on the fish’s bodies and gills. Regular partial water changes are often necessary to make sure the fish survive, as ammonia levels rises. The damage is not always reversible and at the end of the cycling you are left with fish in poor condition which you may not want in your aquarium. If you already have fish in the tank and are trying to cycle, adding live plants will greatly help reduce ammonia. Plants need and absorb ammonia from the water.


A better, more humane method to cycle the tank is to use a fishless cycling method. Set up the tank and drop daily amounts of food into the water. The food decomposed and creates ammonia.


In order to create such an environment you will need a heater. The bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) thrive best at higher temperatures than is usually best for a fish tank so during the cycling increase the temperature up to about 30°C (85°F). When you add the fish you have to turn it down again.

A testing kit is a must, to check the ammonia and nitrite levels is essential to test the levels and to indicate when cycling is complete. Master kits cost under 25$ and can test water hardness and pH also.

Extra aeration is recommended while cycling as bacteria need oxygen to grow. Increase the aeration through the tank and filter if possible. You could add an extra air stone or even use an extra pump if one is available.

Good luck!

Neon Tetra

Neon tetras are favorite fish among aquarists. The fish are playful and active and they look splendid if you keep a school of neon tetras.

These little red-blue tetras can be found originally in the waters of South America, namely the rivers Amazon (Rio Solimoes), Napo and Tiger. These are rivers with acidic, soft water at temperatures of 68-80 degrees Fahrenheit (20-26 degrees Celsius). It likes both clear and somewhat opaque water. Neon tetras have been populated into some waters of Singapore recently.



The neon tetra is a small fish with a maximum length of about 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) and the typical tetra body shape. The main characteristics of the fish are an iridescent blue horizontal line from its nose to the base of the adipose fin, and an iridescent red line that goes from the middle of the body to the base of the caudal fin.

The back of the fish is greyish, while the abdominal regions are silvery white.
The fish changes the brightness of its colors according to the time of the day. At night, the colors are usually dimmer. Stress and illness and hunger will also affect the colors.

Neon tetras are the real pacifists of the aquarium, they almost never fight other fish. You can keep them together with any other peaceful species. Avoid larger fishes, as they will often harass and hunt down the neon tetras. Keep in mind that neon tetras like to live in large schools. Always have at least six of them in the aquarium, or they will feel unsecure and stressed. As for the maximum size of the shoal, it can go up to several hundreds in a huge aquarium. They spend most of the time in the middle levels of the tank, but they are really adventureous explorers, discovering all parts of their habitat. The average lifespan of these fish is 5-6 years, but they can live up to one decade.

Neon tetras look extremely good in front of bright green plants. Lighting should be of medium brightness and of bluish-white color. They like roots or small branches of trees in the aquarium. They like a wide range of pH, from 5.5 to 7.0. They prefer KH (dH) of 1.0-2.0. Temperature should be between 68-80 degrees (20-26 Celsius).
When buying fish, always ask the seller about the conditions they were kept in, and set up similar conditions in your aquarium.

Cherry Barbs Fish

Cherry barbs are popular freshwater aquarium fish and is quite easy to care for. The Cherry barbs are peaceful fish. They are best kept in groups of five or more, with a ratio of two females to every one male. How do you differ a male cherry barb from a female one? Well male cherry barbs are much redder than the female. Males will become a very deep red when breeding. Female cherry barbs have yellowish fins and are a lighter color than the male. Both have a brownish black to deep blue black horizontal strip that extends from the snout, passing through the eye and extending to the base of the caudal fin. The sides and belly of the fish have silver highlights. They are fawn colored on top and have a slight green sheen.

Cherry barbs are native to Sri Lanka, and can be found in heavily shaded, shallow calm tropical waters. Your cherry barbs will respond best to a heavily planted tank that also has a clear area for swimming. They perfer temperatures of 73 to 80.5 degress F, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. The recommended water is from 4 dH to 15 dH. These fish do no like rapid changes in either temperature or water chemistry.

Cherry barbs are generally a middle-tank species, but they will swim to the bottom. If you cover the surace fo the tank in bushy plants, they will venture to the top.

At least a 20-gallon tank is recommended for cherry barbs. Java Moss is a recommended plant to grow in their tank. The dense leaves give these fish a place to lay their eggs and provide some hiding places for fry once they hatch. Dwarf hair grass also provides a thick carpet of growth rapidly.

Cherry barbs are omnivores and will eat flakes. It is a good idea to supplement their diet with live food and freezedried food. They like brine shrimp, blood worms and dahnia. They also eat green algae, making them a very helpful addition to your freshwater aquarium. Algae wafers containing spirulina are a useful supplement to keep your cherry barbs healthy.