Chapter 4 Pt3
The cycle
....or, not what you did back in little league.
1. The nitrogen cycle: All things living things have a specific life cycle, born, sexually mature, reproduce (or at least attempt it on many occasions) and then die. Nature of the beast. When something dies it starts to break down into various (more like nefarious) compounds that leads further break down into more basic elements. Ever notice how beautiful the lawns in a cemetary are???? Just kidding, but the fertilizer we use for our lawns are chock full nitrogen. Just giving back to mother earth. Nitrogen is good for plant, not good for animal. It feeds plants, poisons animal (and can be used as a WMD). When protein based matter decays it breaks down via the nitrogen cycle. So, I just found the meaning of life for man kind: it's to feed plants. The first product produced in the break down is Ammonia. Ammonia (NH3), you know from your experience w/house hold cleaners, has a warning label: poisonous do not take internally. Well, do you think our salty inhabitants have some super powers that make them able to ingest ammonia w/out ramifications? The answer is no. In the nano it becomes extremely important to be anal about ammonia. Haven't seen your goby in a few days, test for ammonia, locate his carcass post haste and remove to the commode. We nanoists (sounds holy) must be ever vigilant in prevention of the nitrogen cycle once we have put livestock in them. Yet in another paragraph I will tell how to start a cycle when you set up your tank, I know if wishes were fishes.....
Ammonia triggers a blessed event to us marine aquarists, it stimulates a strain of bacteria,
Nitrosomonas to grow which breaks it down, releasing the hydrogen molecules. Well, N, being very insecure but very attractive hooks up w/O2 forming a menage a nitrite. NO2, is less lethal but still not someone you want at home during the holidays. Guess what folks, theres another type of bacteria that breaks this down into, nitrate NO3. NO3 is the ex you had a child w/ ,stabbed you in the back but just never goes away. Nitrate can become a problem if you do not deal w/it, algae blooms, shortened life span of your critters. But there needs to be some in your tank for certain coral/micro algae to exist, (later Melvin). I will get to nutrients at a later venture and I come out 2 six guns blazing then.
2. So if the cycle is so bad WTF, why would I want it to christain my new nano this way? Well, lil Timmy, it's because we want that nitrifying bacteria in our tanks before we put anything into the tank. Call it the ultimate innoculation. We prepare our marine critters new home as best we can to keep them as happy as we can. Hey, what else do you expect from an ordained minister of the ULC! How do we cycle the tank? Warning about lfs, if they tell you to place a piece of raw shrimp to start the cycle or tell you to buy a damsel fish to cycle, be very careful of any future advice from them. Thats old skool, the more natural way besides urinating in your tank (admit it, you thought about it), is uncured liverock. Has enough die-off to start the cycle and since you're gonna aquascape with it anyway might as well get more bang for your buck.
PLEASE, don't pee in the tank, or public pool for that matter. I know but that warm feeling....I feel the meds kicking in right now. Testing everyday is mucho importo at this stage. You'll get NH3, that will level and go down, then the NO2, up down, downtown Juile Brown. Then your constant nemesis, NO3. Once all of these levels flat line for another week or so, you may be ready for the clean up crew or the ugly aliens as I refer to them. While cycling, you will see how your temps are through the day and if you need to adjust the heater or add a fan for cooling. The lighting period can be 4-6 hrs or smaller then that. It will not effect the growth of coralline algae but will cut down some nasty blooms of the other rat *******s. Brown fuzz on your sand and rock? No worries mate that is just diatoms that snails will make an all you eat buffet out of. You'll be able to detect any "dead spots" in your nano's circulation system, the red/brown slime....cynobacteria and you may need to readjust your pump outlet or the rock work. ALL CYCLE TIME LENGTHS ARE DIFFERENT WITH EACH TANK! So don't ask junior.... Testing will give you a window in which to see the progress of the cycle. Have courage Willow, it will be over before you know it. Do not anything alive to your tank till your levels read zero for at least a week. Next, alien lifeforms, the good, the bad, the really fugly looking clean up crew.
