In order to gather all the knowledge, it is usually necessary to sift through loads of information (sometimes completely contradictory), so the aim of this blog is to give a summary of correct ways of setting up an aquarium and fishless cycling. There are other ways as well, however, I prefer to stick to fishless cycling as it successfully can get your tank ready for fish without harming any in the process unlike fish-in cycle can.
Recently, I have returned back to the aquarium hobby. I had my first fish tank around 12 years old when I got a book about fish and read it over and over again extensively. It at least had the basics down and even though it did mention the nitrogen cycle, I am unsure whether it actually told me how to do it properly. As a child, my options were limited an a beginner makes a lot of mistakes - chose the easy but fast breeding guppies and swordtails who quickly overstock your tank, get a pair of plecos (ancistrus) which are unsuitable for anything under 100l, clean the whole fish tank by sucking out everything from gravel and cleaning the filter under tap water, putting the fish in after just a week into an uncycled tank... All of these things could have been prevented if the LFS (local fish store) would provide suitable advice. As a customer, you would think they would know what is recommended and what not, but more often you get people who have no idea about fish and what they need, so relying on them is not generally advised (there are exceptions). Overall, though, I recommend to do your own research instead.
Recently, I have returned back to the aquarium hobby. I had my first fish tank around 12 years old when I got a book about fish and read it over and over again extensively. It at least had the basics down and even though it did mention the nitrogen cycle, I am unsure whether it actually told me how to do it properly. As a child, my options were limited an a beginner makes a lot of mistakes - chose the easy but fast breeding guppies and swordtails who quickly overstock your tank, get a pair of plecos (ancistrus) which are unsuitable for anything under 100l, clean the whole fish tank by sucking out everything from gravel and cleaning the filter under tap water, putting the fish in after just a week into an uncycled tank... All of these things could have been prevented if the LFS (local fish store) would provide suitable advice. As a customer, you would think they would know what is recommended and what not, but more often you get people who have no idea about fish and what they need, so relying on them is not generally advised (there are exceptions). Overall, though, I recommend to do your own research instead.
In 2010, I have setup another tank but still repeated some mistakes. It was not until end of 2018 when I could afford to get
new tanks and do it right this time around. What has changed since then?
Access to the internet thanks to which I could carry out extensive research on the tank sizes, fish selection, compatibility,
food selection, etc. Just like getting any other animal, you would
not just blindly get one without preparation and learning about its needs first. Fish are no different. It
is a long term commitment, not something you can put away after a
year (only shrimp and snails live that short) as most fish live for
years or decades if taken care of properly. This blog is aimed to convey my experience with cycling of the tanks and tips on how to keep your fish healthy.
