What is a biological filter?

The first step in setting a healthy aquarium is to create a biological filter. The biological filter is a natural filter system consisting of useful bacterial colonies that transform pollutants in water into harmless nitrate through the cycling process. Nitrate is nitrogen, so this cycling process is also referred to as a nitrogen cycle or tank cycling .

Basic understanding of the biological filter is necessary for any successful aquarist. When an aquarium is originally set, there is no biological filter in the water, because the colony of bacteria must still be determined. When the fish are added to the new tank, they immediately start to pollute water with a highly toxic ammonia radiated from breathing and waste. The water will look pure, but for fish becomes poisonous.RS will be weakened and ill. Finally, this excess ammonia causes the natural development of good bacteria called nitrosomonos that feeds on ammonia and converts themJ oxidation to nitrite.

nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, but still deadly to fish. For the next 10-14 days, nitrite levels increase, as more and more ammonia transforms, and the new ammonia is also converted. When nitrite puts on deadly levels, the last phase of the nitrogen cycle returns inside and nitrobacter , other good bacteria, spontaneously blooms to succeed into toxic nitrite and convert it into a harmless a te . The "and" makes the difference.

Nitrobacter takes longer than Nitrosomonos, so toxic nitrite decreases only slowly. In the end, however, both colonies of bacteria by agreement and maintain a step and cancel the polluting fabrics. When nitrite and ammonia levels test at zero and nitrate is measurable, the nitrogen cycle is completed and a biological filter has been set. This process of determining the biological filter usually takes 4-6 weeks.

NESTATEK for many fish! Given the compromised immune system, those who are not directly subject to the fins, ich or other diseases often develop during this stressful period and succumb to in the coming weeks. High ammonia levels can also cause permanent damage to fine gill tissues, resulting in possible death.

For these reasons, experienced aquarists normally test water daily to ammonia and nitrite, which made 10-20% of partial water changes to dilute high levels of ammonia and/or nitrite in an effort to alleviate the conditions for fish, even if it slows down the biological filter. Since 1999, however, there is a better way: cycling without fish.

Cycling without fish is an alinnetate method for establishing a biological filter in a new tank without the use of fish. In this method, pure ammonia, minus any detergents or colors is added daily to the aquarium without fish to trigger a nitrogen cycle. The biological filter is set for about 7-10 dayswithout fish. As soon as the tank is, the fish are added at the same time because the tank was negotiated to handle the full biological load.

Once the tank is cycled and its inhabitants are determined, the size of bacterial colonies adapts to a direct ratio to the amount of ammonia produced. If you add another fish later, add to bioload and bacterial colonies will have to grow to adapt. If you add too many fish at once, it will be between ammonia and the ability to convert it. Ammonia and nitrite will rise, maybe the outbreak of the disease. Therefore, only a few very small fish at once, such as small tetras, and less fish if the fish are larger.

The only exception of this rule is a one -time event adding all fish at once after riding a tank using a method without fish.

Nitrosomonos and Nitrobacter will colonize in the manufactured filter medium, on the walls of the tank, gravel bottom, decoration, plants and also in water. Their highestHowever, concentrations will be found in the tank filters that are designed to maximize their colonization. Dirty filters should therefore be gently rinsed into the tank drawn in a bucket, never under the faucet. Any change in the temperature or water parameters cause the bacteria to die back, causing ammonia and nitrite to accumulate.

Aquarium test sets are available for testing of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and other water parameters including hardness and pH. The newly introduced tank should continue to be tested every week for several months and monthly.