SUMMARY

WHEN BRINGING HOME A NEW FISH TANK, YOU ARE LIKELY VERY EAGER TO ADD COOL EXOTIC FISH.

UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE A FEW PARAMETERS THAT NEED TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY KEEP A HAPPY AND HEALTHY AQUARIUM. THIS MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF A PROCESS AND WILL TAKE 4-8 WEEKS, BUT WILL SAVE YOU AN UNIMAGINABLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.

EVERY AQUATIC ANIMAL REQUIRES A CYCLED AQUARIUM IN ORDER TO HEALTHILY SURVIVE. THIS INCLUDES BETTA FISH, AXOLOTLS, AND EVEN AQUATIC FROGS!

STEP 1: CHEMICALS

ASSUMING YOU HAVE ALREADY FILLED YOUR AQUARIUM WITH TAP WATER, YOU WILL NEED TWO DIFFERENT CHEMICALS TO START THE PROCESS.

ONE OF THEM IS A WATER CONDITIONER/ DECHLORINATOR. OUR TAP WATER IS TREATED WITH A TRACE AMOUNT OF CHLORINE FOR OUR SAFETY, BUT IS HARMFUL TO THE FISH. ADDING WATER CONDITIONER WITH RESPECT TO THE MEASUREMENT ON THE BOTTLE WILL INSTANTLY BREAK DOWN THE MOLECULES OF CHLORINE AND MAKE IT FISH-SAFE.

THE SECOND CHEMICAL YOU SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT HOME IS SOME FORM OF BOTTLED BACTERIA. THIS IS WHAT WILL SPEED-RUN THE BEGINNING OF THE CYCLE. IN STORE, WE PREFER

"STABILITY" BECAUSE OF ITS 7-DAY TREATMENT, BUT IN THE LONG RUN IT ALL WORKS THE SAME.

AFTER ADDING BOTH AMOUNTS OF CHEMICALS, WE RECOMMEND LETTING THE FILTER RUN FOR ABOUT A DAY BEFORE CONTINUING TO THE NEXT STEP.

STEP 2: STARTER FISH

ON DAY 2 YOU ARE READY TO ADD YOUR FIRST FISH TO THE CYCLING TANK. THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THE TANK WILL EXHIBIT HIGH LEVEL OF AMMONIA AND NITRITE WHICH ARE DAMAGING TO MOST FISH. THAT'S WHY WE RECOMMEND A FEW OF OUR HARDY STARTER FISH TO PRODUCE WASTE AND FEED THE CYCLE FORWARD.

THERE ARE A FEW FISH WE RECOMMEND BASED ON THEIR ABILITIES TO TOLERATE HARSHER WATER PARAMETERS.

THESE FISH ARE GOING TO CONSIST OF MOST TETRAS AND DANIOS, BUT LET US KNOW FIRST THAT YOUR TANK IS STILL CYCLING SO WE CAN HELP YOU PICK THE RIGHT FISH.

STEP 3: GIVE IT TIME

THIS STEP IS GOING TO BE THE LONGEST AND THE MOST TEDIOUS OF THEM ALL.

AFTER ADDING YOUR STARTER FISH, LET THE TANK RUN ITS COURSE FOR A FEW WEEKS WITH SMALL DAILY FEEDINGS.

DURING THIS TIME, THE LEVELS OF AMMONIA AND NITRITE WILL SPIKE AND FALL, POSSIBLY CAUSING THE LOSS OF FISH AND/OR CLOUDY WATER. THIS TOO SHALL PASS, AND IS ONLY TEMPORARY SO WHATEVER YOU DO...

DON'T DRAIN THAT TANK!

IN STORE, WE OFFER FREE WATER TESTS TO LET YOU KNOW HOW FAR ALONG YOU ARE, AND GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATE ON WHEN YOUR CYCLE WILL BE COMPLETE. JUST BRING IN ABOUT HALF-A-WATER-BOTTLE FULL OF YOUR TANK WATER AND WE WILL GET TO WORK.

STEP 4: CYCLE COMPLETE

ONCE YOUR WATER TEST COMES BACK IN THE CLEAR, YOU'RE READY TO ADD WHATEVER YOU LIKE AS LONG AS IT'S COMPATIBLE. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T ADD TOO MANY FISH AT ONE TIME OR YOU WILL RISK SHOCKING YOUR TANK AND RESTARTING YOUR CYCLE ALL OVER AGAIN.

NOT SURE ABOUT SOMETHING?

WE ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE.