In plain language, What is this Nitrogen Cycle ?

[alexmtl]

What is with this Nitrogen Cycle ? Why should I be worried, water is clear, fish are swimmingly active, heater works, and the sub is shining.

Canada Aquaria members contribute to a simplified explanation of the nitrogen cycle.

[the clean guy]

The Nitrogen Cycle

[Shawn O]

What is with this Nitrogen Cycle ? Why should I be worried, water is clear, fish are swimmingly active, heater works, and the sub is shining.

Canada Aquaria members contribute to a simplified explanation of the nitrogen cycle.  

I work in waste water treatment and just because the water is clear doesn't mean it's healthy. It could be full of parasites and other pathogens as well as full of toxins.
The nitrogen cycle is bacteria breaking down fish waste (amonia) into less toxic waste (nitrites and nitrates).

[Shell]

When we brought our first four fish home, I will admit that we knew nothing about the nitrogen cycle. So, we sort of did things in the wrong order. We bought a 10g, then 4 fish, then, the next day (after learning about the cycle), our test kit.  At this point, we knew that we wanted more fish in the future (again, slow learners - had no idea the fish that we brought home would do better in a bigger school!), so we quickly upgraded the 10g to a 55g and moved them in. We began testing the water and doing water changes when getting readings above 0 for ammonia and/or nitrites. During the initial stages, we tested the water daily. Once we had steady readings for ammonia and nitrites (e.g. 0 readings for about 4 days), we began testing every few days. After about 2 weeks of good solid readings, we tested about once every two weeks (we did this for about 2 months). Now that the tank has been established for about 7 months, we rarely test the water.

Just wanted to mention this as I know that many newbies are not aware of the cycle - I was one of them! So, don't feel bad if you too are one of them - feel good knowing that, if you are here reading and asking questions on this forum, you obviously care about your fishies and are taking a positive approach to caring for them! Also, for all of those who are new to fish keeping, I completely recommend getting a test kit, even if it is just to use during the first few weeks to ensure the tank is healthy and becomes established!

[JayB]

Thanks for the cool video. The video is a great way to explain the nitrogen cycle.

To "newbies", bacteria multiply slowly, and thus great patience is required while waiting for a tank to cycle. Use this time for research the needs of fish you'd like to add to the tank. 

A way to jump start the cycle is by introducing bacteria laden media from the filter of a cycled tank into your filter. So, basically, once you have you're first tank up and running and cycled, the next tank will take less time to cycle.