The Nitrogen CycleGetting Started

Getting The Nitrogen Cycle Started

As we have already mentioned, allowing the Nitrogen Cycle to run before you add any fish to your tank is critical to ensure the health and wellbeing of your fish.

This process is started by adding ammonia to the water and allowing nature to take its course. It can take a number of weeks, depending on the size of your tank, for the cycle to complete, and there are a few different ways to get it started.

If you have any questions, or need help in getting your tank set up, please speak with our instore fish experts.

Fresh Water Tanks

When setting up a Coldwater or Tropical fish tank we recommend using a bacteria culture product like Tetra Safe Start to add the initial ammonia to the water in your tank. More or less culture will be used depending on the size of your tank, and full instuctions will be given on the pack.

Marine / Salt Water Tanks

Liverock is one of the best forms of biological filtration for marine fish tanks and for this reason, we recommend using it to start the Nitrogen Cycle in your saltwater tank. Liverock is available from Petmania stores that carry marine fish, and should be added to the water when you start the cycle.

The shape and size of the liverock will influence how long the cycle will take.

See our section on Setting Up Your Marine Tank for more information.


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