Cyclorama!

A few words about cycling a fishtank, if you may! Like some of you know, when setting up an aquarium, one just can't simply fill it with water and throw the fish in there. This will, in most cases, result in the fish becoming, well, very dead fish. The reason for this is, again in most cases, ammonia. The very basis of a well run aquarium is understanding how the aquarium nitrogen cycle functions. A quick google search came up with this explanation from Fishlore.com, which works as a quick introduction to the subject. Go read it. Really!

For my cycling option, I chose a relatively new and interesting product called the Prodibio BioDigest. A pack of glass ampules containing live bacteria, which help to kickstart the nitrogen cycling. I boosted the effect by using a running filter (the Fluval U4) and some driftwood from another tank which already contain a dose of the same established bacteria.

 I do have a confession to make, I have done absolutely no testing of the water what so ever. I rely on the promise of Prodibio and its customer testimonials from various sources, as well as the maturity of the filter and driftwood. I also rely on the signals given by the fish, as they will react if something is wrong. This might be a cold blooded way of doing things, but I have strong confidence in how things will work out.

So, I filled the tank, and threw in the recommended amount of bacteria. Then I waited. Later that evening, I added a bit of fishfood to feed the ongoing process. The next day, the water had a bit of a sulphurous scent,
obviously due to the nitrification process.The water was a bit cloudy as well, which should be a sign of propagating bacteria. I did a slight water change, and added some more of the Biodigest-stuff.

Next day the tank smell had evened out, so it was time to bring in the fish. The 1st pioneer to go in was my lone Poecilia sphenops, a remainder from the 450-liter tank. I had a swarm of those guys as pioneers with that tank too, so it was in a way fitting to get a bit of a tradition going. He (yeah, he has the equipment to be classified accurately) will be the last of his kind, as the Mollys were breeding like rabbits... After several hours, with the Molly showing no signs of ill effect, I took the plunge and filled in the tank with 4 Pangio kuhlii, a lone Crossocheilus siamensis and 5 of my favorites, the Botia kubotai. Then all I could do was to monitor the progress and hope that the bacteria would work as advertised.

Several days passed, and the behaviour of the fish seemed normal, I was beginning to enjoy a slight feeling of relief, this might work out after all! I would highly recommend testing the water even when utilizing the modern bacteria products, but, alas, I did not follow my own recommendation. Bastard!