Together with my kids we set just set up a 50 gallon tank. We have two larger Tetra EX70 filters, which are very loud. I'm very new to fish keeping and I just set the tank up for about a week. We used Hagen's Nutrafin Cycle for 3 days and then place one 2 inch Tiger Oscar in the tank. He's very shy and nervous but appears healthy.

I'm picking up some testing strips tomorrow when I'm in town. From what I've read, I don't think I properly cylced this tank. The water is getting cloudy. We've had him for about 5 days now. Is there any thing I can do now to make sure he stays healthy. What volume of water changes should I be doing and is there anything else I can do at this stage?

I have got to be perfectly honest, I am always a little bit devious about the claims that these products make. How is it possible to keep nitrifying bacteria that rely on oxygen and a surface area to live on alive in a bottle? As far as I know it is not possible to instantly cycle an aquarium, i.e. establish a bacteria colony on your chosen media instantly. This is what is needed to deal with all that dangerous toxins that kill fish produce.

What I would suggest you to his father the instructions carefully, get some liquid test kits, not strips and keep testing the water for ammonia and nitrite every day. read our section on cycling an aquarium which can be found under helpful articles.

The cloudiness of the water is more than likely caused by a bacteria boom building up in the aquarium water because there isn't enough bacteria in your filter to deal with the ammonia. Gets your test kit ASAP and start giving us readings, but read the cycling section thoroughly.

This makes interesting reading for those of you who are interested in this cycle stuff

"Fish keeping, like life, is all about balance. Fish will only thrive when their water is in perfect harmony, with enough good bacteria available to neutralise harmful ammonia and nitrite. That's why Nutrafin have completely re-formulated Cycle, their flagship biological supplement, to make it faster, more powerful and easier to use.

Introduce Fish Immediately*
Nothing is more frustrating than staring at an empty aquarium, waiting for it to complete a fishless cycling process. With new Nutrafin Cycle you can now enjoy your new aquatic world straight away as the fast acting formula immediately creates a habitable environment for your fish.

Reduce Fish Loss
Cycle's new, faster acting formula gets to work immediately to quickly reduce harmful ammonia and nitrite. This means you're far less likely to lose fish in a crisis.

New Easy-Measure Cap
Cycle comes with a new easy-measure 20ml dosage cap marked in 5ml increments, so whatever size your aquarium you can be confident the dosage is correct.

New Nutrafin Cycle has been developed using the latest advances in bio-technology and has achieved improved bacterial stability, higher activity levels and an ultra pure concentrated product for unparalleled consistent performance from every bottle.

Whether you're a new or experienced fish keeper, new Nutrafin Cycle is essential to ensure a safe, balanced home for your fish.

It is due for launch in autumn 2008 and will be available in five sizes: 30ml, 120ml, 250ml, 500ml and 2L.

*Nutrafin Cycle will allow immediate stocking of fish when all necessary conditions have been provided, including correct temperature, proper filtration and the application of Nutrafin Aqua Plus. Fish should be introduced gradually over several weeks.


Technical Information
New Cycle features five times the biomass of the current generation (500mg vs. 100mg per litre), significantly increasing the speed at which these robust beneficial bacteria populate the aquarium as well as being able to immediately metabolise greater quantities of ammonia and nitrite. The new Cycle formulation has been supercharged and more readily adapts and responds to demanding conditions.

Cycle is composed of 5 strains of nitrifying bacteria. In addition to this, heterotrophic bacteria are also included to complement the actions of the included nitrifyers by converting organic waste to inorganic (ammonia & nitrite) compounds for conversion to nitrate.

Lab testing has clearly demonstrated new Cycle to be able to metabolise up to 40mg/L of ammonia in approximately 24 hrs. The new Cycle features a robust group of bacteria that are highly adaptive and responsive."

x2 on the liquid test sets.
They're far more acurate then the strips.
And please post the results, so we can help you find out what your maintenance and waterchanging schedule is needed.

I'm curious if what Hagen states, is actually true.

I have used cycle in the passed, and yes it will work for very lightly stocked tanks, but is far from ideal with large fish or heavy stocked tanks. it helps but is not a miracle "cycle" like some people think. i think it works on the same principle as Prime and ammonia lock put together. to be honest I have cycled tanks using std water conditioner and large tanks/small fish without any problems anyway. i would still recommend using it as it will speed the cycle process up and protect fish in the mean time. just don't abuse it and stock your tank to full. in your case baysideoscar having a very small fish in a tank of that size you will be fine, but testing the water should still be carried out to make sure.

I would test the tank daily and if you have a reading for ammonia or nitrite then do daily water changes of 25% until they are both zero

I'm going buy some liquid testing kits tomorrow. I'll post the results. The tank was in my fathers attack and he gave it to my kids. We sort of set it up quickly and now were just making sure little Chomper stays healthy. Thanks for everyone's responses.

i used a similar product and i tested the water daily. I do believe it speeds up the establishment of the bacteria colony but it does not completely skip the cycling process like they claim to

I just bought my liquid test kits. My pH registered high at 7.6. I had initially put coral and shells in the tank, but took them out after seeing on this site that they raise the pH level.

My Ammonia level registered at 0.5. I only have one baby oscar in a 50 gallon tank so that probably helps. Does anyone one have any suggestions on water changes. And thanks for any help.

Also, I should say that I live in the country and the nearest town didn`t have Nitrate test kits. I will have to order one online.

you ammonia level should be zero.
It will drop once the cycle starts going.
Then you'll notice the nitrates to rise, and after some time go back to a reading of 0 as well.
When you have enough established bacteria you should start getting a nitrate reading and that will show you the filter and tank are cycled.

But you got a slightly different situation, since your o is allready in the water.
Doing 25 % waterchanges daily, and adding Prime to the new water may be a good idea to keep the toxins in check, for ammonia is very dangerous to your oscar.
Prime help detoxify the ammonia as well, but it will still show up on the testresults.

just keep testing daily.

Oh, sorry, Delboy,i missed your post, it had all the same info in it...
Never mind, repeating good advice can do no harm.

prime will make safe 0.5mg of ammonia. having some ammonia is needed to cycle the tank if you do to many water changes you remove your ammonia and the cycle process will take longer. so I wouldn't worry at the moment. I can't remember off the top of my head but I am 50% (unsure) that using "hagen cycle" will show ammonia on tests? but is made safe by the product even though its visible on test. I would be tempted to just add an extra capful of "prime". don't allow the ammonia reading to go above the 0.5mg. if it does do the water changes for sure.

doing daily water changes reduce the ammonia and nitrite which makes it easier on the fish but it wont remove them completely, It does make the cycle process longer but it easier on the fish

I'm still testing the water (did a small water change). My ammonia was down to 0.25 before I did the change. The water is clearing up.

I have a new question. Mine is a very small oscar. Today he's not been himself. He's not eating now and he has a long string hanging out of him. Is this a parasite?