a dwarf African frog site

Since the vast majority of our visitors at this site are from the U.S., all the references to water volume are made in gallons, and the water temperatures are given in Fahrenheit.  To convert these to liters/centigrade, please see this link.  You can also convert dKH to meq/l and ppm at the linked site.

"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." -- Irina Dunn

If by some chance this famous quote came to mind when you read the word "cycle" in relation to an aquarium, it's understandable.  After all, what the heck does the word "cycle" mean?

As you have already guessed, it has nothing to do with 2-wheeled modes of transportation.  It does have to do with nature -- as in "natural cycle."  In the case of aquariums, this is more properly called the "nitrogen cycle."

For instance, in most places in the world there are seasons -- spring, summer, fall, winter.  Things are born in the spring and grow during the summer and die back during the fall and sleep during the winter.

Water is not immune to this cycle.  Contrary to popular belief, water (with the possible exceptions of distilled and RO/DI, or reverse osmosis/deionized water*) is alive.  If you put it under a microscope, you'll see all sorts of amazing things.  True, the water that comes out of the tap in many U.S. homes is incredibly tame; all the life in it is subdued by various chemicals added to "purify" it.  But it is not dead.  There is still stuff living in there, and that stuff is subject to the natural cycle of birth-dormancy-rebirth.  (This cycle is so key to the health of an aquarium and its inhabitants that if you use distilled or RO/DI water, you have to add chemicals and bacteria to it to bring it alive again -- or else your aquarium will crash and your frogs will die.)

How does this cycle affect your aquarium and frogs?  The dormancy-birth-growth-maturity cycle in water is expressed as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.  Think of it this way: when you put declorinated tap water into your tank and add frogs to it, it's winter.  As the frogs eat and eliminate, you go into the ammonia phase, which in the aquarium world is spring.  The next development is that bacteria either develop slowly and naturally, over the course of a month, or you add them.  These bacteria convert the ammonia to nitrite.  Think of this as summer; things are growing and developing -- but they aren't finished yet, and the tank could easily become toxic (a.k.a. "crash").  A tank in the grip of an ammonia or the ensuing nitrite phase is not a mature tank and is subject to a crash at any time; also, ammonia is very toxic and nitrite is too, only somewhat less so.

So what's autumn?  The nitrate phase, the final phase of the aquarium cycle.  Nitrates are the final product of the work of the bacteria and, as long as nitrates are controlled, the presence of nitrates means the aquarium is very liveable.  This is your harvest or autumn: a "live" aquarium that can get by without extremely frequent -- more than once a week -- interventions, such as water changes, because it can handle most ammonia spikes by itself (contrary to popular belief, ammonia never disappears entirely from your tank; there will be small ammonia spikes nearly every day, but a properly cycled tank will literally eat them).

If you continually interrupt the cycle by replacing the water all the time -- some DAF keepers report doing this every day -- you will never get to the next two stages: nitrite and nitrate.  And so your aquarium will remain entirely dependent on you, which in the long run will put a lot of pressure on you and worse, put your frogs at risk if there are large changes in your tap water from time to time.  This is why a cycled aquarium is desirable for your frogs.

*Distilled water and RO/DI water are unacceptable for freshwater aquarium use unless the aquarist is very advanced in the hobby and knows how to rebuild the water before using it.  DAFs seem to adjust well to most properly declorinated tap water.  See your local aquarium shop for assistance if your tap water contains ammonia or nitrites, or if you have an additional home filtration system. 

Be careful of what kind of bottled water you buy.  RO/DI water can masquerade as "drinking water."  Also do not buy any bottled water with flouride or caffeine added to it.  Mineral water and the new "electrolite waters" are questionable for use in the aquarium (they're expensive, too).  Only buy spring water, and always buy the same brand.  Do test it now and then to make sure its quality is consistent.

Strongly recommended link: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Nitrogen_Cycle

Frog on bicycle image from: http://images.inmagine.com/168nwm/designpics/dpic039/dp1770652.jpg

There are two ways of cycling an aquarium: the regular and "fishless" cycle techniques.  Because many new DAF owners find themselves in the situation of already having a frog or two before they have an aquarium set up, please see the "Frog Emergencies" page for information on a regular, frogs-present aquarium cycle.  What will be described below on this page is a "fishless" cycle.

First, let's discuss the differences between a cycled aquarium (which is the model used for the "Frog Basics" page), and the uncycled one (which is the situation described on the "Frog Emergencies" page).

Cycled Aquarium

Tank has been operating longer than one month.

Test the water for pH, nitrate, nitrite (and if the nitrites are positive, test for ammonia) once a month unless livestock health problems are detected.  Keep in mind that ammonia is less lethal in an aquarium with a low (<7.0) pH than in a tank with a higher pH; however, your frogs may not thrive in a low-pH environment.

Test pH only after aquarium lights have been on for 3 hours -- light affects pH.  Test for ammonia only before you feed the livestock in the tank.  Every feeding causes a small ammonia spike.

Water must be tested periodically for KH, which tends to gradually lower in older tanks due to acids building up from decaying wastes.  (KH is what steadies your pH.  A wildly fluctuating pH is not healthy for frogs or any other livestock.)  Optimal KH level is >7dKH.  Also check for GH to ascertain the dissolved mineral content of your water.  A higher GH is good for your frogs.

Tank does not need water changes more than once a week.

Small ammonia spikes should not be considered a problem.

Addition of beneficial bacteria products is probably not necessary unless there has been some big change in the tank, such as the application of medicines -- Stability or Nite-Out II are good choices for events like this.

Never, ever take the substrate out and wash it; use a siphon vacuum to clean it about once a month, or more often if nitrates build up too much.

Uncycled Aquarium

Tank has been operating less than a month.

Test daily for ammonia, nitrite, pH.  If the pH is low in your source water, or if you find the pH fluctuating wildly, treat the water with a pH regulating product.

Water must be changed several times a week, even daily, if the owner does not want to cycle the tank.  If the tank is to be cycled, don't change the water at all for at least the first month.  Topping off the water is fine.

A baseline KH test of source water probably should be conducted, but is not totally necessary.

Do not have to test nitrate levels until the 3rd-4th week.

Ammonia spikes are a huge concern if livestock are present.  If no one's at home, ammonia spikes are a healthy and normal part of a new aquarium's development.

Frequent, even daily addition of beneficial bacteria products is advised if livestock are present -- use Bio Spira and consider following up with Stability or Nite-Out II.  If there are no livestock present and you wish to do a fishless cycle, Stability or Nite-Out II will work well alone.

Never, ever take the substrate out and wash it!  Don't even clean it at this point!

 Okay, now that we've got that squared away, here's how you cycle a tank if you don't already own frogs or fish (once again, if you do own frogs already, please see the "Frog Emergencies" page).

 

Fishless cycle (recommended)

 

Never use soap on your aquarium or its contents, not even when it's cycled.  Even "natural" soaps are dangerous for aquarium use.  If you really feel the need to scrub your tank, go to a pet shop and get an aquarium-safe cleaner.  Otherwise, just rinse everything, including the tank itself, in hot water before use.

 

Set up your aquarium away from windows, and do not put an aquarium on any wall where light from a window will shine into it.  Sunlight causes incredible algae growth, and can also affect the temperature of the tank.

 

Decorate your tank with aquarium safe decorations and gravel (a.k.a. substrate), and fill with dechlorinated tap water.  It is KEY to use aquarium-safe products only, because non-aquarium safe stuff can release toxic chemicals into the water.

 

"Prime" is a good product to use for dechlorination of tap water. 

 

Now, start the filter and turn on the lights.

 

The amazing thing is that your tank will just sit there and become stagnant and filled with algae if you don't put something degradeable in there (oh, it will cycle eventually, but it will take a very, very long time).  So, what you are going to do is either put some live aquatic plants in (sturdy ones like Java ferns are appropriate for new tanks), or you could put some fish food into the tank, or you could do both.  Don't overdo it, but do put in enough stuff so that you get an ammonia spike in 2-3 days.  Maybe 3 Java ferns for a 10 gallon tank, along with about a teaspoon of fish food, might do it.  Even a small (U.S. quarter-sized) piece of unprocessed (fresh) fish purchased at the supermarket would be good; however, due to the danger of chytrid fungus, you should probably boil the fish for at least 10 minutes before using it.

 

Since there is no cute little creature living in the tank, don't worry about the ammonia.  Let it spike.  Your live plants will be delighted (up to a point).  Gradually, over a period of days or weeks, you will start getting nitrite readings.  This is good!  It means your bacterial colony is growing and developing and converting the ammonia to nitrite.  If you want the process to go faster, add a product like "Stability" or "Nite-Out II" daily.

 

At around one month, you should start getting nitrate readings (<40 ppm readings are optimal for DAF environments).  If you have a lot of aquatic plants in your tank, however, your nitrate readings will remain low or even nonexistent, since the plants may be using the nitrate in one way or another. 

 

Don't Freak Out Department:

As a tank nears maturity, it may display one or both of the following:

--cloudy water

--ugly brown goop all over the substrate, decorations, even the walls

If you see one or both of these conditions, don't worry.  Although they look ugly and alarming, they're actually a healthy signal that your aquarium is maturing.  The cloudy water is probably caused by a bacterial bloom (also check to see that the dust from the substrate is settled, but that probably is settled by the time you see a bacterial bloom), and the ugly brown stuff is "algae" caused by excess silica or inadequate light.  If silica is to blame, the problem will clear up by itself in a few weeks.  If your lighting is inadequate, try increasing it to 2 fluorescent watts per gallon of water.  Also try increasing aeration by adding an airstone attached to an air pump.

DO NOT respond to either condition by changing the water.  It will eventually clear up by itself.

 

On the other hand...

 

Do Freak Out Department

If the color of that goop covering everything in your tank is brown, as I said, don't freak out.

However...

If the color of the goop is an amazingly intense maroon, purple, blue, black, red or green, you have a problem.  This is called cyanobacteria, or "blue-green algae" ("blue-green" applies not matter what color the goop is).  It is primarly caused by overfeeding, and it seems to me that newly-established tanks are the most likely to develop it. 

This stuff shows up in both marine and freshwater aquariums, and is devilishly difficult to get rid of.  Worse, it can be harmful to the tank and its residents if it is allowed to take over.  The only sure-fire cure I've found is an application of erythromycin such as is found in a product like Aquarium Pharmaceuticals EM Erythromycin Medication - 10ct Powder Packets. 

There are lots of medicated fish foods with erythromycin -- avoid these; they won't help.  Get the powdered form and apply per package directions, being sure to carry out the treatment exactly as instructed.  This should eliminate the blue-green algae, and in many situations it will never return.  Be sure to treat the tank with Stability or Nite-Out II after the treatment is over.

 

Back to our cycling lecture:

 

As the nitrate rises (or not), the ammonia should pretty much disappear, and the nitrites should follow.  Once the ammonia readings are continually low or nonexistent, and the nitrites become low or nonexistent, your tank is cycled.

 

Now for the fun part: you can add a few frogs at the rate of one frog per three gallons (a well cared for, long-established tank can handle as much as one frog per one gallon).  But expect another small ammonia spike once you do.  If/when this happens, don't panic.  Do monitor the ammonia levels and take action (via a 20% water change) if your test kit indicates that the ammonia is getting dangerously high.  It shouldn't, though, if you have only added one or two frogs to start with (keep your frog gang very, very small for the first few months!).  Your frogs can live with a small amount of ammonia in the tank; they are amazingly hardy.

 

Try not to change the water at all, nor use any ammonia-removing products, for the first few months in the life of the tank, unless the ammonia and/or nitrite suddenly rise.  Even then, if the levels are not dangerous, try to handle the ammonia spike with beneficial bacteria such as is found in a product like "Stability."

 

If you find that you have ammonia in your source water and/or you cannot get the ammonia level in the tank down, and you KNOW the tank is cycled, then it's time to start using a product like Amquel, or Zeolite-containing carbon media for your filter.  If you have a problem like this, you must continue to monitor the ammonia level at least once a week for as long as the tank is in operation; however, this testing can be complicated by the fact that the presence of ammonia-removing agents can make your testing materials ineffective.  You may consider switching to bottled spring water, but be sure to test that for nasties (ammonia and nitrite, that is) first.

This section is being added to address the subject of aquarium filtration.  Among intermediate and advanced aquarists this is a subject of ongoing, fierce debate between those who believe that an aquarium can never have too much filtration, and those who never use filters at all.

Beginners tend to have the same arguments amongst themselves, but for different reasons.  Some believe that if they change the water every day, they do not need a filter.  We've already addressed that belief.  However true it may be, it's a lot of work, worry, and waste.  (The advanced anti-filter aquarists are skilled at maintaining water quality, usually with a careful balance of plants and aquatic life, and their methods should not be attempted by beginners.)

Other beginners believe that a filter will solve all their problems and when they use a filter, they will not have to worry about water quality even if they never clean the tank.  This is not true at all.

All filters do is clean the dirty water that passes through them.  They do this by various methods.  Carbon filtration, a common component in most filters, will remove chemical impurities and some organics, including beneficial bacteria you add to the water, and medications you may use.  But it will only do this for about a week while the carbon is still fresh.  After that the carbon becomes inert and almost ironically becomes a home for bacteria. 

Zeolite, a common filter medium in freshwater aquariums, can limit the amount of ammonia in the water.  It can be helpful in aquariums where the source water has ammonia in it, but should not be relied upon to keep an aquarium "clean."

Filter sponges trap debris and quickly become home to beneficial bacteria that help "eat" the debris.  Trouble is, there is rarely enough bacteria to eat the debris fast enough, so sponges become clogged and need to be rinsed (in discarded tank water!) more and more often as they age.

There are other filter media these days, such as plastic and ceramic balls which serve as homes for beneficial bacteria and usually rarely need to be rinsed.  These balls do not help much with mechanical filtration (that is, they won't directly make your water look pretty), but by providing such good homes for this bacteria, they do help clean the water.

Sounds pretty good, right?  It is.  Up to a point.

The point where it stops working is with all that gunk building up in your tank -- the stuff that doesn't reach the filter.  Since your frogs are carnivores and live on meaty foods, a lot of their food (and their waste) is heavy and sinks into the substrate, where it literally turns into sewage.  An undergravel filter may be of some help in this regard, but after about 6 months it will need to be cleaned -- and you'll have to tear down the entire tank to do this.  If you don't clean the filter, it can become even more dangerous than just having dirty gravel.

Rooted aquatic plants will feed on some of the junk in the substrate -- it's compost, after all -- but you can't rely on them to entirely take care of the problem.

So what do you do?

In a mature aquarium (one that is over one month old), vacuum the gravel at least once a month.  Twice is better if you have a lot of residents in the tank.  You can "vacuum" by getting one of those aquarium siphon hoses.  This accomplishes gravel cleaning and old-water removal at the same time.  You should also be replacing about 1/4 of the aquarium's water during every vacuuming.

This siphoning process also has the benefit of stirring up a lot of junk out of the substrate which ordinarily would never reach the filter.  Leave your filter running during, or just after, the siphoning process and let it take in the stirred-up junk.  After the water has cleared, rinse the filter media in a container of discarded tank water or room temperature tap water that has been treated to remove chlorine and chloramine.

DON'T WORRY; your frogs and other life in the tank can stay in the tank during the cleaning!  Just be sure not to accidentally siphon anyone out of the tank.  Use a siphon that was designed specifically for aquariums to help prevent this from happening.

NEVER take the substrate out of the tank and "wash" it.  While this gets the substrate squeaky clean, it also cleanses away beneficial bacteria that live in the substrate, doing much the same good job for you that the bacteria in the filter are doing. 

Also be aware that if you don't regularly vacuum under aquarium decorations, dangerous gasses can build up under them.  If you have long neglected to clean under your decorations, it is best to remove all your critters from the tank before doing so.

What are the best filters to use with DAFs?  Sponge filters are really the best, but for an absolute beginner aquarist I recommend a power filter (one that hangs on to the back of the tank and pumps water through itself).  The reason is that power filters are more "active" in that they remove more stuff that accidentally gets into the water, such as too much floating food, as often happens in a beginner's tank.  However, if you have a power filter, please put a sponge or an unused nylon stocking over the intake to eliminate the danger of a frog having an adventure in the filter.

Don't bother with the fancy canister or in-line filters at this point unless you have an enormous (more than 40 gallon) tank.  If you have one of those tanks with a built-in bio-wheel, these are okay too.  I've found them to be prone to breakdowns, however, so if you have one of these, keep a close eye on it.  The unique filter found in the biOrb tanks (discussed on the biOrb page of this site), is totally acceptable for frogs, but do read the biOrb page to learn about special things you'll have to watch out for.

A filter with a built-in UV sterilizer may be a good option for a very mature tank that is over 3 months old, but they are not recommended for a newer tank (under 3 months old, even it the tank is cycled) because they may kill off most of that good bacteria that you are trying so hard to grow.  Otherwise, UV sterilizers may be a good idea for use with DAFs in larger, well-established tanks.  I've had one in my 30 gallon tank for about a year and have not regretted installing it.

With a combination of regular filter maintenance (not necessarily replacing filter media, but instead keeping them rinsed so water can pass through them easily), partial water changes, and substrate vacuuming, you will truly have a clean aquarium.  Just keep in mind that you can't rely on the filter to do the entire job for you!