cylcling?

[ren]

ok i know it SOUNDS stupid, but really the only stupid question is those not asked:flipa:
what is "cycling" mean exactly. i hear about cycling your tank but what does it mean? i CLEAN my tank, i check ph levels, am i getting close?:11:

[xoolooxunny]

cycling is when ammonia from fish waste or actual ammonia is built up in the tank and then bacteria break it down into nitrites, and then more bacteria break that down into nitrates, the least toxic of the three which needs to be removed via water changes. After the initial cycle, there is no detectable ammonia and nitrites in the water because the nitrifying bacteria have reached an equilibrium with waste. There is an article on cycling available in the free ebook on the left menu.

How old is your tank?

[Chrona]

As xooloo said, cycling your tank essentially means growing those types of beneficial bacteria to a level where they can consume all of the ammonia fish/byproducts put out.

[ren]

we just bought a house so this is a new set up, about 1 month old now.water conditioners were used but thats about it. there is 2 wee little goldfish in a 10g. thanks!