Cycling refers the nitrogen cycle which makes the aquarium water suitable for aquatic life. Beneficial bacteria must be added to the tank to ensure that the fish’s waste gets converted from Ammonia to Nitrites to Nitrates. Nitrates at a certain level are alright for fish to be in and can be fertilizer for plants in the tank, however Ammonia and Nitrites can end up killing your aquatic life. Cycling can take around a month to complete; at it’s simplest, you would add beneficial bacteria and waste and then wait for the bacteria to establish itself and go through its processes. More experienced people will do fish-in cycles, in which the fish gets added immediately and its poop is used as the waste to start the cycle, however a fish-in cycle is much more hands on and means you’ll be doing water tests and changes just about everyday until the tank is cycled.
For beginners overall, a freshwater tank is the easiest to start off with which is what our platform specializes in! Some easy beginner fish we recommend: betta fish, guppies, neon tetras, mollies, and rasboras. These are hardy fish with low waste.
Plants can benefit a tank by giving your fish enrichment and can convert nitrates to fertilizer to feed on! While recommended, first timers might have a hard time maintaining both plants and fish, so here are some easy plants to care for: amazon sword, anubias, java fern, hornwort, and marimo moss balls!