Nitrocycle is a clean and safe source of inorganic nitrogen that can be used to promote the establishment of the biofilter in new aquariums prior to adding any livestock. By feeding the bacteria with NitroCycle during the initial cycling in your tank, you can avoid the mess and smell of putting food in an empty tank or risking the lives of fish in an uncycled aquarium.

Ammonia and nitrite are toxic biological waste products that can rapidly accumulate in recirculating aquarium systems. These toxins naturally convert to less harmful nitrate by the activity of nitrifying bacteria. In what is commonly known as the nitrogen cycle, ammonia is converted to nitrite by certain nitrifiers (e.g. Nitrosomonas); nitrite is converted to nitrate by others (e.g. Nitrobacter). Thus, as these microbes populate a system, a biological filter becomes established (i.e. cycled). In order to protect sensitive marine livestock from ammonia and nitrite, the biological filter must fully mature before stocking the system. Various organic or inorganic nitrogenous compounds accelerate the cycling process. Inorganic sources such as NitroCycle include simple salts such as ammonium chloride, whereas organic sources include decaying biomass such as dead prawns.

There are distinct advantages to using an inorganic nitrogen source.

• It has an extensive shelf life.

• It is easy to measure and dose.
• It is immediately available for uptake by the bacteria.
• Because it is inorganic (i.e. lacks carbon), it does not encourage early growth of competing heterotrophic bacteria.
• Unlike organic nitrogen sources, it will not foul aquarium water by introducing phosphate and dissolved organic matter.

NitroCycle encourages fast colonization of nitrifying bacteria on biological media as well as dry live rock. It therefore helps to prevent dangerous ammonia spikes following the addition of valuable aquarium livestock. It does not foul or discolor aquarium water. Most notably, it does not contain phosphate or dissolved organics! This product comes in a graduated double-neck bottle, greatly simplifying measurement/dosage. See below for more information.

Directions:

Use 1mL of nitrocycle per gallon of tank water to achieve an ammonia level of 3ppm. 1 Bottle treats up to 250 gallons of water. After dosing, the addition of a bacterial starter culture such as Dr. Tim's One & Only, Microbacter Start XLM, or Fritz TurboStart will jumpstart the cycling process and quickly establish a biofilter. We recommend testing ammonia as well as nitrite and nitrate dialy to determine when the bacteria have begun to break down the nitrogen compounds. Once zero ammonia and nitrite are detected, and nitrate begins to accumulate in the aquarium, the biological filtration is established and your aquarium is cycled.

Note: This product is intended for use during initial (i.e. pre-stocking) aquarium conditioning. It should not be used in systems that have been stocked with live animals.