Ammonia And Nirite

[BJC787]

just a question
if i have a fish tank with fish in it and i get rid of the fish, how long does it last until the good bacteria all dies and i have to cycle it again.

 

[FishyWishie]

I would imagine very quickly if theres no fish theres no ammonia so no food for the bacs to eat. Probably within 24 hours bacs would start to die and be completely gone within a few days.

You could consider adding ammonia as in a fishless cycle if the gap between emptying the tank and restocking is of any length.

 

[ian]

its about 5-10% a day.

 

[Bignose]

Yeah, similar to how they are one of the slowest growing bacteria, they are also pretty slow to die off. 10% a day is a good rule of thumb.

That said, if at all possible, you should continue to give them food.

They do need to remain wet, however. If they dry out, they can definitely be considered dead.