scorphonic
Fishaholic
Hey guys, I am going to be starting up a tank and will be giving fishless cycling a go but have a question that needs answering.
Once the fishless cycle has come to an end and you are at the point where you add the fish, what do you do if you cannot add any fish until 3 or 4 days later. Do you need to keep adding the amonia to keep the bacteria going or can you leave the tank alone without undoing all your hard work. I ask because I can only get down to my local fish store at weekends and knowing my luck the cycle would end on a monday or tueday
Even if I start the cycle tomorrow I dont think it will be ending for a while, so at least I dont need an urgent answer
Mr-Xoc
Yes you must continue to add in the ammonia to keep the bacteria alive when you have finished the cycle. The ammonia will more than likely be consumed in about 8 to 12 hours so remember to add in more ammonia each time. The timing between adding in the ammonia and allowing this to go to zero, and for you to do a water change to remove most of the nitrates and adding in the fish is down to yourself. Just remember that the bacteria will begin to die off after a few hours without ammonia for them to feed off. Dont worry too much about it...you will be fine if you have cycled properly....and by the sounds of it...your well on your way to doing it well!
Check out the people on this site that donate media (bacteria from their filters)...get some of this and your cycle may only take a week...mine only took a week this way!! Otherwise a fishless cycle may only take 3 weeks!!
Best of luck with it!