Starting New Tank

[logley]

Have just set my tank up, fairly small 30L. Cleaned everything and put water treatment in.

My question is that I'm going on holiday on Monday for 2 weeks, and was thinking of putting in the required Ammonia on Monday morning, and leaving the tank cycling for 2 weeks whilst I'm away, then can start testing and putting more Ammonia in as required after holiday.

By the way I've never cycled a tank before, this will be the first time, so am a little worried that I won't be testing the water every day, to get a feel for the tank progress.

What are your thoughts please.

Lee.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I guess you could always put the ammonia in before you go and test when you get back; if the ammonia has disappeared then at worst case say the bacteria has died and you can do a water change and start again?; nothing lost really. If the bacteria has died (no ammonia left) then worst case if you start from scratch when you come back.

 

[Hungrydoug]

Have just set my tank up, fairly small 30L. Cleaned everything and put water treatment in.

My question is that I'm going on holiday on Monday for 2 weeks, and was thinking of putting in the required Ammonia on Monday morning, and leaving the tank cycling for 2 weeks whilst I'm away, then can start testing and putting more Ammonia in as required after holiday.

By the way I've never cycled a tank before, this will be the first time, so am a little worried that I won't be testing the water every day, to get a feel for the tank progress.

What are your thoughts please.

Lee.

I don't think that's a particularly bad idea. My fishless cycles took 16 and 10 days to process the first 4ppm of ammonia and it was a bit disheartening to see virtually no change day on day for two weeks.

I would perhaps dose slightly higher (say 4.5ppm) to give the bacteria something to get their teeth into and do the first test when you get back and pick up the re-dosing at 0ppm from there.

Of course that's just my opinion so I could be completely off!

Good luck with the cycle anyway.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with the others, just dose it to 5ppm and leave it. It may have not even gone down by the time you return. If it has gone to zero ppm when you return then that's just good news that you have a somewhat higher number of the correct species and they will quickly build up again once you supply them with some more ammonia.

Some people do the alternative thing of a large pinch of fishfood prior to a trip, feeling that the slower process of first having the food break down into ammonia will slow the process. I think in your case however, since its at the very beginning of the fishless cycle, the 5ppm of ammonia will be fine.

~~waterdrop~~