Cycling New Tank From Established One

[BigbruiserAl]

Bacteria with no food will die off at a rate of approx 12% per 24hr so times by 7 days their all gone sorry. Addinf alot of plants in fish in cycle help as they will absorb some ammoina and nitrates. Some floating plants can be had very cheap dont expect a massive reduction and certainly wont replace those big water changes

 

[orandas]

Bacteria with no food will die off at a rate of approx 12% per 24hr so times by 7 days their all gone sorry.

sorry for another question but what happens, when due to a 2week hols, and the fish are, say ,not feed for 2weeks?? and the bacteria.....

sorry for over analysing everything,its my nature...

 

[the_lock_man]

Bacteria with no food will die off at a rate of approx 12% per 24hr so times by 7 days their all gone sorry.

sorry for another question but what happens, when due to a 2week hols, and the fish are, say ,not feed for 2weeks?? and the bacteria.....

sorry for over analysing everything,its my nature...

Fish are perfectly ok for a week without food - 2 weeks you might encounter problems, so assuming you've got someone coming in to clear the mail off the entrance mat, then give them a set amount to feed on whatever day you decide.

The bacteria will be fine. They live off the ammonia produced by the fish.

 

[fluttermoth]

The fish will still be producing ammonia, just at a slightly lower level than if they're being fed every day. This is enough to keep the filter bacteria alive, but there may well be a small amount of die back.

That's why, when you get back from holiday, you should feed very sparingly for a few days rather than going straight back to your normal feeding regime.

Then the bacteria have time to re-expand to cope with the extra ammonia.

 

[the_lock_man]

UUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I didn't know that would happen!!!!!!!!!!!!! will it take a while to cycle again or will it be quicker since there's already some bacteria? Yeah I guess I might as well just move the guppies then. I think they'll be happier without the other fish. Will adding a lot of plants help at all?

It'll take a few weeks, and the plants will help, but as Al says, they won't process that much, you would need to have LOADS and LOADS of plants (that's called a Silent Cycle).

I suggest you get hold of a bottle of Seachem Prime. This will turn ammonia into ammonium (rather less toxic) for a couple of days, but the filter bacteria can't tell the difference, so they still feed on this.

Like I said, once the filter is cycled, the ammonia in the well water will be processed by these same bacteria.

 

[orandas]

The fish will still be producing ammonia, just at a slightly lower level than if they're being fed every day. This is enough to keep the filter bacteria alive, but there may well be a small amount of die back.

That's why, when you get back from holiday, you should feed very sparingly for a few days rather than going straight back to your normal feeding regime.

Then the bacteria have time to re-expand to cope with the extra ammonia.

Thx, b4 this forum,b4 i understood the nitrogen cycle, in the past, by instinct, i slightly overfed them a week b4 i left & hope they can live on any excess body reserves and again on the week on return, - my mistake.

 

[orandas]

UUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I didn't know that would happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hear ya.......recently happened to me.......sorry it sucks

ps sorry for hi-jacking ure thread, i'm learning too.

 

[charlotte!]

I've got prime so thats good. How much should I add, just follow the bottle? It says 1 capful for every 50 gallons so I'm thinking a little less than half full? After the cycle will it be fine to still use the water with ammonia or should I try and use another source? I don't know if it's bad for the fish to keep using prime

 

[the_lock_man]

I've got prime so thats good. How much should I add, just follow the bottle? It says 1 capful for every 50 gallons so I'm thinking a little less than half full? After the cycle will it be fine to still use the water with ammonia or should I try and use another source? I don't know if it's bad for the fish to keep using prime

Keep using the Prime, it'll detyoxify the ammonia in the tapwater, and the bacteria will then deal with it.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I've got prime so thats good. How much should I add, just follow the bottle? It says 1 capful for every 50 gallons so I'm thinking a little less than half full? After the cycle will it be fine to still use the water with ammonia or should I try and use another source? I don't know if it's bad for the fish to keep using prime

Keep using the Prime, it'll detyoxify the ammonia in the tapwater, and the bacteria will then deal with it.

+1 i only use prime and have done for years will always pay the extra for it