Good Bacteria

[sean0151]

Hi folks.
How long is bacteria likely to survive with a filter not running.
I have just bought a second hand set up which came with a fluval fx5 filter.While i was setting up i noticed the inside of the filter was still wet.I dont know how long the filter was switched of for although on starting my fishless cycle i dosed to 5ppm ammonia and it has shifted it in 4 days.
Any answers appreciated.
Regards
Sean

 

[JoshuaA]

I can't exactly remember the figure but the colonies do die without a food source and I think (on a bit of a whim) it halved each day after the 2nd day without food. I seem to remember reading somewhere. I left some filter sponges in a bucket for a whole day(and night) whilst moving my cycling tank from one house to another, they were fine afterwards but they were submerged completely the entire time.

Anyway, if you have shifted that Ammonia into Nitrate, you could well be in luck and that may have retained some bacteria. You want to obviously keep cycling to build the colony back up but you're going to have one hell of a kick start to the cycle if you've done 5ppm in 4 days.

From what I've read... awesome filter

Good luck and make sure you keep a log and come to tell us how its going!

 

[reignofcheese]

You'd be surprised how it can hold up as long as it is still wet and if your tank cycles very quickly it would not surprise me at all.

 

[sean0151]

Thanks for replies.
Reckon ill just keep my fingers crossed then.
I was expecting the long hual as this is my first fishless cycle only done fish in before.
Ill keep dosing with ammonia and keep an eye on the nitrite and hope.
Cheers again
Sean

 

[Bignose]

It actually isn't too bad. The kill off rate is around 10% a day. Just like the bacteria are very slow growing compared to the average bacteria, they are very slow dying, and the dead ones can be consumed by the others to keep a colony alive.

It is important that the bacteria do remain wet, however, as they will not survive being dried out.

 

[Gilli]

I have an external filter which I accidentally left off for 24 hours after a water change and i didnt even get a mini cycle!

 

[sean0151]

Hi Folks.
Thanks again for your replies.
I have dosed the tank back up to 5ppm and it shifted it in 24 hrs this was only the second ammonia dose.I have tested for nitrite and got 0 tested for Nitrate and got >5ppm....
I contacted the person i got the tank from for some details and he said that the tank had been Heavily stocked and that the filter had been shut off for about ten days but left full of water and only emptied before i picked it up.I had it 2 days before i added first ammonia dose.
Where do you suggest i am with this.
Regards
Sean

 

[sean0151]

Hi Again
An update and a bit more advice.
Ammonia is still shifting quickly but todays nitrite tests have it rising rapidly so i guess i have had a good kick start into the cycle but still have some way to go.
Where do you all think i am up to as in 30%-50%.
Should i keep dosing to 5ppm or should i be dropping the dose a bit?
Regards
Sean

 

[JoshuaA]

I kept dosing at 5ppm when the nitrite spikes started to hit however a lot of people recommend you dropping to 3/4ppm. In terms of how far into it... it's hard to say, I have to admit though the ammonia reducing bacteria on both cycles has been the fastest growing bacteria for me. The N Bacs is really a slug fest to wait for it to come through in sufficient numbers.

I found the longest part of the cycle was waiting for the double zeros, Ammonia went from not reducing anything one day to being able to reduce 5ppm of ammonia within 12 hours in the space of 2 days for me.