How Long Till Bacteria Dies Off?

[Durbkat]

When I clone my 55g tank by taking the filter from my 20g and putting it in the 55g I want to know how long will it take for the bacteria to die off if it didn't have any fish in it?

 

[tttnjfttt]

I'm not sure of an exact time frame, but if you must leave it in a tank without fish, why not add a little bit of pure ammonia, as if you were doing a fishless cycle?

 

[rdd1952]

1, 2 or 3 days maybe but you could add ammonia and feed the bacteria. If you're talking about when you do the move and it being in there for a few hours before you get the fish moved, that's not a problem at all.

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah I just wanted to know because I want to give the new filter and water time to collect the bacteria so when I put the fish in the tank won't cycle. So if you were cloning a tank and you were very attached to the fish and didn't want to take the chance of losing them how long would you wait after adding the filter to the 55g before adding the fish also the filter media that came with the filter for the 55g has been in my 20g for a couple weeks to collect bacteria. So what would you do since I don't have money to get ammonia? I'm also going to add alot of gravel from the 20g for additional bacteria.

 

[rdd1952]

I would set the tank up and get it started running with the filter for it. Once the water has settled and cleared, I would bag my fish (you will probably have to take a lot of the water out of the 20 gallon to catch them all and 2 nets work great for catching fish), move the filter over from the 20 gallon to the 55 gallon, start it running and then start acclaimating the fish. The filter won't be running for more than an hour without fish in the tank and that won't be a problem at all.

 

[sylvia]

The bacteria begin to die off after only about 2 hours but, obviously, not all will die immediately so, if you can get the fish into the tank within 2-4 hours, you're fine.

 

[Durbkat]

My grandmother just informed me that I can't do this till I get water tested at lps so would the tank give accuarate results or would it be like it hadn't started cycling yet and would show any thing?

 

[rdd1952]

If there aren't any fish in the tank yet, the water parameters should be perfect (all 0) since there isn't a source for ammonia or nitrite.

 

[Durbkat]

Thats what I told my grandmother but she insist that I get the water tested. Also I remeber with my 10g and 20g when I didn't know about cycling like after letting the tank water set for 2 days after add dechlor that the ammonia and nitrate are 0 but I always got a nitrate reading why is this because I thought that you only got nitrate readings when you had fish pooping in it?

 

[Dangerousdan]

.

 

[Durbkat]

Well thats what I thought (god these fish store workers are so slow)