How Long Will Filter Bacteria Live?

[Novisteel]

Hello,

I am "Fishless Cycling" my new tank and have now seen Ammonia levels drop to Zero for the past week. Hopefully the Nitrites will follow suit shortly as they are currently very high.(Off scale!)

I was musing about the purchase of Fish sometime in the future and wondered how long Filter Bacteria will live without the daily dose of Ammonia.

I do not wish to load up the Tank with Ammonia on the day Fish are introduced but on the otherhand if I delay a day or so in the purchases will the Bacteria die and I will be back to square one?

Thanks.

 

[Colin_T]

the bacteria will live for a couple of days without an ammonia source. After that they die off, but there will be dormant cysts waiting for a new source fo ammonia. When they get some ammonia in the water they hatch out and start the culture going.

If you don't get fish for a few days after the cycle has finished, then keep adding a bit of ammonia each day until the day before you get the new fish. On the day before you get the fish, do a massive (90%) water change with clean dechlorinated water that has a similar temperature & pH to the tank. The following day go and get some fish.

 

[Novisteel]

SNIP

If you don't get fish for a few days after the cycle has finished, then keep adding a bit of ammonia each day until the day before you get the new fish. On the day before you get the fish, do a massive (90%) water change with clean dechlorinated water that has a similar temperature & pH to the tank. The following day go and get some fish.

Thanks Colin that was very helpful. Although I kept a tropical tank in the 70's I really knew (know!) very little about the Nitrogen Cycle until finding this Forum. At least the fish will now have better water quality.

 

[waterdrop]

I'm a "Re-Beginner" from that era too. After I learned and mastered the nitrogen cycle info here on TFF I've come to feel that probably the great majority of times when my fish did not do well back then were due to lack of this knowledge.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[doresy]

I kept my 125 ltr ticking over for a month after cycle completed with a twice daily ammonia dose doing a 50% water change in the middle and a 100% water change the day before adding fish. Never seen a trace of ammonia/nitrite since

 

[rdd1952]

What everyone has said is true about just dosing until your ready to add fish. As far as the bacteria is concerned, they die off pretty slowly. Usually about 5 or 10% per day.

 

[Novisteel]

Thanks to one and all for your help.

I may be reaching the end of the cycling as I have had zero readings for Ammonia for a while and, over the past few days, zero for Nitrites also.

All being well I shall undertake a BIG water change on Monday and maybe fish on Tuesday!!

 

[waterdrop]

Ideally you want to reach a point where you are adding to 5ppm ammonia and then measuring zero ppm ammonia and zero ppm nitrite(NO2) by 12 hours (if its longer then the colonies may not be robust enough) and then keep adding a watching it do that for a number of days to ensure the wrinkles have really settled out.

~~waterdrop~~