What Do I Do?

[Blondielovesfish]

I'm going on holiday soon and it will be around the time that my tank will have finished cycling, if all goes to plan then it will have finished about two weeks before I go. I'm going away for 9 days so what should I do about the bacteria that will have built up through the cycling? I'm pretty sure that I shouldn't add fish until after I'm back as I know they have to be monitored.
So I'm guessing that the bacteria will die off in the 9 days if not fed, how can I get around this? I've been told that a automatic feeder might work so it would just keep on releasing food to keep the ammonia up but would that be the best option? Getting someone in to dose some ammonia everyday is out of the question!
I would prefer to not wait to cycle until after I'm back from my holiday as I don't think I'll have enough patience to have a tank for about 2 months without doing anything with it.
I'll also probably be using some mature media for the cycle which will reduce the time although I'm not sure by how much...
Any help you can offer would be muchly appreciated!
Thank you in advance

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Hasn't this already been discussed/answered in one of your previous posts? http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/416743-questions-about-a-quarantine-tank/

If you tell us what you weren't happy about in the original responses maybe we can help?

 

[TallTree01]

^ + 1

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Yeah it sort of has, I just wanted to make a post just for it so it would be answered sooner.
Well I don't want to wait to cycle until after I'm back but yeah.
Just trying to get as many opinions on it as possible!

 

[Blondielovesfish]

I'm just trying to get as many opinions on it as possible so I can decide what to do!

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Yeah it sort of has, I just wanted to make a post just for it so it would be answered sooner.
Well I don't want to wait to cycle until after I'm back but yeah.
Just trying to get as many opinions on it as possible!

Well since it seemed to be answered you'll need a time machine to get it answered sooner!

I know this is repeat advice but you're going on holiday as your cycling should finish so its likely all the good work will be undone if you stop for nine days. So you either delay cycling so you can do it when you return or put some fish in before you go away, making sure someone is around to feed them and keep your fingers crossed.

Personally I'd wait but the fact that you've reposted suggests you don't want to and you just want someone to tell you it will be alright or come up with some other plan.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That's not necessarily true. These bacteria aren't like animals. More than likely the bacteria you have will go dormant while you are away, then they can perk up again when you return. Only going 9 days without a supply of ammonia, etc isn't a very long time at all.


If this were my tank, and my situation, here's what I'd do: continue to cycle as you have right up to the point that you leave for holiday. Just before you go, add a small pinch of fish food. Come back and continue cycling as before. You'll probably be surprised with how quickly they rebound. The longer they are dormant the longer it takes for them to start processing, 9 days is a drop in a bucket.



Why the fish food? Insurance. The fish food will break down slowly, not all at once. So, a small pinch will actually release trace amounts of ammonia while you are away.

If you want more ammonia released than that while you are away adding a prawn (shrimp) before you leave would have the same effect. That's how folks used to do the fishless cycle years ago. Just remove it when you return and continue cycling as before, although with the prawn a water change may be necessary as they can be a bit more foul smelling than the small pinch of fish food. These options are much less expensive than an automatic feeder, and will give the bacteria something to work with while you are away.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Okay, when you say shrimp, do you mean like the shrimp we eat?
And thank you I will see closer to the time about which option i'll choose depending on how my cycle goes.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yup.  The very same.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Okay, do you cool them first or keep them uncooked?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Raw is best, I believe.  I've never used that method.  Personally, I'd probably opt for the fish food... finely ground.  There is some discussion about the food (and shrimp) providing a substrate for mold to grow on, so having less surface you'd reduce that risk...
 
Lots of different molds exist in a fish tank (all the time), but there has been some growing sentiment that it might be "columnaris".  There hasn't been a ton of proof that it does, but it is something to note.  If you are concerned a quick treatment of "pimafix" after the shrimp or fish food is removed, will remove the fungus, if present.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Okay, I probably will do the fish food then!
Thank you for your help!

 

[CezzaXV]

I would personally go for the shrimp, just because it has more to decompose and release ammonia. If you think you'll be cycled two weeks before you leave, then by that point your bacteria should be numerous enough to be processing ammonia and nitrite pretty fast. Given that, I would go for the shrimp.

However, the fish food will also work just as well.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Hmmm okay I'll think about it!
Just a irrelevant question, I have a 21 litre tank that has been up and running for over a year now, so with the cycling for my 160 litre I will probably use the sponge from the 21 litre filter as a mature media source, how much time will that shorten the cycling for? I've looked around and I can't find anywhere that says how much time using some mature media would ruffly take off the cycling time. I know each tank is different but surely there would be somewhere that would say about the normal time that's reduced for cycling?
So anyway I put that question to you!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

There are a lot of variables to this question. But long story short, you would be basically fully cycled for your current bio load on that tank when your move the entire sponge, etc. over to the new tank. (Of course, you still want to keep a close eye on it for a while before trusting it completely, but it should handle the bio load without much issue.)

More complicated is the answer to how long before the new tank is fully cycled. There are so many variables it's nearly impossible to predict, so I'll leave it at "significantly" cuts down the time. Once the filter media is settled in to their new home, you could raise the bio load by as much as 50% without too much concern of an ammonia spike. I'd probably be a bit more cautious in adding than that, but you could add that much every two weeks and be fully stocked rather quickly. But the bacteria don't always stick to our schedule, so it can be longer. Just play it by ear and when the time comes, you'll know what to do. Or come back and ask here.