How do I keep my bacteria going with CUC in the tank?

[PugsAndFish]

I cycled my 10 gallon aquarium in about 9 days using Biospira. Both ammonia and nitrite fall to 0 within 24 hours of adding ~1.25ppm of pure ammonia to the water.

I went to pick up a pair of clowns but the store didn't have any I liked so I impulse bought 3 hermit crabs.

I won't be able to pick up fish until Saturday or Sunday, and I'd like to keep my bacteria population strong and alive until then. Ideally, I'd add more ammonia every other day or so to provide a food source for the bacteria, but now that I have a CUC, how do I keep my bacteria fed? I'm assuming hermit crabs are susceptible to ammonia just like fish.

 

[CC13]

I cycled my 10 gallon aquarium in about 9 days using Biospira. Both ammonia and nitrite fall to 0 within 24 hours of adding ~1.25ppm of pure ammonia to the water.

I went to pick up a pair of clowns but the store didn't have any I liked so I impulse bought 3 hermit crabs.

I won't be able to pick up fish until Saturday or Sunday, and I'd like to keep my bacteria population strong and alive until then. Ideally, I'd add more ammonia every other day or so to provide a food source for the bacteria, but now that I have a CUC, how do I keep my bacteria fed? I'm assuming hermit crabs are susceptible to ammonia just like fish.

Did you use already cured rock? Dead LR or uncured rock? - A cycle for 9 days time is VERY short depending on the rock you used.

Ya, you can toss in some food. Does not need to be everyday, and you should continue to monitor your perimeters daily.

 

[PugsAndFish]

Did you use already cured rock? Dead LR or uncured rock? - A cycle for 9 days time is VERY short depending on the rock you used.

Ya, you can toss in some food. Does not need to be everyday, and you should continue to monitor your perimeters daily.

I used dry rock and Seachem matrix and a ton of Biospira.

 

[ndrwater]

Anything and everything that is alive in our tanks is susseptable to ammonia. That said, anything and everything that we add in the way if fish and inverts can and does add ammonia to feed the beneficial bacteria in our tanks.
Having some CUC will help to keep the benificial bacteria population going.
Now.. as @CC13 said, 9 days is awful quick for a cycle unless live rock, bacteria in a bottle was used with an exterior ammonia source. I would monitor your parameters in the mean time.
Lastly, there is only enough benificial bacteria available to sustain whatever inhabitants that are already in the tank. Every time you add something new, the benificial bacteria need to be given a chance to catch up.. The longer you have the tank, the more established your bacteria population is, and the quicker it can accommodate whatever new additions you have.

 

[brandon429]

If you did nothing for three years but only kept water in the tank, they'd live just the same as if you fed the bac daily. It's a misnomer to ascribe as much control over a millennia-established biosystem from the simple givings or withholdings of an aquarist, water is what they require, all else they secure. We sometimes provide excess feed to feed other higher order animals in the tank, the bac need no help. We demonstrate this by collecting rare examples of years long starved aquariums + we rerun the oxidation test you ran, and they all pass, bc aquarists can't starve hydrated bacteria, we can't unless we strip the water of certain nutrients or params that would also kill other marine life. Bac are the strongest most resourceful animals we keep, not the weakest. They need the least from us of all animals in reefing to do what they have always done, when wet. I make big use of these rules, they're not just nerd speak.

owing to the strength of bacteria we have a 12 page sand rinse thread zero tank losses, we deep clean tanks without recycling using this known strength

and we have a 10 page skip cycle thread on how to secure the right substrates ahead of time that allow you to not have to wait out the common nitrogen cycle buildup time. Confers the ability to upgrade and downgrade tanks, move houses, without recycling etc

 

[NY_Caveman]

Bacteria control their metabolism based on the availability of food (such as ammonia). We only feed them when cycling because we want them to multiply creating a large population to support a large bioload. I would not worry at all about feeding them.

Remember too, cycling is one thing, but equally important is maturing the tank after the cycle. 3 crabs after 9 days is probably okay, but I would wait on the Clownfish a little longer. 2 Clowns in a 10 gallon will lead to a decent amount of food and waste in the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Additionally, the clean up crew is releasing ammonia. [emoji3]