How long can a tank go without any livestock?

[Kmore1219]

Hey everyone, so just a random thought but how long can a tank stay "alive" if you don't actually put any livestock in it? So say I cycle it and then I guess keep feeding it ammonia to keep the bacteria alive, could one just keep doing this as long as they need to?

 

[sa6hir]

Has long has the bacteria is kept alive I don't see why not! Everything I have learnt about marine fish leads back to bacteria. It's the bacteria that keeps the tank thriving. So yes you could.

 

[Evan West]

Errrr well theoretically I dont see why not. If you keep feeding the bacteria with ammonia then they should have a food source and be just fine. You will still need to run the pumps and stuff to keep the water circulating tho. I would also not run the light to avoid growing algae. When you go to add fish tho you will still need to do it slowly. Tho may I ask why you want to do this?

 

[brandon429]

you don't have to feed the ammonia either


once set, filtration bacteria do not downscale back to sterility without an action from the keeper, that's type from forums but that's not type from someone who has to keep hospital labs or bacteria labs clean and free of bacteria. Hydration will sustain what you've cycled, because ammonia still gets in the tank even if we don't account for it, here's one of fifty ways

-nonfiltration bacteria are rampant bloomers in any aquatic system where meds, temp extremes and drying isn't a factor. they bloom with hydration and nutrients, but die because they arent ocean bacteria long term habituated. generalized aerobic bacteria are their loose grouping, and thats only one of the divisions rated on their 02 usage/zoning

When huge communities of bacteria and gnats and skin cells degrade in the tank ____________ is produced (ammonia)


**when established by a cycle, the nitrifiers don't go back to sterile if a human withholds feed or ammonia from a liquid system, they remain in an overall steady state as contaminations (feed) still get in, always.

accurate microbiology applied to an aquarium must also consider the gross overages of active surface area we employ. Though its true removing bioloading alters the total bac counts, they are still so outpaced in our active tank surface areas (live rock chiefly) the bioregulation doesn't show up as free ammonia when a bioload is added back months later, equal or lesser than the one that came out


this means you do not have to ghost feed a fallow but established system, that's pumping waste into your tank for no good reason, because bacteria do not downscale back to sterility when a keeper withholds something from set bacteria while keeping hydration in place. the bacteria that ran the fish system are beyond whats needed considering rocks and sand, so when the fish are removed, the organics left in place sustain the bac, the myriad unaccounted for inputs, such that the fish can be put back in 4 mos later with no cycle.

Or

we are able to remove sandbeds instantly and go bare bottom and the rocks simply take over the loading, without any ramp up, as further demonstration of massive overdone surface areas in the reef tank.

 

[drawman]

Indefinitely. As long as you're adding food to feed the bacteria and keep populations stable.

I guess then you could ask what's meant by livestock. I would think you would want to add certain kinds of microfauna for biodiversity (ie pods, sponges).

 

[Kmore1219]

Brandon429 you totally nailed this question on the head for me, I was just wondering how/if it would be able to sustain itself somewhat. Really was just a random thing that I was thinking about.

 

[brandon429]

the nature of bac brings up atypical practices in reefing/good for discussion


we got all this concern over the nature of bacteria by doing tank disassembly cleanings. in the 90s that harshly frowned upon since it was seen as removing or destabilizing the tanks bacteria...we were all leaving this waste and rot in our tank out of fear of export, but it turns out the bac are only moderated by temp extremes, drying/desiccation or meds and none of that applies for you or for the big tank cleaning/moving homes threads.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

After cycling is the key here.

you don't have to feed the ammonia either


once set, filtration bacteria do not downscale back to sterility without an action from the keeper, that's type from forums but that's not type from someone who has to keep hospital labs or bacteria labs clean and free of bacteria. Hydration will sustain what you've cycled, because ammonia still gets in the tank even if we don't account for it, here's one of fifty ways

-nonfiltration bacteria are rampant bloomers in any aquatic system where meds, temp extremes and drying isn't a factor. they bloom with hydration and nutrients, but die because they arent ocean bacteria long term habituated. generalized aerobic bacteria are their loose grouping, and thats only one of the divisions rated on their 02 usage/zoning

When huge communities of bacteria and gnats and skin cells degrade in the tank ____________ is produced (ammonia)


**when established by a cycle, the nitrifiers don't go back to sterile if a human withholds feed or ammonia from a liquid system, they remain in an overall steady state as contaminations (feed) still get in, always.

accurate microbiology applied to an aquarium must also consider the gross overages of active surface area we employ. Though its true removing bioloading alters the total bac counts, they are still so outpaced in our active tank surface areas (live rock chiefly) the bioregulation doesn't show up as free ammonia when a bioload is added back months later, equal or lesser than the one that came out


this means you do not have to ghost feed a fallow but established system, that's pumping waste into your tank for no good reason, because bacteria do not downscale back to sterility when a keeper withholds something from set bacteria while keeping hydration in place. the bacteria that ran the fish system are beyond whats needed considering rocks and sand, so when the fish are removed, the organics left in place sustain the bac, the myriad unaccounted for inputs, such that the fish can be put back in 4 mos later with no cycle.

Or

we are able to remove sandbeds instantly and go bare bottom and the rocks simply take over the loading, without any ramp up, as further demonstration of massive overdone surface areas in the reef tank.

 

[brandon429]

yep agreed all post.