How long is a cycle good for?

[dangles]

I've completed my cycle (fishless with Dr. Tim's bacteria and ammonium chloride), but it will be a week or two before I am able to add my fish (currently in QT). I imagine the nitrifying bacteria will still need a source of ammonia during that time, which means I'll need to dose it manually. Right? How often and how much? I'm curious how long the bacteria can go without a food source.

Thanks!

 

[Uncle99]

I've completed my cycle (fishless with Dr. Tim's bacteria and ammonium chloride), but it will be a week or two before I am able to add my fish (currently in QT). I imagine the nitrifying bacteria will still need a source of ammonia during that time, which means I'll need to dose it manually. Right? How often and how much? I'm curious how long the bacteria can go without a food source.

Thanks!

Just a pinch of food every two days will keep populations in order IMM.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I've completed my cycle (fishless with Dr. Tim's bacteria and ammonium chloride), but it will be a week or two before I am able to add my fish (currently in QT). I imagine the nitrifying bacteria will still need a source of ammonia during that time, which means I'll need to dose it manually. Right? How often and how much? I'm curious how long the bacteria can go without a food source.

Thanks!

They don't die, they simply adjust to food source.

I've left QT tanks with no fish for months and the tank never shows any ammonia when dropping new fish in there.
Not something to worry about - the bac will find a food source just from stuff floating around the room.

 

[srobertb]

I've completed my cycle (fishless with Dr. Tim's bacteria and ammonium chloride), but it will be a week or two before I am able to add my fish (currently in QT). I imagine the nitrifying bacteria will still need a source of ammonia during that time, which means I'll need to dose it manually. Right? How often and how much? I'm curious how long the bacteria can go without a food source.

Thanks!

+1 to ghost feeding. Small amounts. Small small small. A few snails or a crab will work too and get that CUC going.

An ammonia-nitrate cycle is just the beginning. A new tank will go through many phases and cycles its first year. Not really your pertaining to your question, but be careful with that bio load.

This tank took about a year to come around. It is my rock Anemone tank my wife commandeered for her CSB. At one point there was so much green sludge on the glass and no end in sight I gave up for like a month and didn’t bother cleaning the glass.

Now…I might have done a water change a few months ago.