Leaving Tank Empty

[Ryan8696]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to start over with my reef tank, I have another tank that I can relocate fish/corals to in the meantime. I'd like to give everything a good clean, move all of the rocks around, install some new equipment etc.

My question is - can I leave the take empty without feeding it and without the lights on for a few weeks without issue before putting everything back in? I'll still be running the heaters, pump etc.

Or do I need to ghost feed and leave the lights on in the meantime until everything is put back into the tank?

 

[cameronh]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to start over with my reef tank, I have another tank that I can relocate fish/corals to in the meantime. I'd like to give everything a good clean, move all of the rocks around, install some new equipment etc.

My question is - can I leave the take empty without feeding it and without the lights on for a few weeks without issue before putting everything back in? I'll still be running the heaters, pump etc.

Or do I need to ghost feed and leave the lights on in the meantime until everything is put back into the tank?

It will be fine leaving it empty and the pump running. Ghost feeding depending on how much can lead to unwanted detritus

 

[argiBK]

As long as you’re not removing and killing the sand and rocks w/ freshwater or bleach, the biome is preserved and will be fine.

 

[Skunk Shrimp]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to start over with my reef tank, I have another tank that I can relocate fish/corals to in the meantime. I'd like to give everything a good clean, move all of the rocks around, install some new equipment etc.

My question is - can I leave the take empty without feeding it and without the lights on for a few weeks without issue before putting everything back in? I'll still be running the heaters, pump etc.

Or do I need to ghost feed and leave the lights on in the meantime until everything is put back into the tank?

buy a bottle of fritz turbo start and you can put a clown in that what i did and my tank cycled basically over night and my clown is as healthy as ever. are you getting new sand and rocks cause i would keep those so you don’t have to bring the “to life”

 

[Ryan8696]

buy a bottle of fritz turbo start and you can put a clown in that what i did and my tank cycled basically over night and my clown is as healthy as ever. are you getting new sand and rocks cause i would keep those so you don’t have to bring the “to life”

No I'm going to leave the rock/sand as is and give everything a good clean with everything still running. I'll do a few water changes and the filters will pick up the rest.

 

[Skunk Shrimp]

No I'm going to leave the rock/sand as is and give everything a good clean with everything still running. I'll do a few water changes and the filters will pick up the rest.

then you should be good don’t bother with the turbo start. sounds like you aren’t doing a hard reset.

 

[brandon429]

Nice teamwork for updated cycling science: filter bacteria in a reef tank can't be starved by removing bioload and or feed

They just remain, and then continue feeding in ways we don't consider

Any searches on this matter show a near resounding chorus to feed or risk bacterial loss, nice to see the new way taking hold. We have 36 month fallow tests on file with no ability loss. I don't think ten years would alter it either... homes provide lots of contamination pathways for input into nonsterile bodies of water, heated and circulated

The organic waste alone in the tiny crevices is a hundred years feed in my opinion

 

[Ryan8696]

then you should be good don’t bother with the turbo start. sounds like you aren’t doing a hard reset.

Thanks Brandon - thats correct - more of a wet restart I suppose

 

[Smiler1875]

Nice teamwork for updated cycling science: filter bacteria in a reef tank can't be starved by removing bioload and or feed

They just remain, and then continue feeding in ways we don't consider

Any searches on this matter show a near resounding chorus to feed or risk bacterial loss, nice to see the new way taking hold. We have 36 month fallow tests on file with no ability loss. I don't think ten years would alter it either... homes provide lots of contamination pathways for input into nonsterile bodies of water, heated and circulated

The organic waste alone in the tiny crevices is a hundred years feed in my opinion

Hi, so basically if I went fallow for 6-7 weels, I need to keep temp, salinty same, but no need to feed anything at all

 

[fishface NJ]

Hi, so basically if I went fallow for 6-7 weels, I need to keep temp, salinty same, but no need to feed anything at all

correct

 

[JillB]

Hello! I am brand new at this and reading and researching as much as possible. I have a AIO 100 Gallon Tank (60" x 18" x20")...started in mid-December with salt water from my lfs, dry rock and live sand. I used Dr Tim's One and Only process for the cycle. One question I have that I haven't seen much discussion on is now that I have cycled the tank, how long can I leave it empty. The reason I ask is that we are leaving town next week for 4 weeks and I don't want to add anything that needs attention while I'm gone. I have 2 dogs so a neighbor will be around every day if I need him. Can I just leave the tank as is? Will I come back to a mess of algae? Is there anything I should ask the neighbor to do while we're away? As soon as I return, I'll begin adding livestock. I have a quarantine tank ready to go. I'll have a ton of questions once I start that process.

Attached is a picture of the tank....my husband created the aquascape...do you think there's enough rock?

Thanks for any information you can provide

 

[brandon429]

Filter bacteria will remain as long as water is in the tank. These bacteria are housed in insulator bioslicks, and withholding feed only stops the human aspect of feeding not the environmental one. A home exchanges bacteria and bacteria food with a reef tank by the nature of cross contamination in all home reef tank setups

They're still accessing feed even if you didn't feed for 20 months, your cycle is as able then as it is now and likely stronger. @Dan_P i would eagerly want to know what seneye has to say about any degree of cycle starvation. A home depot bucket with recently cycled dry rock left in place only bubbling and heated for five months is a direct analog to this thread.

It's data nobody has

My bet is there's an underlying rule that feed withholding after cycle establishment in reef tank substrate can't reduce ammonia carry capacity