A cycled tank that doesn't have fish

[redbourn]

Hi,

I have a small 5 gallon tank that I set up to isolate newly bought fish or for a sick one.

It's been cycled.

Next week I won't have any fish to put in there (hopefully); so will it stay cycled and safe for fish if I leave the filter running?

Thanks,

Michael

 

[eco23]

Hi,

I have a small 5 gallon tank that I set up to isolate newly bought fish or for a sick one.

It's been cycled.

Next week I won't have any fish to put in there (hopefully); so will it stay cycled and safe for fish if I leave the filter running?

Thanks,

Michael

Do you have pure ammo? Add 1ppm per day. If the nitrAtes climb above 20 do a pwc the day before adding fish. I wouldn't let it sit for a week. You'll experience bacteria die off to some extent.

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Hi,

I have a small 5 gallon tank that I set up to isolate newly bought fish or for a sick one.

It's been cycled.

Next week I won't have any fish to put in there (hopefully); so will it stay cycled and safe for fish if I leave the filter running?

Thanks,

Michael

Did you just pull fish from it for your DT?

I keep my QT filter running on one of my tanks as added filtration and it's always ready (seeded) to be put on my QT when I need it. I have a clean empty tank (plastic tub) and a spare light set aside and ready too. I use a 50/50 mix of tank/dechlorinated water when I need to set it up, add the filter and I'm instantly cycled. Also, I never use decco in a QT.

 

[Marconis]

Do you have pure ammo? Add 1ppm per day. If the nitrAtes climb above 20 do a pwc the day before adding fish. I wouldn't let it sit for a week. You'll experience bacteria die off to some extent.

I agree with this. It won't do any harm to keep adding ammonia. After all, your fish would be doing the same. By letting it sit, your bacteria will run out of food and eventually die off.

 

[Marconis]

10chardelete

 

[redbourn]

Thanks for the replies. I decided to just keep some fish in it since it's in my bedroom.

Easier than adding ammonia.

If I need the tank for something then I'll just put the fish that are in it into my larger tank.

I put in three black widow tetras.

Michael

 

[redbourn]

Do you have pure ammo? Add 1ppm per day. If the nitrAtes climb above 20 do a pwc the day before adding fish. I wouldn't let it sit for a week. You'll experience bacteria die off to some extent.

Thanks for the reply.

I have 7 healthy fish in there (5 gallon - couple of cardinals, 4 black widows and a platty) right now and they could be transferred to my main aquarium.

How many inches of fish do you think I'd need to keep in it to keep it cycled?

I have a couple of pregnant liver-bearers in my main tank that I could put into the small one.

Michael

 

[mommytron]

all of the fish you have in there should be in a bigger tank. they need more swimming room and should be in schools (save the platy). it's overstocked anyway. a 5g is really only appropriate for shrimp or snails, or maybe a betta. i suppose it would be an OK hospital tank, but i wouldn't keep those fish in there long term. pick up a bottle of pure ammonia, it's only a few bucks, and will last you forever. add enough to dose it to 1ppm everyday (should only need a few drops).

JMO

 

[redbourn]

all of the fish you have in there should be in a bigger tank. they need more swimming room and should be in schools (save the platy). it's overstocked anyway. a 5g is really only appropriate for shrimp or snails, or maybe a betta. i suppose it would be an OK hospital tank, but i wouldn't keep those fish in there long term. pick up a bottle of pure ammonia, it's only a few bucks, and will last you forever. add enough to dose it to 1ppm everyday (should only need a few drops).

JMO

Thanks for the reply.

It's an isolation tank for newly purchased fish with lots of aeration with about 5 inches of fish for five gallons.

I'd prefer to put pregnant live bearers in there and save some of the fry.

So would a pregnant live-bearer and/or fry produce enough ammonia to keep the tank cycled?

Michael

 

[mommytron]

yeah that would be plenty bioload for a 5g. and just so you know, the whole 1" per gallon rule is bunk. different fish have different bioloads regardless of size, and also have different space requirements. for instance, a Molly the same size as a platy will have a larger bioload than the platy, or a 2" danio needs much more room than, say, a 2" sparkling gourami, as they are far more active and need to be in a larger school.

 

[redbourn]

yeah that would be plenty bioload for a 5g. and just so you know, the whole 1" per gallon rule is bunk. different fish have different bioloads regardless of size, and also have different space requirements. for instance, a Molly the same size as a platy will have a larger bioload than the platy, or a 2" danio needs much more room than, say, a 2" sparkling gourami, as they are far more active and need to be in a larger school.

Thanks for the reply and for the info which I didn't know

Michael