Bacteria (How Long Will it Live)

[pelphrey]

I have fishless cycled my 55 gallon tank. It converted 4ppm of ammonia into nitrates a week or so ago. Since then I have added ammonia to the tank daily to keep the bacteria alive doing water changes every 3-4 days. I have planned to purchase the bulk of my fish this past weekend. However, they didn't have what I was looking for. Now I will be traveling out of the country on the 18th returning late on the 26th.

Will the bacteria survive this long or will I have to start the cycle over when I get back?

I don't want to go purchase fish from my LFS just to keep in the tank for a week. When I get back I'll be placing my order online.

Thanks!

 

[Mebbid]

Bacteria can survive up to a month without food. I'm sure you will see some reduction in bacterial population but not a huge amount.

 

[pelphrey]

Awesome! Thanks. I'll stop adding ammonia then start adding ammonia when I get back.