How to clean out a tank but not have to cycle it again

[Vallama]

I have a goldfish that I'm giving to a forever home. After she moves on, I want to get a betta. How do I dump out the water and accessories or whatever but not have to cycle it again? Or is it impossible? I really don't want to have to let the tank cycle once more when it's already done. Can someone help, please?

-Vallama


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[biondoa]

You don't really have to dump everything. Just do a normal water change, add a heater for the betta. Your filter should have all the good bacteria in there. Just don't wait too long to add the betta. Your bacteria in the filter probably wont last more than about 24 hours without some fish waste to feed on.

 

[Vallama]

You don't really have to dump everything. Just do a normal water change, add a heater for the betta. Your filter should have all the good bacteria in there. Just don't wait too long to add the betta. Your bacteria in the filter probably wont last more than about 24 hours without some fish waste to feed on.

I was hoping to spend a week with an empty tank and just the water, accessories (gravel/silk plants), thermometer, heater, and filter in there and add in the water conditioning. Once a week was up I could make sure everything was suitable for the betta... so I need to do all of this in 24 hours?

 

[biondoa]

Either that or cycle again or get some seeded filter media from some source like the pet store or a friend. If you wait a week and start up again it would be best to add some seeded media to the filter, but once you add the seeded media don't wait too long to add fish.

 

[LayzorBeams]

No, BB (beneficial bacteria) lives on your filters, and digests Nitrites andAmmonia and produces Nitrate. As I'm sure you know. It can live in a moist environment (not even fully submerged, just very humid) for a few days, meaning that its a bit tougher than we think,so if you have the filter running you should be fine for maybe a day or two before any die-off occurs.

I wouldn't worry about it. If you are going from a Goldfish, which is a poop machine, to a Betta, which has very little Ammonia production, then you should be fine. You will only need a fraction of the BB that a Goldy would need, so if any bacteria at all survives i would think it will not take long to reach the Betta's small needs.

If you are worried, add a very small amount of flakes to the tank to keep a bit of the BB alive. It doesn't take more than a small pinch to keep enough BB alive for just a Betta. Just make sure that you keep the filter running so the BB wont dry out.


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[Mebbid]

The lifespan for bb in a tank is actually closer to a month if it doesnt have anything to feed on. Just leave the tank running, do a 100% water change to reset the parameters, and your betta will be good to go.

 

[LayzorBeams]

The lifespan for bb in a tank is actually closer to a month if it doesnt have anything to feed on. Just leave the tank running, do a 100% water change to reset the parameters, and your betta will be good to go.

Really? I knew it was longer than a few hours, what most people say, but a month?

Thats a long time with no food... ????????️???????


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[Delapool]

I've seen links suggesting several months. Not many details though.

A relative has restarted tanks a month or several after last fish with no problems.

 

[skylane]

Get a test kit and pay attention to your ammo and if it drops and you have no fish to in yet , you can add 1 ppm of ammonia and test daily or every few days until you add your fish in. Then before you add in your fish, water change 50% and wait till the next day , text your water and if your ammo is at zero add in your fish! This will help feed the bacteria and keep your filter in check. Good luck!!!

[emoji225]

Clem

 

[Delapool]

Found a few links I had kept. The bacteria types for FW aquaria may be wrong, I just looked at survival times. I know I've seen other links (if anyone has any?) and I've always thought it interesting that columnaris bacteria is said to survive a month in an empty fish tank.

Nitrite as a Stimulus for Ammonia-Starved Nitrosomonas europaea

Sand cultures of N. europaea that had been starved for 1, 2, and 3 months in their own spent medium (i.e., in the presence of 5 mM nitrite) were decanted, and fresh mineral medium containing 5 mM ammonium was added. The ammonium-starved cells started to produce nitrite immediately (Table ​(Table1).1).

Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle | Cycling Methods | Ammonia & Nitrates

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Avant Garde]Some ammonia oxidizing bacteria can revive more quickly than others.
After 342 days of ammonia starvation, the AOB N. europaea, was shown to have an immediate response to the addition of ammonia as measured by nitrite production, without initial protein synthesis.
Reference: Molecular Analysis of Ammonia Oxidation in Natural Environments



[/FONT]

 

[skylane]

Found a few links I had kept. The bacteria types for FW aquaria may be wrong, I just looked at survival times. I know I've seen other links (if anyone has any?) and I've always thought it interesting that columnaris bacteria is said to survive a month in an empty fish tank.

Nitrite as a Stimulus for Ammonia-Starved Nitrosomonas europaea

Sand cultures of N. europaea that had been starved for 1, 2, and 3 months in their own spent medium (i.e., in the presence of 5 mM nitrite) were decanted, and fresh mineral medium containing 5 mM ammonium was added. The ammonium-starved cells started to produce nitrite immediately (Table ​(Table1).1).

Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle | Cycling Methods | Ammonia & Nitrates

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Avant Garde]Some ammonia oxidizing bacteria can revive more quickly than others.
After 342 days of ammonia starvation, the AOB N. europaea, was shown to have an immediate response to the addition of ammonia as measured by nitrite production, without initial protein synthesis.
Reference: Molecular Analysis of Ammonia Oxidation in Natural Environments



[/FONT]

Thanks for that info![emoji225]

 

[Delapool]

It would be interesting to see how ponds go after they have frozen over in winter. I've always wondered if the bacteria bounce back straight away as it warms up or are a bit sluggish to get going.

 

[skylane]

It would be interesting to see how ponds go after they have frozen over in winter. I've always wondered if the bacteria bounce back straight away as it warms up or are a bit sluggish to get going.

Hi, this is a very interesting and most of all the major key in water process. I will be following up and thanks for sharing![emoji1]