Please help! How do I maintain an empty tank?

[c333davis]

Can you advise me on how to maintain my empty tank while I'm shopping for a GSP? I read the fishless cycling article in the library, but I'm not sure it applies to my circumstances...

My juvenile GSP died on Sunday after an unsuccessful attempt to treat him for IPs. From the water chem levels, I believe my 26g US tank has been fully cycled for about one month.

Levels as-of this weekend:
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 5ppm
1.008sg (was in the process of raising salinity .002sgs/wk for my puff)

I've been running two filters in the tank for at least a month -- the filter that came with the Aqueon tank, and an additional Penn-Plax Cascade, either 500 or 700. The Cascade has regular charcoal pellets in it.

The tank decor includes 2 live corkscrew vallisneria plants, 1 live amazon sword plant, 3 plastic plants with some green, flowy algae on it, some large aquarium-safe fake driftwood pieces, and natural stone gravel. The only other tank inhabitants are a few wandering pest snails that my puff wasn't interested in during his last days.

Since my puff passed away, I've left the tank filters on and stirred up the gravel every few hours to clean it. I do want to get another GSP as soon as I can find a healthy-looking one. What I should I be doing to maintain the biology in the tank while I'm searching ? I'd prefer not to put any other fish in the tank, since I'd have to relocate him/her when I find my GSP, and my other tanks are already well-stocked with cichlids and turtles. Would a few specks of dry fish food every day/two provide enough food for the bacteria in the empty tank?

I appreciate any help you all can give me.

[Brandon8521]

I am no expert so someone correct me if my advice is off tune. I have heard a peace of raw shrimp ( small) would keep adding enough amonia for the bacteria. I would take it out the day b4 you purchase your gsp and do a water while you aclimate your fish to your sg. Then you should be right back on track with raising your sg every week or so.

[Pufferpunk]

Keep dosing ammonia at 3ppm daily. That will keep it cycled. Then do an 80% WC before adding the new puffer.

[Nick]

I've personally always used a stocking of rotting krill. Figure it feeds a broader spectrum of tank fauna. The ammonia DEFINITELY works well if you can find pure ammonia. Never found any myself that I trusted, though, so it's always been krill. You should probably get all those live plants out, ASAP. If they're not rotting now, they will be in a couple weeks.

[Troender]

I continue feeding the tank like there still was a fish there. And before introducing a new fish, I do a large water change.

[c333davis]

Thanks, everyone. I haven't found any pure ammonia yet, so I may go the food route.

Why do I need to take out the live plants? What would cause them to rot?

[bigfatfish]

Thanks, everyone. I haven't found any pure ammonia yet, so I may go the food route.

Why do I need to take out the live plants? What would cause them to rot?

The salt. There are very few plants that can tolerate the salt.

[jmiller]

Thanks, everyone. I haven't found any pure ammonia yet, so I may go the food route.

Why do I need to take out the live plants? What would cause them to rot?

Ace Hardware sells it.

http://www.acehardware.com/largeImage/i ... 1690dt.jpg

[RTR]

!.008 is too salty for FW plants. I agree that they should be removed.

I use either clear ammonia or prepared fish food to hols the cycle. Either will do the job. if you use shrimp or krill, please keep the "feedings" small. A tank with a rotting mass of crustacean is not by any stretch of the imagination a healthy tank. Sniff the tank - if it smells foul, well, it is. Do massive partials back-to back and try again with much lower "food" doses. Do remember that more captive fish die of problems directly or secondarily from over-feeding or improper feeding than just about anything else.

HTH

[Rusty]

its krill or fishfood for me.