# Success!! and some questions...



## Magdelaine (Apr 9, 2005)

My tank is finally cycled! It's day 27.

Original thread is here: http://www.fishforums.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2377

When I tested the color for nitrites was somewhat between <.03 and .03 (not quite perfect but almost), and ammonia has been at 0 every day for the last three days after adding enough ammonia to bring it to 3mg/l each day. I know it's simple biology but it feels like a magic trick...  

My dilemma is this: exactly a week from now I have to go away for a week! I don't know what to do... I'm really reluctant to add fish and just leave, but I don't have a way of continuing to add ammonia while I'm gone. 

My questions are:


Would my tank's bacteria be compromised if it didn't have an ammonia source for a week?

If yes, would a single algea eater or some ghost shrimp help? (I have some fluffy white "algae" in my tank that looks pretty tasty)

What kind of food do you leave for fish if you can't feed them?

I have some lovely Apo bulbs growing and no timer switch for my flourescent light. Which would be better: to leave the lights on or off for the entire time? 

I would get a timer but DH says that I need a special one for the flourescent that is pretty expensive. Any experience with this?

I really should have timed this all better, but things are what they are. Any help would be appreciated.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

Fish can go a week without food. My suggestion is to get the hardiest fish out of what you want to get and put him in. Feed him a little more than usual maybe and then just go away for a week. Or maybe see if you can have someone stop by to feed him once or twice, but let them know not to overfeed.


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## Magdelaine (Apr 9, 2005)

Problem is, I want to start with neons and ghost shrimp. I don't know about ghost shrimp, but I KNOW neons aren't "hardy". I was also considering a gourami or betta to go with the tank, and maybe an algae eater.

Any idea which of these species would work?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

DON'T put any fish in your tank.
Just leave it fishless until you get back. It won't crash on you.

I don't know what kind of lights you have, but a simple 9-dollar light timer from Walmart is on each of my tanks, and they work great. If your lights are the sort that require you to push and hold down the starter button for several seconds, then I can see your problem. However, if they only need to be turned on to start, that is, if they'll restart on their own if you unplug them and re-plug them in again, then you won't have any problems at all with a simple timer. Even if you have the push&hold starter, there are ways to convert them to simple start, even though it won't do you much good in the short time you have available.
In either case, don't leave the lights either on all the time or off all the time. Neither is good for vascular pants.


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

I agree with OldSalt on the timers. The plain ordinary timers that I use say explicitly on them that they are not good for flourescent lights, but in fact they are working fine for my lights, have been for several months. When I bought the timers I asked the guys in the shop why the package said that they can't be used with flourescent lights, and they said something about it shortening the life of the bulbs. Since you have to change your tubes once every 6 months to 1 year anyway to get max output, I don't see that this is a big deal.


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## Magdelaine (Apr 9, 2005)

DH's concern was that because the amperage demands of a flourescent bulb are greater than other lights there would be a chance the circuit would overheat and cause a fire. Now, with us planning on being gone a week, that would be a real problem! The idea of having to buy a new bulb is fine compared to that, or even the idea of starting over with new plant bulbs upon our return.

However, in looking up information on mechanical switches, I haven't found anything that says they are a fire hazard when used with flourescent bulbs. And I figured if it was a problem it would be something someone here would have discovered.

I think I can convince him to try it...


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