I am not using a fish to cycle my tank but was just thinking about how bad that would actually be.
Does the level of bacteria in the tank adjust to the bioload? e.g. If I have no Ammonia at all (i.e no inhabitants) then will all of the bacteria die off? I am starting a nano tank which will have 2, maybe 3 fish maximum and I plan to add them one at a time. Assuming I cycle my tank and add my first fish, and then wait a couple of months for my second, will the bacteria not have reduced to the minimum required to support that first fish. Therefore, when I add my second, will that not be the same as if I had just added 1 fish to my uncycled tank in the first place?
Secondly, with the current cold weather and the distance to my LFS, it could be 2-3 weeks after my tank is cycled before I can purchase my first fish. I assume I can keep the tank cycled with occasional dosing of ammonia?
Does the level of bacteria in the tank adjust to the bioload? e.g. If I have no Ammonia at all (i.e no inhabitants) then will all of the bacteria die off? I am starting a nano tank which will have 2, maybe 3 fish maximum and I plan to add them one at a time. Assuming I cycle my tank and add my first fish, and then wait a couple of months for my second, will the bacteria not have reduced to the minimum required to support that first fish. Therefore, when I add my second, will that not be the same as if I had just added 1 fish to my uncycled tank in the first place?
Secondly, with the current cold weather and the distance to my LFS, it could be 2-3 weeks after my tank is cycled before I can purchase my first fish. I assume I can keep the tank cycled with occasional dosing of ammonia?