how long established aquarium without fish

[shorjai]

Hello; This may be wrong thinking and is based on a tank being empty. An empty tank is just a container of water. No fish to make ammonia so no conversion of the ammonia to nitrite and no conversion of nitrite to nitrate.

Another thought, I assume you have not followed the advice of several of us about how to keep the bb alive with fish food or some such. If however you have been doing as suggested then the bb are likely still alive and converting the ammonia and nitrite. It may be at such a low level that not much nitrate is being produced.


Hello; Either way when the new fish come in you probably will have an ammonia spike. Again I suggest the following.

I just got back from my vacation. I just tested the water before taking any advise members provided...

 

[skjl47]

I just got back from my vacation. I just tested the water before taking any advise members provided...

Hello; I hope you kept the filter running on the established tank while you were gone and did not put it on the empty tank. If kept on the established tank it can now be placed on the empty tank on the day the new fish arrive and will be already loaded with some of the bb. That should make the tank close to ready to go. Likely will be a period of bb population adjustment, but with a seeded established filter in place this period should be short.