Quarantine tank cycle

I'm in the middle of doing a fishless cycle in my quarantine tank. My question is, once the tank completes it's cycle do I still have to feed the tank in order for the good bacteria to thrive? Or once the tank is established should the bacteria be able to keep on thriving without a food source?

 

You need to provide a food source to keep the population adequate to complete the nitrogen cycle. When you add fish the biological filter may become over whelmed and result in an higher than expected ammonia level.

 

I understand what you're saying about keeping a food source to keep the population adequate. However when you say to do this in order to complete the nitrogen cycle, what if I already completed the tank's nitrogen cycle?

 

The nitrogen cycle is on going. You need certain nutrifying bacteria types to constantly convert the ammonia to nitrite than to nitrates. If there is no source of ammonia the bacteria type that change that to less toxic nitrites and nitrates dye off, their population numbers decline.
Cycles are an ever evolving processes, it's a balance between the bio-load and the biological filters ability to process the bi-products of metabolism.

 

Ok thank you for the info. I really appreciate it. So what do you recommend that I do to keep the bacterial thriving? Should I just throw in a raw shrimp from time to time?

 

Just a pinch of fish food, will be fine. Any decaying matter every couple days should be good.

 

Ok great. Thanks!

 

I find if I leave my QT tank set up it soon ends up as another display. I only set the QT up when it is needed, I have everything together so it can be running in 20 minutes, then tear it down when done. I don't worry about cycling the system since it is used only temporarily and depending on the medications if any it gets lots of water changes anyway to export and nitrates etc.