Yeah, I put an algae wafer in a dish. Would that suffice?
Not sure. What ammonia source did you use to cycle the tank and how long did it take?
I happened to be raising rescue tadpoles in the tank a few months ago, and they supplied a lot of ammonia. My readings afterwards said that the tank was cycled. I've heard that beneficial bacteria goes dormant without an ammonia source and revives when a new food source comes back, but I put an algae wafer in there just to be certain they had something to eat.
Okay. I see whe you're coming from now. The claim that bacteria goes 'dormant' without ammonia isn't completely accurate. Bacteria may change it's way of using nutrient sources but it never goes dormant. It is unknown how long various types of nitrifying bacteria survive without a food source so it's always a good idea to add pure ammonia to 1 or 2 ppm to a tank that has been running empty and then test the water 24 hours later, 3 or 4 days in a row before putting fish in there. If nitrites remain at 0, nitrates are present and ammonia level drops to 0 ppm within the 24 hours each day, fish can be added to the tank. Good luck!
