So I started my cycle on Sunday. I added couple of pieces of live rock from my other tank to start it along. My question is, how long should I leave the shrimp in? And how high can I expect the ammonia to get? I've been measuring for the last couple of days and it got to 1-2ppm but has since dropped a bit. I expected longer. It's a 90 gal tank, with about 125lbs of dead rock and about 6lbs of live rock. I added two good size fresh shrimp. At this point the shrimp looks all fuzzy. Thanks in advance.
Cycling with shrimp
- Thread starter jgraz
- Start date
- Location
- New Jersey
Cycling the tank. Unlike a freshwater tank, it takes time for a saltwater tank to be ready for a new fish or other creature. Once your tank has been set up, you?ve added your sand, filled it with saltwater, turned on the heater, started the filters, now you can add your live rock. What your tank needs is bacteria, and you need to breed it before your new pets are added. A very easy way to do this is to buy one or two uncooked cocktail shrimp from the deli at the supermarket. Just throw them in the tank and let them rot. As they do, bacteria will grow as a result. Ammonia levels will rise in the tank over the period of a week or 10 days, then it will suddenly drop (you?ll observe this with your Ammonia test kit), and Nitrites will rise quickly over a period of another few days. Finally, the Nitrites will drop off completely (reading 0 with your Nitrites test), and Nitrates will begin to register on your Nitrates test kit. As soon as your Ammonia and Nitrites tests both read 0 on the matching test kits, it is safe to add the new fish.
BY: Melevsreef
http://www.melevsreef.com/tanks.html
- Location
- Rego Park, Queens
Most supermarket shrimp are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. Would this be a significant source of phosphate in the future? Or is it totally inconsequential at this stage of the game, especially in a large tank?
- Location
- Mohegan lake
to my understanding the live rock you added from your established tank should be enough to get your cycle started..
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
LOL...
Leave the shrimp in there... Watch your ammonia levels when they rise and then fall to 0 and your nitrates start to raise up and let them level off. Then start water changes.. The water changes will drop the trates to 0 eventually. When Ammonia and trates are 0 then you are cycled. Hard to tell exactly how long.
But the readings of your test kit will....
Leave the shrimp in there... Watch your ammonia levels when they rise and then fall to 0 and your nitrates start to raise up and let them level off. Then start water changes.. The water changes will drop the trates to 0 eventually. When Ammonia and trates are 0 then you are cycled. Hard to tell exactly how long.
But the readings of your test kit will....
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