Ants in my tank!!

[kadella]

Hi All - interesting question for you - It appears we are having a bit of ant epidemic & this morning I found 4 ants in my tank! Hopefully that was all that was in there.. If there are some that are hidden, will that jump ammonia just like anything else decaying? I have put out some ant traps so hopefully this will not continue.. Also, I just started this tank and added 60 lbs of cured LR yesterday to my tank. The rock smelled very clean & I tested today and got a very low ammonia reading.. Should I drop a dead shrimp in there now or maybe wait & see if the ammonia spikes by itself? The LFS suggested fish to cycle, but thanks to you guys I informed them I would be saving my money! lol Thanks for your help! :hilarious

 

[lovethesea]

I am not a fan of the shrimp method, it smells to high heaven after a few weeks. As long as you have the live rock in there, your tank should naturally cycle in about 5-6 weeks.
Our newest tank is in the 3rd week with just LRock and all is well. I wouldn't worry about the ants now ...just get them out of the tank. If there were fish in there, I would be worried as I would be concerned if they crossed any pesticide barriers before hitting the water. Fish try to eat the ant etc.....