Cycled Tank

hutchinson

hutchinson

Member
So i cycled my 55 gallon tank with a raw shrimp and went to the pet store to look around, and i starded talking to the owner and told him what i did and he said I wouldnt be able to put fish in for 3 months becuase i used raw shirimp and that pisses me off because the majority of u told me to use raw shrimp
ANy Advise :mad: :mad:
 
hutchinson

hutchinson

Member
He said that i will never be able to get my nitrites to 0. So i added a bottle of this amonia nitrate and nitrite killer. I HOPE IT WORKS
ALso the shrimp made my water cloudy any suggestions on how to clear it up??
 
mopar9012

mopar9012

Active Member
lots of people use raw shrimp to cycle a tank....How long have it been cycling? Do you have a skimmer?
maybe he just wanted you to buy that stuff from him.
 
susieq

susieq

Member
When I set up my first tank(55), the guy at the LFS told me to run it without anything in it for 3 months. i ran filters, changed water etc. Then he told me to add damsels. He also sold me crushed coral that I had to replace with sand over a year later. I don't listen to them anymore. I'm cycling a 75 right now and using a shrimp. It can't be worse than running plain salt water through my tank for 3 months. I also plan to test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. Are you using any live sand or rock?
 
X

xoxox

Guest
Originally Posted by hutchinson
So i cycled my 55 gallon tank with a raw shrimp and went to the pet store to look around, and i starded talking to the owner and told him what i did and he said I wouldnt be able to put fish in for 3 months becuase i used raw shirimp and that pisses me off because the majority of u told me to use raw shrimp
ANy Advise :mad: :mad:

Sorry but the guy at the pet store is a moron.

Raw shrimp are dissolved by bacteria that multiply faster with them since they have a food source (waste) to consume. Thus, your cycling is usually done quicker!
Just don't dump a whole bag in, use only one or two.
 
rs1831

rs1831

Active Member
Its hard to listen to the people at the lfs because it always seems like there just trying to make a sale. All you have to worry about is getting your ammonia and nitrites to 0. After that all you have to do is water changes to get the nitrates down. As soon as ammonia and nitrites are at 0 you can do a water change and pick out a hardy fish and go from there. Good luck.
 
S

scfatz

Guest
yes...your ammonia and nitrites have to be zero...then you are cycled.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
what kind of lights are you running? some types NO lights make your water look yellow.
dont be so jumpy, a majority of the people here know more than most lfs workers
 
snapperboy

snapperboy

Member
Originally Posted by hutchinson
My water is Yellow any resons why???
your sure you didn't use the PEE cycle method?
 
lt34

lt34

Member
Listen to these guys. My lfs had be cycle the tank with Damsels. Besides being hard on the fish, I want a peaceful community reef tank. I had to take all 110 pounds of rock out to catch the Damsels to take them back. Ammonia will go up and when it drops the nitrites will go up and when then the Nitrates go up. When the Ammonia and Nitrites are 0 and the Nitrates are <10, do a water change and go get some fish.
 
gsd

gsd

Member
Dead shrimp in water does make water funky and messy and smelly. Why use a dead shrimp when a piece of live rock is as good as it gets and does not fowl the water, and makes for a much quicker cycle time, with alot lower nitrates in the end.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
Originally Posted by GSD
Dead shrimp in water does make water funky and messy and smelly. Why use a dead shrimp when a piece of live rock is as good as it gets and does not fowl the water, and makes for a much quicker cycle time, with alot lower nitrates in the end.

true. i cycled my tank with uncured live rock, it makes things a lot easier and saves lots of time.
 
gen1dustin

gen1dustin

Member
Originally Posted by teen
true. i cycled my tank with uncured live rock, it makes things a lot easier and saves lots of time.
That is actually the method I'm going after for my first SW tank.
 
puffer32

puffer32

Active Member
Hmmmmmm usually useing incured LR makes the cycle longer because your tank doesn't cycle until your rock is cured. Using cured LR is quicker.
 
gsd

gsd

Member
Originally Posted by puffer32
Hmmmmmm usually useing incured LR makes the cycle longer because your tank doesn't cycle until your rock is cured. Using cured LR is quicker.

uncured live rock is still a lot faster and better than using a shrimp. The water does not get anywhere near as funky, and its going to cycle faster. True a cycle may be overnight if fully cured rock is used, but odds are everyone doesnot have access to fullycured live rock. You also have a lot more critters on the rock to survive as copated to if yu use a dead shrimp, as the ammonia levels do not get anywhere hear as high nor do the nitrite levels, and since its quicker more stuff survives in the process.
 
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