Thanks Nynex for the tips. I just got a 12 gallon Cube Master for my QT, so I should use the carbon that came with it? Was thinking I don't use carbon just in case I need to medicate. But I do like the freshwater dip, as that's one of the things I read in the book you talked about. (Great book!) I agree, using your display tank water is smart, but in my case both tanks are brand new. Husband is working on the stand now and we should have the main tank (125 gallon) up and running in a week or two. So I need to cycle both tanks. Should I just wait until my main tank has cycled and then use that water? I will be adding lr and ls to my main tank and someone told me to use some uncured rock as that will help it cycle. True? I guess it would be better to wait to cycle my main tank first, than trying to cycle the nano tank on it's own with a raw shrimp. My whole thinking was to get the Nano tank up and running, so by the time I'm setting up my main tank, I can get my first tenants and they will be settling in the QT while my main tank is cycling.