Help - Cycling 10G Tank w/ Shrimp!

[hentz]

Heya guys, I've been doing a lot of research lately and wanted to test out the Fishless Cycle method, with a shrimp..
Started the 10 Gallon tank 3 days ago now, and that same night I had:
20 Gallon HOB Filter
10 lbs Live Sand
Salt
50W Submersible Heater
All throughout the night I let the salt and sand get mixed in. Next day it was clear as day. So I went ahead and put 2 lbs of Live Rock in to get the going as well. Later that night I had a shrimp put in one of my socks and put it in the water, excited as ever to see how this would work. Next day, of course it's a little smelly. Expected and not a big deal. I added 5 lbs of Live Rock and 2 lbs of Base Rock. The smell is horrid. I know its not from the rock, its from the decomposing shrimp. I can smell it from all the way upstairs, into my master room closet!

I tested my water:
Ammonia - 4.0 ppm
Nitrite - 0.0 ppm
Question is, can I just take it out and let the LS and LR take care of the rest? The smell is almost unbearable.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hentz http:///t/392982/help-cycling-10g-tank-w-shrimp#post_3493023
Heya guys, I've been doing a lot of research lately and wanted to test out the Fishless Cycle method, with a shrimp..
Started the 10 Gallon tank 3 days ago now, and that same night I had:
20 Gallon HOB Filter
10 lbs Live Sand
Salt
50W Submersible Heater
All throughout the night I let the salt and sand get mixed in. Next day it was clear as day. So I went ahead and put 2 lbs of Live Rock in to get the going as well. Later that night I had a shrimp put in one of my socks and put it in the water, excited as ever to see how this would work. Next day, of course it's a little smelly. Expected and not a big deal. I added 5 lbs of Live Rock and 2 lbs of Base Rock. The smell is horrid. I know its not from the rock, its from the decomposing shrimp. I can smell it from all the way upstairs, into my master room closet!

I tested my water:
Ammonia - 4.0 ppm
Nitrite - 0.0 ppm
Question is, can I just take it out and let the LS and LR take care of the rest? The smell is almost unbearable.
LOL...Yes you can remove the shrimp...maybe it's the sock..JK
Also (Just in case you don't know) put the rock on the bottom and than the sand...you can't build on shifting sand, you could crush critters or break the tank if you have a rock slide. If you did it backwards...just push the sand to one side...set the rock and then push the sand back around the rock.

 

[hentz]

LOL...Yes you can remove the shrimp...maybe it's the sock..JK
Also (Just in case you don't know)  put the rock on the bottom and than the sand...you can't build on shifting sand, you could crush critters or break the tank if you have a rock slide. If you did it backwards...just push the sand to one side...set the rock and then push the sand back around the rock.
Haha good I'm taking it out! I just woke up, and let me tell you.. What a pleasant smell to wake up too :S lol.
And I realized that. I already buried the bottom of the live rocking making it nice and stable.

 

[sweatervest13]

Hi there,
It was a raw shrimp... Right??
It must have been a big guy to make it stink that much. LOL.
Keep testing you Ammonia and when you see it go down start testing Nitrite. 10g tanks are cool, but you need to keep up on the water parameters.
What are you thinking for a stock list?

 

[novahobbies]

Table shrimp tend to decay quickly, and yes, they can SMELL. Get that bugger out and swap out the sock. You can wash filter socks in the washing machine with plain hot water only...NO detergent. Some people add a little bleach to help kill anything in the sock...this is fine as long as you RINSE it well before you put it back in the tank!

 

[hentz]

Hi there,
It was a raw shrimp... Right??
It must have been a big guy to make it stink that much.  LOL.  
Keep testing you Ammonia and when you see it go down start testing Nitrite.  10g tanks are cool, but you need to keep up on the water parameters.  
What are you thinking for a stock list?
Funny, I was just reading your post yesterday.
Anyways, it is raw shrimp. And yes..... He is fairly big. I think I might take him out after work at let the rest do it thing. And yes I'm all ready to be keeping up with everything.
Probably a firefish, or Blenny. And a clownfish possibly? Well not all of them. But one or two

 

[pezenfuego]

With a small tank you need something that pops. I'm a big fan of firefish.
Anyway, when it comes to fishless cycling I always like the ghost feeding approach. Saltwater aquariums are all about stability. So cycling a tank with a dead animal and then removing it and adding a live animal...well there is a pretty big change happening and sometimes your water parameters will reflect that. I much prefer to get the food that I am planning on feeding my fish and adding it to the tank in the same intervals I would if I had fish. That way when you do add fish, your tank won't notice a difference (so to speak). Of course, that is a preference and there is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[hentz]

With a small tank you need something that pops. I'm a big fan of firefish.
Anyway, when it comes to fishless cycling I always like the ghost feeding approach. Saltwater aquariums are all about stability. So cycling a tank with a dead animal and then removing it and adding a live animal...well there is a pretty big change happening and sometimes your water parameters will reflect that. I much prefer to get the food that I am planning on feeding my fish and adding it to the tank in the same intervals I would if I had fish. That way when you do add fish, your tank won't notice a difference (so to speak). Of course, that is a preference and there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Very true. I've actually been considering a pair of fire fish. Purple ones for the most part.
Yeah I fed it the first day. Through a shrimp in later. The house REEKED. So I ended up just taking it out. I checked 4 hours after and ammonia was still 8.0+ lol. It was a dark blue. Not listed on the chart :laughing: . But now I took it out, smell is gone, tank is clear an I'll be checking it out after work!

 

[red tiger]

When i cycled 10 gallons, seems to be one week of ammonia, second week nitrate, at the begining of the third, ammonia/nitrite are gone and i get nitrates only!