How long do I leave the shrimp in for?

raptor72

raptor72

Member
I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere.
I've set up my QT and threw an uncooked shrimp in there and it's been two days. I noticed today that the shrimp looks fully cooked
I also noticed that it's starting to smell like, well rotten shrimp. How long does this have to go on? I know I'm supposed to be doing water tests to watch the ammonia, nitrates, etc., meanwhile. When can I take the shrimp out?
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member
Ran a test, and I'm still inbetween 0 and .25ppm still. Is it alright to throw in some carbon to maybe reduce the smell, or will this go against the cycling process in any way?
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
id take it out....imo ur process has started and will continue! I run carbon all the time....the next thing u wanna look for is a brown algae called diatom. This is almost rust looking and will grow on the sides of the tank and sand and everything else.....
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
If the water is noticeably smelly, you should really be seeing more than .25 reading on your ammonia. What test are you running?
Carbon won't affect the cycle, no. But in all honesty if it stinks the way you say it does, then yes you can probably take the shrimp out now.
 
beth

beth

Administrator
Staff member
Using shrimp is a poor method to attempt to cycle a tank. It is like throwing raw meet in to the bathtub, hoping you will come away with a beauty treatment.
Best to use marine sources for a cycle kick, such as a bit of live sand or a piece or two of small live rock. Then feed the your tank a bit of fish food.
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member
That's news to me, but I'll take that into consideration the next time I cycle my QT. I'm sure it won't be the last time. For my FW tanks I used to use the stuff in a bottle, but I'm out in the boonies and didn't have that luxury at the time.
I didnt use sand because i was trying to keep it as sterile as possible. Thanks for the input
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
There's also the pure ammonia method. Theresa brought it to my attention a year ago when I was cycling my seahorse tank. I didn't use it (already started the cycle with a silverside) but I may try the ammonia method when I cycle the 20g long pipefish tank.
 
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