My ammonia is at about .8 and I am ready to puke from the smell of the rotting shrimp

[mmync]

Ok here's the deal. My new 180 gallon has been cycling for about 4 days with 4 cocktail shrimp, 6 big pieces of cured live rock, 40 pounds of live sand and some crushed coral. My ammonia started out at 0.0 and after only 4 days the ammonia is at about 0.8 The rotting smell of the shrimp has been so bad that I literaly have to leave my house because it gets me very nauziated and makes me feel like vomiting. My question is, can I take these shrimp out yet being that the ammonia is at .8 ? My concern is that it has only been cycling for 4 days

 

[broomer5]

If it's getting that bad - I'd say heck yeah - get those nasty smelly things out.
You can still add some flake fish food to continue the cycle.

 

[thomas712]

Strange and mine don't smell at all.
Hey boomer could the live rock be dieing off and thats what he smells. (in addition to the shrimp of course)
When you put the live rock in did it smell at all?
Thomas

 

[mmync]

I think I have about 28 pounds of fully cured live rock. Hmmm, I thought I had more then that though???? I paid like $65.00 for 1 piece All I have for a filter is the rock, sand, and sea lifw w/d. Not that it matters, but 4 maxi-jet 1200 powerheads. No skimmer. Should I test for anything else? All I have tested so far is ammonia!! I am pretty sure the live rock didnt smell.

 

[thomas712]

When you put it in it might not have smelled then. If you can pull out a small piece now though it might have die off. See if you can pull some out and give it a whiff. Or is the smell that you are smelling deffinatly a shrimpy smell. I would still say its the rock.
Thomas

 

[mmync]

Ok I just pulled out 2 pieces of rock, and niether one of them had a bad smell. They both had a very faint smell but nothing overwhelming at all. I really think its the shrimp

 

[mmync]

So what do u guys think, can I pull the rotting shrimp?

 

[beth]

Yes, pull the shrimp. I usually like to chop up my shrimp pretty good so that it will biodegrade better. But with LR, I can't say that I would have put any shrimp in there, except to "feed" the tank, rather than cycle.
LR has inverts on it, thus, you really don't want to kill off what comes on the LR with high ammonia.
Oh well, pull the rotting shrimp out, if that is even it.

 

[foxface402]

pull it out for now, get some uncured live rock cheap and put it in. since your now sitting up the tank it's cheaper to do it that way.big difference in prices when you got to buy alot of rock

 

[fshhub]

yep, pull the shrimp out, if the ammonia is that high and it smells, it has done iits job. All that you need it for is to spike the ammonia.
if you intend to add more lr, now would be a ggood time to add uncured, it wil cure too while cycling, if not, just wait it out,t he smell will fade away,as the cycle progresses. Unfortunately sometimes it does smell(not alwys). But this is a good sign for the tank, it wil create a good solid HARD cycle as broomer words it. Nothing at all wrong with that.
On one of our tranks, we actually had to air the toom for a acouple of days, but it was worth it in the long run. No damsels and the tank is as stable as any I have done yet.

 

[wymike]

Okay guys and Gals! These *Damn Shrimp Smell* posts are beginning to worry me. I run a small insurance office with 6 private offices and a reception area with waiting room.
The whole operation is contained in an area of maybe 30' wide by maybe 80' long. There is no way my people will sit still for a shrimp cycling tank if it smells the way everybody is claiming. They will be submitting resignation letters faster then an ammonia spike!
I would assume my clientele would associate the smell with some of our *lower regions* and never return to our office. Or worse yet... Take their business to our competitors!
Isn't there an easier way to cycle a tank without this dreaded smell??? If it saves business I can wait an extra month or two. Really. I can. My office is only a 12x14 and even I don't want to work next to, let alone sit next to, a nasty --- smelling tank!
Tell me there is another way... How about setting up a tank and beginning the cycle with a few pieces of LR along with the sand and more pieces of dead rock? Won't the cycle process be less odorous and the dead rock will eventually become LR? How about that? Does everybody think the *shrimp cycle* stinks? Maybe too many shrimp are being used initially???

 

[killyah]

yes you can cycle a tank using cured live rock and live sand...add the base rock if you want.

 

[jumpfrog]

Wymike: You don't have to really stink up the place to get a cycle started and completed. Some uncured LR, small amount, or some chopped up shrimp or flakes will get it started. The idea here is to get the cycle started and get healthy bacteria growing before adding live animals. Once you've kick started your cycle and let it finish (read 0 nitrites) then you can add animals. Add them slowly so the bacteria population and catch up to the load and you'll be fine.
Slow is the key word here.
The massive start mentioned here with plenty of uncured LR and 4 shrimp will establish a very large bacteria population which should allow for a larger "live" population of animals early on. If you go slow you won't need that strong of a kick start.
Good Luck!

 

[mmync]

Ok, I know you guys are going to really think I am on drugs when I say this but its the truth so here it is. I did pull the shrimp last night and woke up this morning and the smell is totally gone and my water is crystal clear now. I now it sounds crazy but its the truth

 

[javatech]

You can do it with pure ammonia too you just have to test it a lot! to keep it right till it cycles

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by mmync
I now it sounds crazy but its the truth
Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I think one shrimp would have done the job just fine, four might have been overkill but mission accomplished regardless.