Newbie question about cycling

leftyblite

leftyblite

Member
I was recently given a 12G Nano cube and am in the process of setting it up as a saltwater tank. I've been keeping freshwater tanks ranging from 2.5-80G tank for a few years now. I know this is not going to be easy but I want to try it. I done research and hope to do this right. I got my saltwater salinity right and as of yesterday added approx 20lbs of live rock and I have approx a 2.5inch live sand bed. I read awhile back on this website about using a cocktail shrimp to help with the cycle. Is this a good idea? My lfs said this was a good idea too. After the cycle is finally complete I plan on putting in either 1 small clownfish or a firefish(besides the clean up crew). Does this sound right? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
rev

rev

Member
That's what I did and it helped the cylce along quickly.However,as a chef,I can also tell you that alot of the shrimp you buy in stores now,are actually freshwater farm raised shrimp.
Be safe and go to a good fish market.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Was the LR fully cured from the LFS. Might have enough esablished bacteria along with the livesand that you might not need to cycle. Just test your levels for a few days and see if they change. Might go thru a mini cycle without adding bioload ( shrimp ) if there is dieoff from rock.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
You might could put a small piece of a shrimp in there just to feed the bacteria. You need to think that a 12gl cant have alot of livestock anyway so there want be a lot of bioload there.
 
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