So need to start this cycle RIGHT..have some ?'s

frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
So I used to have a 25gallon about four years ago and I got into it way too quick and it ended up having a negative effect. Well I'm back into the hobby and have been reading my posts from the past and wow I was just too excited and rushed.. Anyways, I started my tank yesterday afternoon with a heater and ro water with salt at about 1.021-1.022. Oh and sorry this is a 10 gallon tank now!! I'm using a 10 gallon! I just went this afternoon and bought 16# of cured LR and 20# LS..
Now the live sand is Natures Ocean Bio active aragonite. It claims you can add fish instantly.. I dont really believe that though.. I want to cycle properly this time.. It says its all natural nothing artificial.. hmm and it says that it has a lot of bacteria from the ocean..the bag had water in it.. says it has over 10,000,000 heterosomething bacteria per pound.
i have a wisper filter running with carbon and temp is about 79. i tested amonia tonight to humor myself.. it is .25-.50
any thoughts? i have heard of adding a shrimp? is this one i can find in my freezer that i may cook with some garlic butter and lemon juice?

i also hear i can ghost feed. can i use flakes for fresh water fish? a pinch? is it recomended to continue light ghost feeding through the cycle?
thanks guys.. i'm glad to be back in the hobby..
Peter
 
harris28

harris28

Member
Yes the shrimp is one you get from the grocery store, un cooked of course. You can also ghost feed but I like the shrimp idea. When your amonia spikes go ahead and take the shrimp out and let nature take it's course. Good luck!!
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
so shrimp is the best way to go? i'm going to work for about ten hours.. can i leave it in there that long in a ten gallon? i guess that doesn't sound like that long.. i know to take it out when amonia spikes, i was just wondering if it might spike while i'm at work and then go too high..
peter
 
thirty5

thirty5

Member
It it gets too high then will just take longer to come back down. But 10 hours is not too long. YOu basically have to wait for it to ROT! I would not be worried about 10 hrs. Prob will take much more than that. And i would not believe anything that is on the bag. Cycle it properly. Get all your rock and stuff in teh tank without andy livestock and let it cycle , natures way.
GOOD LUCK!
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
thanks!! i'll throw in a shrimp right now!! cant wait to have SOMETHING in my tank

oh and btw.. should i leave the shrimp anywhere specific? is it ok if it starts to like just lean against my equipment? its not gonna let off some nastyness is it? like some decay stuff on my filter or glass??
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
ok i dont have any shrimp.. dammit.. i guess i'll have to buy some..
do i need the shrimp? i have ammonia already.. about .25-.5.. put lr in about 18 hours ago. cured supposedly. put in ls too.. 16#lr and 20#ls i'll do the shrimp, but just means i have to wait longer.. is it needed in my sit? can i use flake food? i only have fresh water flake food is that ok?
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
i would like to get some flake food in there before i go to work if you guys think a pinch of FRESH WATER FLAKE FOOD would be ok in a 10gal... please read what i have if it ok with my lr and ls.. its for "all trofical fish" my mom used it on her old fresh water fish..thanks guys!!!
 
exlfs

exlfs

New Member
Do you have a good LFS at your disposal? If so, 'cycling' the tank may be completely un-necessary (I won't bother describing this if you don't have a decent store locally or nearby).
 
bexleyfish

bexleyfish

Member
The manager of my LFS and I were actually talking about this two days ago... supposedly (not me) some people give the new tank a little of natures ammonia to start the cycle. I think I'll leave it at that
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
so my ammonia is a for sure 0.. does this mean my cycle was stupid? does this mean my ls has a lot of the bacteria already? i'm testing nitrites now.. should i buy some food from the lfs and ghost feed to see if my ammonia goes up? i dont think i jump started my cycle enough.. i'm just not getting for sure answers on if i should use a shrimp or ghost feed.. and i'm gonna use freshwater, just gonna get some from lfs.. what you guys think??
also what is the bio load like for a clean up crew? is 10 blue leg hermits too many for a 10gal tank? i want a sally light foot and a porclein crab. a few shrimp.. maybe a fire shrimp and like 2 fish.. a blenny or goby and maybe a gramma or something for the center of the tank.. oh yeah forget about the fish i'm just talking about the clean up crew.. lol .. and NOT YET of coarse.. i'm just thinking.. would those inverts be too much to add? forgeting the shrimp? like 10 hermits and like mabye 3 crabs or something? once everything is cycled
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by frozenguy
so my ammonia is a for sure 0.. does this mean my cycle was stupid? does this mean my ls has a lot of the bacteria already? i'm testing nitrites now.. should i buy some food from the lfs and ghost feed to see if my ammonia goes up? i dont think i jump started my cycle enough.. i'm just not getting for sure answers on if i should use a shrimp or ghost feed.. and i'm gonna use freshwater, just gonna get some from lfs.. what you guys think??
also what is the bio load like for a clean up crew? is 10 blue leg hermits too many for a 10gal tank? i want a sally light foot and a porclein crab. a few shrimp.. maybe a fire shrimp and like 2 fish.. a blenny or goby and maybe a gramma or something for the center of the tank.. oh yeah forget about the fish i'm just talking about the clean up crew.. lol .. and NOT YET of coarse.. i'm just thinking.. would those inverts be too much to add? forgeting the shrimp? like 10 hermits and like mabye 3 crabs or something? once everything is cycled
If you have not seen an ammonia spike and your nitrates are still at zero then spike it. You don't want to spike it too high being that you have life already in there. Add a raw shrimp and watch your ammonia closely. When it spikes to .25 pull it out.
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
i have seen an ammonia spike.. it went to .25-.5 maybe.. that was yesterday.. but now its to 0 for sure and my nitrites showed up but only a little.. like the notch after 0... that was yesterday too.. but now my nitrites for SURE 0.. my nitrates are 10-15.. we dont have any shrimp but i have un cooked un seasoned scallops.. i through one in. its about 3/4 inch diameter piece. it sunk to the bottom.. its not frozen at all.. not anymore (i thawed it).. is this ok?? hmm..
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
soooo
I through the scallop in last night.. it has been about SEVEN hours.. no smells from the tank.. the scallop seems to have a slight layer around it.. very very small.
i have notice TWO hitch hikers.. on had tiny legs or bristles on it.. half red half black.. as thick as spagetti uncooked.. didn't come all way outa rock,could have been a LEG!! but extended far.. also, as i turned my light on just now (early morning) i saw a 2 inch worm.. maybe flat, didn't nec. look flat.. it was pickin at the scallop..

[hr]
thats for the good of the tank.. not him..
i tested amonia
WITH API i have .25 amm. (false maybe) but i get 0's sometimes
 
yerboy

yerboy

Active Member
Originally Posted by frozenguy
i have a wisper filter running with carbon and temp is about 79. i tested amonia tonight to humor myself.. it is .25-.50
Peter
If you detected ammonia the first time you checked why would you want to add a shrimp? And why didnt anyone else catch that he already detected ammonia before adding anything? Did i miss something?
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
its like 2.5" too deep? i may even transplant some to my other tank once i get it up..
but the reason i through the scallop in is because my ammonia only went to .5 MAYBE and since .25 can be false and be a 0 i figured it was a small small spike not capable of handling a fish load in a 10 gallon.. so i wanted a big ammonia spike..
I just tested params again.. ok i'm terrible at colors and stuff but it looks closest to the 0 mark for ammonia.. most DEFINATE 0 on nitrites.. and it appears that i have about a 10 for nitrates.. i'm pretty sure its 0 for ammonia.. it almost looks like in between 0 and .25 and the scallop has been in there for 17 hours so far!! is that long enough for it to spike ammonia?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
A big ammonia spike isn't a good thing. It will just kill many of the inhabitants of your live rock and prolong the cycle. If the spike stays high it can creat dead spots inside the live rock that will cause hair algae to grow on the rock for months.
Try to keep the ammonia level under 0.5ppm during a cycle with live rock.
 
frozenguy

frozenguy

Member
ok.. i know that.. i'm wondering what you guys think about my current levels..
17 hours with an uncooked scallop in the tank and i'm showing a color between 0 and .25 for ammonia and 0 nitrites and about 10 nitrates.. my testing kit is API.. 20lbs of live sand and 16lbs of live rock.. cured.. what would you expect to see happen?
 
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