I keep seeing conflicting posts! Do I need to add raw shrimp to the tank with my live rock? the rock is being overnighted and arrives in the morning so I want to do the right thing to start cycling. Thanks.
so should i add shrimp with my live rock to cycle or no?
- Thread starter tranceFusion
- Start date
I'm of the opinion to add it. Remove it when your ammonia gets 3-5ppm and let the cycle do it's thing.
Catpicklesdog
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
When I first started in this hobby I used just live rock to cycle my tank. It took 8 weeks. When setting up "love shack" I used live rock and a couple of frozen prawns. It took 3 weeks.
Up to you!!
Up to you!!
I guess it really depends on how you are planning on stocking the tank. If you're planning on adding to the tank slowly, then no, the die offs from the liverock should be sufficient. Although, if it's a decent size tank, and you were planning on adding several fish to the tank at once, then yes, you do want to add a shrimp or two to simulate the bio-load.
After adding LR and letting it sit for a few hours, the ammonia was only at .5, so I added a shrimp.
I am just a bit worried that the ammonia will spike too high and kill off any cool hitchhikers that might be on my rock.
I am just a bit worried that the ammonia will spike too high and kill off any cool hitchhikers that might be on my rock.