Cocktail shrimp for cycling?

A

AngelThoughts

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Aug 27, 2003
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A friend of mine told me to drop a regular cocktail shrimp in the tank to help get the cycle started. Is this true and has anyone tried that? I know about Bio Spira but I can't find it anywhere out here and I'm sketchy about ordering it online. Thanks for the answers ahead of time ;)
 
Yep, it's true...the rotting of the shrimp is the start of nitrifying bacterial cultures...you have to wait for a bit, but this a good ammonia source (read up on fishless cycling to find out more about this process).
 
Yes, it most likely does...but there are other ways to gain ammonia for the tank, too...ones which carry worse stigmas than rotting shrimp flesh! :)

Glad to hear that you've read your brains out before you got the fish! I can safely say that I wish that I had learned about fishless cycling prior to stocking my first tank last year.
 
no stinky shrimp for me lol

My LFS keeps pushing the fish cycle and I do not want to have certain fish they are recommending in my tank nor do I want a second tank to put them in. One is enough for now!
I always seem to read as much as I can before investing in something I'm interested in. So far the fishless cycle seems to be the way to go and since noone has bio spira around here I'll just have to be patient. I am amazed at the ignorance of a lot of fish store workers in my area. they will tell you anything to sell a fish. One store has a worker who knows a lot but she's the one pushing the fish cycle vs fishless. I'm glad I found this site!!!!
 
Bottled ammonia is the best choice for a fishless cycling. You can control the amount of ammonia in the tank--with the shrimp, it's going to be a serious spike, and then diminishing amounts. It still works, but since you are not in a position to control the process, it can be frustrating. And, it does smell. Nasty!
 
We're glad that you found this site, too...unfortunately, a lot of the relevant literature is still not up to speed on the possibility of fishless cycling, so even reading trade paperbacks isn't a guarantee that you'd learn about it! I know that I sure didn't before I started and I wish that I had.
 
why do most saltwater people use the shrimp? Is there any reason they don't use ammonia from the bottle?

Aaron
 
Hebdizzle-ammonia works fine in SW tanks. I've never understood why there's such resistance to using it by the SW community, and have heard of many justifications (ie, the shrimp introduces the right bacteria :rolleyes: ). Wish I could explain it, but I can assure you that some SW people get almost offended at the suggestion that they use the same method as 'freshwater people'.
 
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