cycling with shrimp

[braelynsNemo]

when i cycle my tank i was gonna use the shrimp method... about how long does that take to fully cycle?

mandy

 

[Sregnar]

You will hear this from everyone I'd imagine, it will take 5 or 6 weeks at least, but you HAVE TO TEST TO BE SURE!!! Don't risk it, test your water, and good luck!

 

[Grins]

Takes as long as it takes. Plan on 4 weeks, but don't be surpised if it takes longer and shorter. If it takes shorter I'd still give it 4 weeks to give the pods a chance to thrive.

 

[Sregnar]

Pods would mean live rock, and you don't really want to cycle with live rock and shrimp. The rotting shrimp are going to spike you ammonia and nitrites so high that the live rock is going to lose alot of life.

 

[Grins]

I disagree, live rock is fine when cycling.

 

[Sregnar]

Even with an amazingly high ammonia and nitrite spike you get from a fishless shrimp cycle? Granted there will be life left afterwards, but at $8 a pound for live rock, I try to maximize survivability and introduce the rock to a safe environment as I would any creature I introduce to my reef.

 

[Grins]

Understood but if the rock is thriving with life it will be able to handle the ammonia.

 

[Sregnar]

True, you can go either way. It's like everything else in reefkeeping, if it works for you, its good enough!

 

[dolfans1]

Understood but if the rock is thriving with life it will be able to handle the ammonia.

:iagree:

I cycled my 120g tank originally w/ shrimp. The life on the live rock seemed to do just fine. My cycle was short, possibly because of the large amount of live rock I had. I had all kinds of calciferous algae, pods, and worms that survived the cycle. In fact, about a year and a half after my tank was established, a ricordia mushroom suddenly appear out of one of the pieces of LR, and is now ~3" across.

 

[braelynsNemo]

man i didnt mean to start a war lol..... i was thinking about cycling my tank with shrimp before i got the live rock but if its easier to just cycle with live rock then i guess i can do that too... i dunno i am just tryin to figure out what is easier to do... the live rock im buying isnt cured yet so ......