Shrimp-free cycle

J

jjirsa78

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Nov 21, 2005
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Shrimp-free cycle (now with diatom goodness)

I'm limited on space (moreso than budget), so I've picked up a small 24G tank, added to it 20LB live sand, 14 pounds of live rock, and did the standard Instant Ocean mix.

I was told by my LFS that using live sand + live rock + biozyme nitrifying bacteria would let me shortcut the cycle, as essentially all of my components will have a decent amount of nitrifying bacteria already present.

After letting it run for 2 weeks, my ammonia levels spiked a bit after the live rock, then fell down to about 0.25ppm, but are now rising again (up around 1.0ppm) - all other levels look great, but it doesn't look like it's getting the job done (I'm told even 0.25ppm is technically toxic, and I should hold off on the addition of fish until it zeros completely).

Should I go ahead and do the full shrimp cycle? I'm trying to avoid it for comfort reasons (I'm impatient and wife doesn't want to deal with the smell), or try to introduce ammonia in some other form (brother recommended pure household cleaning ammonia, apparently what he had always used in the past).

Opinions sought, dissenting opinions encouraged.
 
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If it was my tank, I would do a wc. You need ammonia and nitrIte at 0 before you add a cleaning crew.
I wouldn't add anything including a deli shrimp. Let nature and wc do the work of cycling for you.
 
skippy2 said:
If it was my tank, I would do a wc. You need ammonia and nitrIte at 0 before you add a cleaning crew.
I wouldn't add anything including a deli shrimp. Let nature and wc do the work of cycling for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response - I'll do a 20% change tomorrow evening ...

I've been chastised by my brother for having the lights off for 5-6 days (was out of town, wife flipped the switch on the way out the door). I'm imagining that could have caused quite a bit of die-off on the live rock - thoughts?
 
You don't need the lights on for a cycle. It doesn't hurt anything for the lights to be on but isn't necessary.

Don't do too many wc, btw. You need ammonia in order to produce the nitirIte. LMK how it goes.
 
jjirsa78 said:
I'm limited on space (moreso than budget), so I've picked up a small 24G tank, added to it 20LB live sand, 14 pounds of live rock, and did the standard Instant Ocean mix.

I was told by my LFS that using live sand + live rock + biozyme nitrifying bacteria would let me shortcut the cycle, as essentially all of my components will have a decent amount of nitrifying bacteria already present.

After letting it run for 2 weeks, my ammonia levels spiked a bit after the live rock, then fell down to about 0.25ppm, but are now rising again (up around 1.0ppm) - all other levels look great, but it doesn't look like it's getting the job done (I'm told even 0.25ppm is technically toxic, and I should hold off on the addition of fish until it zeros completely).

Should I go ahead and do the full shrimp cycle? I'm trying to avoid it for comfort reasons (I'm impatient and wife doesn't want to deal with the smell), or try to introduce ammonia in some other form (brother recommended pure household cleaning ammonia, apparently what he had always used in the past).

Opinions sought, dissenting opinions encouraged.
Click to expand...
Dont ever add household amoniea to a tank my brother in law did that then he killed all the fish and gave me the tank and even with fresh water it killed my fish off you cant get it off the glass.
also I am the impatient type to so I know what you are talking about but in the salt water hoppy patience is key but if you want to add fish you can cycle a tank using Damsels they are pretty hardy fish and if your going to add anything make sure its them until your tank has cycled .
 
Usually people turn on their lights 2 weeks after they setup. I did the opposite and turned them on for 4 hours. Either way it will keep animals that require light alive.

Be patient and don’t add anything alive, or you may have your first kill. Not a good way to start out. I would haunt you if I was that damsel.
 
Please don't add any damnsels to your tank to cycle. It is cruel to any living animal. I don't like damnsels (hence the spelling) but even they don't deserve the ammonia burns of an uncycled tank.
 
Never trust anything as a "quick fix" in terms a cycle.


live sand + live rock + biozyme has 1 flaw, there has to be a source of ammonia to feed the bacteria AND the bacteria will only populate to the amount needed to take care of the amount present, this is why the raw shimp methode is used, as a decaying shimp produces enough ammonia to feed a large enough bacteria colony to handle any type of fish you put in there, as long as its not over doing it.
 
Well, as I continue my slow, shrimp-free cycle, I'm seeing a diatom bloom.

As I'm not cycling yet, I have nothing in the tank that can eat it, though I read it usually will disappear on its own if you shorten the photoperiod and as it consumes excess nutrients.

I haven't yet done a water change - should I do that immediately? Should I wait for the bloom to die off? Should I introduce some cleaning crew that will help eat the nutrients and the bloom?
 
jjirsa78 said:
Should I introduce some cleaning crew that will help eat the nutrients and the bloom?
Click to expand...

dont even add a cleaning crew until you are done the cycle.

live animals being put in a cycling tank (full of ammonia) is pretty much the same idea as expecting you to sit in a burning room full of smoke. You're going to choke and have difficulty breathing right? Well so are the animals in your tank. It's best just to wait your cycle out, a couple of weeks of cycling is nothing in the long run.
 
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