Bacterial Blooms

[Uzair Aiman]

Hi, Im currently going through my cycling process (on a 30L tank). I just added a dead shrimp to it a few hours ago to promote the cycling process by adding ammonia. I realized that my tank has gone abit cloudy and Ive read online that when theres presence of ammonia in the tank, bacterial blooms will occur. ( I also dosed the tank with MB7 for cycling). Is this normal and safe for the tank? and if so, do I just leave it be like that until I remove my shrimp? When do I remove my shrimp?

 

[FBAA]

You could get a bacterial bloom. I would use smaller bits of food or chop up the shrimp so the bacteria can work on it. The smaller bits have more surface area for the bacteria to feed on it faster and speeding up the time it to cycle.

Keep in mind the bacteria that eat the shrimp/food are not neccisarily the same ones that conver ammonia to nitrites to nitrates. They generate the ammonia then the nitrifying bacteria grow.

There are ammonia dosing products out there to speed up the whole process.

No matter what test the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. Back in the day I did this every day and charted the curves because I'm a nerd like that. It helped me determine when the tank was so-called cycled.

Keep in mind that every time you add something that generates ammonia the tank will go through a slight cycle while the bacteria catches up to the new bioload.

 

[Uzair Aiman]

You could get a bacterial bloom. I would use smaller bits of food or chop up the shrimp so the bacteria can work on it. The smaller bits have more surface area for the bacteria to feed on it faster and speeding up the time it to cycle.

Keep in mind the bacteria that eat the shrimp/food are not neccisarily the same ones that conver ammonia to nitrites to nitrates. They generate the ammonia then the nitrifying bacteria grow.

There are ammonia dosing products out there to speed up the whole process.

No matter what test the ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. Back in the day I did this every day and charted the curves because I'm a nerd like that. It helped me determine when the tank was so-called cycled.

Keep in mind that every time you add something that generates ammonia the tank will go through a slight cycle while the bacteria catches up to the new bioload.

I live in east Malaysia so its hard to come by ammonia products that I "trust" so I just add shrimp.
are these bacterial blooms good or a sign of a good thing? Also, the "other" bacteria that dont consume ammonia, are they any good or are there considered pests?
When do you usually remove the shrimp?

 

[FBAA]

I live in east Malaysia so its hard to come by ammonia products that I "trust" so I just add shrimp.
are these bacterial blooms good or a sign of a good thing? Also, the "other" bacteria that dont consume ammonia, are they any good or are there considered pests?
When do you usually remove the shrimp?

As far as starting a tank with food. Flakes are the best. The "Other" bacteria will be needed to digest uneaten food so they are good. Leave the shrimp in until it's gone but I would chop it up so it's digested faster by the bacteria.

 

[Uzair Aiman]

As far as starting a tank with food. Flakes are the best. The "Other" bacteria will be needed to digest uneaten food so they are good. Leave the shrimp in until it's gone but I would chop it up so it's digested faster by the bacteria.

Ive added quite a big shrimp. maybe an inch long? haha So I dont think it would be digested very quickly. Any signs or tests I can do to ensure that I can remove the shrimp?

 

[FBAA]

Ive added quite a big shrimp. maybe an inch long? haha So I dont think it would be digested very quickly. Any signs or tests I can do to ensure that I can remove the shrimp?

Test for ammonia and nitrites. When they settle below detectable that cycle is over.