Cycling question. Add another shrimp once first one is gone?

PodRespektor

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Hello all! Happy Sunday!

I’m on day 11 of my cycle.

first few days were saltwater only due to me still waiting on rock and sand and wanting to kick start the process.

live arag Carib sea sand was added next on day 4 and about 60 pounds of reef saver rock was all added 2 days ago.

90 gallon reef ready tank with sump. Will add pic after if asked but it’s boring looking now of course.

here’s my question: both my ammonia and nitrite are currently spiked but I added another raw shrimp after my first was almost totally gone. Being that my nitrites are spiked I’m now wondering if I started another cycle with my second shrimp...

should I pull that rascal out for the remainder of the cycle or leave it be? Thanks in advance
 

MnFish1

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It would help to know what your nitrites, ammonia and nitrates are? Also what test kits you are using. 1). Ammonia levels from some kits can be notoriously 'false positive'. 2). Nitrate sometimes tests as nitrite. 3). Assuming your sand was 'live' you probably have enough bacteria in the sand to do the trick. I would tend to remove the shrimp, perhaps add some 'bottled bacteria' such as Fritz, etc. And add fish. Again all of this depends on the levels in your aquarium.

I'm sure there are many that would suggest you're probably good to go today. There are others that would suggest you have weeks to go. @brandon429
 
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PodRespektor

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It would help to know what your nitrites, ammonia and nitrates are? Also what test kits you are using. 1). Ammonia levels from some kits can be notoriously 'false positive'. 2). Nitrate sometimes tests as nitrite. 3). Assuming your sand was 'live' you probably have enough bacteria in the sand to do the trick. I would tend to remove the shrimp, perhaps add some 'bottled bacteria' such as Fritz, etc. And add fish. Again all of this depends on the levels in your aquarium.

I'm sure there are many that would suggest you're probably good to go today. There are others that would suggest you have weeks to go. @brandon429

my bad. Test kit is API. Wish I never bought it tbh. I should know better, this is my 3rd tank...

since the tests aren’t very accurate I’d just say that ammonia is testing very high. Very green. Nitrite testing very high (purple).

I’ve read a TON of Brandon posts and I think he’s on to something and will say that I’m probably cycled. I believe this to be the case.

1 last question, use the Fluval Cycle I bought or return it? Figured it couldn’t hurt when I bought it but now I’m worried that “place holder” bacteria could outcompete the good stuff I’ve been cultivating for almost two weeks now.

wanna be accurate for all the scientific benefits of all these “peer reviewed studies”

90 gallon with 60 lbs live Carib sea sand and about 65 pounds of reef saver rock.

20 gallon long sump with 10 lbs reef saver rock and a carbon mat that gets full flow through.

heater keeping tank at 78.

2 FS 130 FreeSea wave makers

DT is fully covered. Sump is 85% covered with no cabinet doors on my stand I built

no lights yet but I do light up the sump with a lil lamp every night.

return pump doing the trick. Will upgrade a lot of equip in the near future when tank begins to mature.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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i know some of the bottle mixes say not to use with other brands but we've just never seen any cycle fail regardless of minor variations

agreed this cycle is done in the regard that any surface area sitting in the mix for a month now can handle a bioload, change out the current water for as much new as possible/less algae fuel

we've never seen any tank this long underwater fail to keep its starting bioload, not once. we have seen however every brand of test kit under the sun say a cycle wasn't ready

ya'll thought I was going to say except seneye lol, we have a seneye misread thread too...any test that goes against mo nature is misreading and we can catch it with yet another test angled correctly

we already know by what timeline an aquarium can move down ammonia its well-charted. to find misreading test kits we look for cycle chart violators lol but only on the ammonia line we don't care about the other two (our tests for nitrite and nitrate are way off the mark on basic comparison threads, the params they may state do not necessarily reflect the state of the cycle)

if a piece of rotting meat is causing readings to sway that wont impact the actual cycle much but could make getting the common testers to read correctly a headache
 
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Aqua Man

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schuby

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I don't think live sand is a substitute for bottled, nitrifying bacteria. Without bottles bacteria boost, expect cycle to take about a month.

Has your ammonia ever measured near zero after first shrimp?
 
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PodRespektor

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Sorry guys, I tested water last night so I’m going to test ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (for the first time) now and then address the new questions and be even more detailed about how I’ve cycled thus far.

one thing real quick tho, if I remove this second shrimp I put in yesterday I’m also removing the main food source of bac... I added second shrimp so that supply would be continuous until I got a fish or two.

when I take this second shrimp out, how much food source will remain and for how long in the interim is what I’m now wondering...

I second guessed the fluval cycle because I’ve read it’s a placeholder bac much like what’s in the arag alive Caribsea sand as opposed to something like dr Tim’s. Certainly wouldn’t want something like that outcompeting what I’ve proven to have taking hold now.

anyway, back with new results the best I can read/ interpret them in a few.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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your bac are done feeding, the first month.


and removing that shrimp doesn't remove feed, they still feed everyday every hour by natural inputs. Your tank is simply cycled although you can further test/wait/dose not a problem. cycles cant be undone once set.
 

schuby

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I'd recommend using a nitrifying bacteria like Fritz Turbo or Dr Tim's One & Only. Adding non-nitrifying bacteria can slow the cycle ( wrong bacteria for tank at this time).
 

Aqua Man

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@ brandon429 Rock was added 2 days ago. I’d want to wait a few more days for the rock to colonize.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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hey lol this isn't the 31 day cycle thread ha nice, wrong one
 
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PodRespektor

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Yeah Brandon, my cycle is on day 11.

first it was saltwater for 3 days, then day 4 was 20 lbs of sand. Day 6 was 40 more pounds of the sand to complete the 60. Heater and power heads went in about 4-5 days ago.

rock was all added 2 days ago.

im on board with everyone suggesting my tank still needs to cycle a bit more. I won’t be adding fish for a week or more regardless.

new test results from just now:

PH- about 8.0

NH3- down quite a bit from last night, now reading between .5 and 1. Last night was def in the 4 range.

NO2- somewhere between 2 & 5, same as last night, ( I can’t tell the difference, both purple colors look the exact same to me.)

NO3 is somewhere between 5 & 10.

havent tested salinity yet. Just followed the reef crystals instructions and will test and tweak before adding livestock or course.

lol bros, got the 2nd rotting shrimp out.
 
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PodRespektor

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I don't think live sand is a substitute for bottled, nitrifying bacteria. Without bottles bacteria boost, expect cycle to take about a month.

Has your ammonia ever measured near zero after first shrimp?
Actually measuring best yet today with the .5 to 1.

I hadn’t measured it for a few days before adding that second shrimp just because I knew I’d be cycling for a while to come and that the process was def already underway...
 

Aqua Man

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lol bros, got the 2nd rotting shrimp out.
Totally loving the old school method of shrimp cycle!! The part that seemed to be left out was this, very large water change. Will NOT harm your bacteria.

Once all that shrimp decays into nitrates, here comes the algae.
 
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PodRespektor

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Totally loving the old school method of shrimp cycle!! The part that seemed to be left out was this, very large water change. Will NOT harm your bacteria.

Once all that shrimp decays into nitrates, here comes the algae.
What’s the new school cycle? Adding dr tims ammonia and his one and only to clean it up?

i always try to be as natural as possible where at all possible. (Oh yeah, I forgot, I’m CHEAP too!)

which is why I’m still not sold on the fluval cycle... bottled versus my tank just did it from thin air with almighty Mother Nature ...
 
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