Kicked off cycling with piece of shrimp.......now what?

[hopperjl16]

per instructions I was directed to on this forum, I put a piece of raw table shrimp in my tank (biocube 29, live rock already in place, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate all zero). Do I just wait and let the tank start cycling and measure ammonia/nitrite/nitrate here and there and wait for the algae to start? Do I do any water changes while I'm waiting for the tank to cycle? Thanks for any help! This is my first tank.

 

[Supurderek]

Just wait for the spikes.

 

[Diesel]

Test for ammonia and Nitrite, register and test some more till the # are dropping.
Start a build thread of your tank and post your testing# in there, sure a whole lot more members will help you out for a successful cycling start.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

per instructions I was directed to on this forum, I put a piece of raw table shrimp in my tank (biocube 29, live rock already in place, ammonia/nitrite/nitrate all zero). Do I just wait and let the tank start cycling and measure ammonia/nitrite/nitrate here and there and wait for the algae to start? Do I do any water changes while I'm waiting for the tank to cycle? Thanks for any help! This is my first tank.

Sweet! Old School!
Also use your nose. you'll know when to start testing and pretty much when to stop.

Start a build thread of your tank and post your testing# in there, sure a whole lot more members will help you out for a successful cycling start.

And here's some of the support you have.
For the next month.

 

[hopperjl16]

Just wait for the spikes.

So once the spikes drop off and I'm back to zero levels, I can add fish? The instructions I read list quite elaborate stages with different types of bacteria and algae growth that has to happen before fish can be added. But on the total opposite end my LFS is telling me that since I have live rock, live sand, and water directly from his store, I should add an actual fish soon to help with cycling? I'm just confused how one person says throw a fish in there to get things going but detailed instructions on here are saying I'm probably 60 days from being able to get fish? Again thanks for any help, this is a little overwhelming!

 

[Diesel]

So once the spikes drop off and I'm back to zero levels, I can add fish? The instructions I read list quite elaborate stages with different types of bacteria and algae growth that has to happen before fish can be added. But on the total opposite end my LFS is telling me that since I have live rock, live sand, and water directly from his store, I should add an actual fish soon to help with cycling? I'm just confused how one person says throw a fish in there to get things going but detailed instructions on here are saying I'm probably 60 days from being able to get fish? Again thanks for any help, this is a little overwhelming!

It shouldn't be overwhelming at all.
If your Ammonia and Nitrite is close to 0 you can add ONE fish
But you got to test no matter what.
I can have your tank cycled in 4 days, even with dry sand and dead dry LR but why the rush.
A good cycle can be beneficial for the long term of your livestock.

 

[chaoha]

Don't forget your LFS is in business to make sales.
Take your time in the end it will be less frustrating and you will save money

 

[rayn]

If everything is truly "live" you won't see much of any cycle. The live bacteria will consume the ammonia and nitrite. Test for these to make sure. Watch your nitrate. If they start to rise, and the others remain 0, do a water change. No need to rush it. Once you start to see some algae grow, diatoms and the like, add the cuc to help with these.

 

[m88a2]

I'd wait a few days to a week after testing 0 on ammonia/nitrites before adding a fish. Use the time before hand to get a list of fish you want and add the most timid first. You may not get much algae depending on nutrient levels (I didn't have any)

 

[Reefrookie220]

It shouldn't be overwhelming at all.
If your Ammonia and Nitrite is close to 0 you can add ONE fish
But you got to test no matter what.
I can have your tank cycled in 4 days, even with dry sand and dead dry LR but why the rush.
A good cycle can be beneficial for the long term of your livestock.

Curious about this 4 day method.....pm it to me ?

 

[hopperjl16]

Great! Thank you everyone! This helps a lot. I will start measuring and logging! [emoji2]

 

[Diesel]

Curious about this 4 day method.....pm it to me ?

Everyone knows this............. it ain't a secret.
No need to put it in a PM as we all learn from it.
This is copied from my build thread in my local club Marsh in Houston.

Quote: OK - here's how I interpreted the directions and completed my cycle. Funny thing is, Dr. Tim told me I still did it wrong and could have added more ammonia sooner. Why can't this guy get decent directions out??? Anyway, here is what worked for me:

Day 1: Calculate your water volume (tank/sump minus rock/sand). For my 202 with 80 gallon sump I estimated 180 gallons for the tank ( 120 lbs of dead liverock and a 1.5" sand bed) and and I have an operating sump volume of 60 gallons for a total of 240 gallons. I probably have more water volume but I would definitely go easy on the ammonia. You are shooting for 2 PPM in your system. So test until you get to 2 PPM or just guesstimate it. The ammonia supplied by Dr. Tims says 1 drop per gallon or 1 ML per 20 gallons will bring you to 2 PPM.
I turned off my skimmer, dosed 12 ML of ammonia, shook the bottle and added the contents to the tank.

Day 2: Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and record. If you have nitrate - don't test again until your cycle is done; you just want to see if it's there for peace of mind that your cycle is on the right track. If you see nitrate that means the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate are there and that's all that matters. Otherwise, your just burning up tests that are probably false high readings. Add a HALF DOSE of ammonia - I dosed 6 ML

48 hours after adding bacteria - turn your skimmer back on. It's a great time to break in the skimmer while nothing is in there and all the bacteria have had time to settle (contrary to popular belief the bacteria in our systems are not in the water; their on hard surfaces [sand/rock/glass etc])

Day 3: Test and record ammonia and nitrite.

Day 4: Test and record ammonia and nitrite

Keep this up until you have close to 0 on ammonia and nitrite. Once you hit almost 0 on ammonia and nitrite add another FULL DOSE, or add a small fish as I did, as that's the best part..........FISH AND CORALS!
With the fish in there you create natural ammonia.
Mean while keep on testing for another (24-48 hours) and you are good to go!
Don't go to fast on the fish part as the biological balance takes time to kick in.
It's good to make a fish list as what goes first and what last, post your list in your build thread as members can give you advice good or bad.

I added some soft corals the day after I cycled and have not lost a single item. I added more fish, crabs, snails and shrimp in the weeks after that and have not lost any of those items either. No signs of stress...nothing.

Yet it waited for 6 months to add some SPS in my tank, could have done it sooner maybe but SPS is my Game Plan and I wanted to be successful from the getgo.

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...ive-rock-no-shrimp.214618/page-2#post-2660765
how about that one

the title is

live rock=don't use shrimp very fun details in there. worthy discuss, that's offering to do opposite of whats been posted so far its worth a good debate. cycles progress out of hearty cycle debates. if any part of the thread is wrong, w update. welcome to web cycle advice, can vary!