90 gallon cycling questions

_ld99 · 02/04/2017, 04:36 PM

What's up guys, about 3 days ago I threw a raw shrimp into my filter sock to Kickstart my cycle. I have 90 lbs dry rock and 50 lbs "live" caribsea sand. The shrimp has slowly been shrinking in size and when I checked the sock today, the shrimp is almost totally gone. I still have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. Im having a hard time figuring out how the shrimp is already gone. Doesn't there need to be bacteria to eat the shrimp? Should I throw another shrimp in? The peice I put in was about 1" by 1/2". Im just trying to figure out why I never got any ammonia nitrites or nitrates and the shrimp is gone. Thanks guys!

tvu · 02/04/2017, 05:00 PM

Just use Dr. Tims or bio spira to cycle. Bio spira is easier to get thru Amazon or local petco. Cycling takes about a week (even a few days).

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_ld99 · 02/04/2017, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvu

Just use Dr. Tims or bio spira to cycle. Bio spira is easier to get thru Amazon or local petco. Cycling takes about a week (even a few days).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Should i add the bio spira, and put the shrimp in after to give the bacteria something to feed on until everything is 0? I'm in no rush so I don't plan on putting fish in until I'm sure the tanks stable. I have read about bio spira, and ithe seems more involved than the shrimp method because I still need to add an ammonia source.

bertoni · 02/04/2017, 10:02 PM

I suspect the tank is close to ready to go. I would remove the remains of the shrimp. It's a good time to stock mysid shrimp, etc, if you are interested in doing that.

tvu · 02/04/2017, 10:09 PM

You don't need anything else with bio spira or other starter bacteria for a cycle.

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_ld99 · 02/04/2017, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertoni

I suspect the tank is close to ready to go. I would remove the remains of the shrimp. It's a good time to stock mysid shrimp, etc, if you are interested in doing that.

I haven't added any source of bacteria except for the caribsea sand which i doubt is truly live. I never even got a single ammonia spike , no reading on nitrites or nitrates, therefore I don't truly think my tank is almost ready to go. It has only been set up for 3 days. If there were bacteria to eat the raw shrimp, wouldn't the tank have some amount of nitrates? Thanks for the help

_ld99 · 02/04/2017, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvu

You don't need anything else with bio spira or other starter bacteria for a cycle.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good to know, I'll call my lfs tomorrow and see if they have any. If not I'll order some off amazon. I pay for amazon prime so it should come pretty quick.

_ld99 · 02/04/2017, 11:06 PM

At the same time, i would rather just go with the shrimp. For some reason it doesn't feel right to use some bottled bacteria. Like i said, i'm in no rush. I plan on having a pretty packed lps and softies tank. I already have a bag of frozen shrimp.
https://plus.google.com/107785918218...ts/1c3FyABrtZt

bertoni · 02/05/2017, 01:03 AM

If the bacteria is shrinking, it is being consumed by bacteria. Some of the output will have been ammonia. The appearance of nitrite and nitrate is fairly variable. I suspect that the shrimp was small enough that it didn't produce much of a spike. Unless you're planning on adding a large number of fish at one time, or some large fish, I suspect that the tank is fine.

_ld99 · 02/05/2017, 07:29 AM

I just added another piece of shrimp(probably double the size of the last one). If this piece starts degrading and i don't get an ammonia spike or the ammonia gets converted fairly quickly, i'll know my tank is ready. Also, the first piece of shrimp that i put in is now down to the size of a dime(maybe a little smaller) and it doesn't have any mold or anything of that sort on it.

_ld99 · 02/05/2017, 07:44 AM

I just tested for nitrates and now I'm getting a reading. As you can see from the side angle in the link I posted below, I get a reading but from the top (which is how it's supposed to be read) it looks clear which equals 0
https://plus.google.com/107785918218...ts/hefMAQ64zSv

_ld99 · 02/05/2017, 07:45 AM

Alright I was confused at first, but this means I'm reading 5 ppm nitrates.

tmz · 02/05/2017, 10:40 AM

It looks like about 5ppm, yes.
BTW, I think bacterial supplements are unnecesary

_ld99 · 02/08/2017, 04:48 PM

Well the last shrimp I added is already gone too. Ammonia 0 maybe .25 nitrite .01 and nitrates are still 5. Shouldn't the nitrates have increased?

_ld99 · 02/08/2017, 06:27 PM

I'm going to start feeding the tank as if I had fish in it. If I don't see a spike in a week andduring everything stays stable, I'm going to add a pair of oscellaris. I just find it really hard to believe it cycled that quick. But since the shrimp decayed fully in 3 days, obviously I have the bacteria the consume it.

02/04/2017, 04:36 PM	#1
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	90 gallon cycling questions What's up guys, about 3 days ago I threw a raw shrimp into my filter sock to Kickstart my cycle. I have 90 lbs dry rock and 50 lbs "live" caribsea sand. The shrimp has slowly been shrinking in size and when I checked the sock today, the shrimp is almost totally gone. I still have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. Im having a hard time figuring out how the shrimp is already gone. Doesn't there need to be bacteria to eat the shrimp? Should I throw another shrimp in? The peice I put in was about 1" by 1/2". Im just trying to figure out why I never got any ammonia nitrites or nitrates and the shrimp is gone. Thanks guys!

02/04/2017, 10:02 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I suspect the tank is close to ready to go. I would remove the remains of the shrimp. It's a good time to stock mysid shrimp, etc, if you are interested in doing that. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/05/2017, 01:03 AM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If the bacteria is shrinking, it is being consumed by bacteria. Some of the output will have been ammonia. The appearance of nitrite and nitrate is fairly variable. I suspect that the shrimp was small enough that it didn't produce much of a spike. Unless you're planning on adding a large number of fish at one time, or some large fish, I suspect that the tank is fine. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/05/2017, 10:40 AM	#13
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	It looks like about 5ppm, yes. BTW, I think bacterial supplements are unnecesary __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

02/04/2017, 05:00 PM	#2
tvu Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Katy, TX Posts: 138	Just use Dr. Tims or bio spira to cycle. Bio spira is easier to get thru Amazon or local petco. Cycling takes about a week (even a few days). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/04/2017, 10:09 PM	#5
tvu Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Katy, TX Posts: 138	You don't need anything else with bio spira or other starter bacteria for a cycle. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/04/2017, 11:06 PM	#8
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	At the same time, i would rather just go with the shrimp. For some reason it doesn't feel right to use some bottled bacteria. Like i said, i'm in no rush. I plan on having a pretty packed lps and softies tank. I already have a bag of frozen shrimp. https://plus.google.com/107785918218...ts/1c3FyABrtZt

02/05/2017, 07:29 AM	#10
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	I just added another piece of shrimp(probably double the size of the last one). If this piece starts degrading and i don't get an ammonia spike or the ammonia gets converted fairly quickly, i'll know my tank is ready. Also, the first piece of shrimp that i put in is now down to the size of a dime(maybe a little smaller) and it doesn't have any mold or anything of that sort on it.

02/05/2017, 07:44 AM	#11
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	I just tested for nitrates and now I'm getting a reading. As you can see from the side angle in the link I posted below, I get a reading but from the top (which is how it's supposed to be read) it looks clear which equals 0 https://plus.google.com/107785918218...ts/hefMAQ64zSv

02/05/2017, 07:45 AM	#12
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	Alright I was confused at first, but this means I'm reading 5 ppm nitrates.

02/08/2017, 04:48 PM	#14
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	Well the last shrimp I added is already gone too. Ammonia 0 maybe .25 nitrite .01 and nitrates are still 5. Shouldn't the nitrates have increased?

02/08/2017, 06:27 PM	#15
_ld99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Delaware Posts: 84	I'm going to start feeding the tank as if I had fish in it. If I don't see a spike in a week andduring everything stays stable, I'm going to add a pair of oscellaris. I just find it really hard to believe it cycled that quick. But since the shrimp decayed fully in 3 days, obviously I have the bacteria the consume it.