Cycling tanks

[Strictly Salt]

Started two tanks on the 1st. Live water and sand with dry rock. figure I wait the 2 or 3 months for cycling. well that changed so I added some bacteria and a shrimp to feed off of. 4 days in to that process tanks are cloudy with no readings. How long do I leave the shrimp in the tank?
First time ghost feeding

 

[Quietman]

48 hours is normal...go ahead and take them out. No need to let them rot.

 

[Tired]

Ghost feeding is adding a small amount of food every day, like you're feeding fish that don't exist. Leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank is just... leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank.

Absolutely take the shrimp out. It'll just cause a bacteria bloom, rotting away in there, which is probably your cloudy water.

The best way to cycle a tank with bottled bacteria is to dose ammonia (pure ammonia) to 2ppm, keep it near there, and watch. When the tank can process 2ppm ammonia into 0 ammonia and some nitrates in 24 hours, it's cycled. If you don't want to do that, add a bit of food every couple days, enough to produce a decent amount of ammonia, and wait until you stop seeing ammonia.

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Ghost feeding is adding a small amount of food every day, like you're feeding fish that don't exist. Leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank is just... leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank.

Absolutely take the shrimp out. It'll just cause a bacteria bloom, rotting away in there, which is probably your cloudy water.

The best way to cycle a tank with bottled bacteria is to dose ammonia (pure ammonia) to 2ppm, keep it near there, and watch. When the tank can process 2ppm ammonia into 0 ammonia and some nitrates in 24 hours, it's cycled. If you don't want to do that, add a bit of food every couple days, enough to produce a decent amount of ammonia, and wait until you stop seeing ammonia.

You had to mention bottled bacteria, here comes brandon lol

 

[Little c big D]

You had to mention bottled bacteria, here comes brandon lol

I had the same thought

 

[Strictly Salt]

Ghost feeding is adding a small amount of food every day, like you're feeding fish that don't exist. Leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank is just... leaving a shrimp to rot in the tank.

Absolutely take the shrimp out. It'll just cause a bacteria bloom, rotting away in there, which is probably your cloudy water.

The best way to cycle a tank with bottled bacteria is to dose ammonia (pure ammonia) to 2ppm, keep it near there, and watch. When the tank can process 2ppm ammonia into 0 ammonia and some nitrates in 24 hours, it's cycled. If you don't want to do that, add a bit of food every couple days, enough to produce a decent amount of ammonia, and wait until you stop seeing ammonia.

I leave the tank rolling as far as it being cloudy or should I add some charcoal to get it crystal clear people

 

[Little c big D]

I leave the tank rolling as far as it being cloudy or should I add some charcoal to get it crystal clear people

Knowing why it's cloudy can help. In the early weeks of the new tank you should suspect cloudy water. Let it ride a few days and monitor ammonia. Mine cleared up in week 2

 

[Strictly Salt]

Knowing why it's cloudy can help. In the early weeks of the new tank you should suspect cloudy water. Let it ride a few days and monitor ammonia. Mine cleared up in week 2

We know why it is cloudy we left a uncooked shrimp in there for three or four days

 

[Little c big D]

We know why it is cloudy we left a uncooked shrimp in there for three or four days

Maybe. How big is the system. a single shrimp in say 120galon tank will have less effect than same shrimp in a 32. Cloudiness is to be expected. Have a pic? if it's just hazy, double check your ammonia and let it be. If It looks a Stephen King novel, perhaps a water change.

 

[Strictly Salt]

Maybe. How big is the system. a single shrimp in say 120galon tank will have less effect than same shrimp in a 32. Cloudiness is to be expected. Have a pic? if it's just hazy, double check your ammonia and let it be. If It looks a Stephen King novel, perhaps a water change

 

[Little c big D]

I think generally you don't do watercjanges during a cycle but I think that needs it.

 

[Tired]

That's a bacterial bloom from the rotting shrimp. It'll die off on its own now that you've stopped feeding it, and isn't dangerous to anything. You should do a big water change at the end of the cycle, anyway, so if there's something to be removed that'll handle it.