Shrimp method cycling

[AdamG280]

I’m using the shrimp method to cycle my tank. The shrimp wasn’t decomposing so I watched a video by some pros about the fact that you need to give the tank bacteria because the kind you get if you don’t add it might not be the kind you need. So anyway, I’m following the dosing instructions and it finally smells swampy. I know I have to wait about 3 months and check my ammonia and nitrite levels. Anyway, my question is, do I wait until I have another source of ammonia (e.g. fish) before I take out the shrimp? (I have the shrimp in some netting so it doesn’t dissolve all over the place and make a mess.)

 

[brandon429]

no matter what combination you just used, you have a few options where no testing is needed. some of the things they told you were wrong and based on old cycling science. all you have to do is wait 30 days, change the water, and your current combo is cycled. change it all out for new since it has so many organics and bacteria that it smells bad. if you'd chosen another way, clean bottle bac and a simple pinch of fish food, we could have had you ready without testing by July 8th with a 25% water change and it never would smell. waiting three months does nothing better than meeting the basic charted cycle time already known for the approach at hand. you don't get a better filter at 3 months than you do by the predetermined completion dates stated.

 

[AdamG280]

This is why I’m glad I joined this group. There’s so many opinions and methods. I’m sure I’ll need you guys even more as time goes by. Much appreciated.

 

[brandon429]

updated cycling science is this:

cycling is no longer variable or incomplete

we already know when it will be done solely off your description, no testing needed, because we've tested ten thousand other reefs and had the levels reported back to discern the inherent completion time for each method, yours is a common method.

since the cycle is a done deal already, specific completion date stated, disease preps for your fish is where the concern lies. you must read the disease forum and you can wait as long as you want past the cycle date to add fish. but when you add them, add them using a fallow + quarantine method directly from the disease forum so they don't die six months later from skipping it.

in the disease forum you'll see a stark pattern of six month old tanks replacing fish right and left due to preventable issues. new cycling science is about fish disease prevention, the cycle control was merely a passing thought handled by counting a certain number of wait days to completion. testing for parameters is no longer required.

Welcome! I didnt see your join date was recent, nice to meet you. Ive been online 22 yrs and this is the best forum of them all. I get nonstop tank work jobs here due to the number of joined accounts it's really evolving reef tank science very fast. this is soon to be the largest reef site on the entire internet, any country.

 

[Seansea]

Who told you 3 months? Add fritzs turbo start and you can add fish tommorrow. How long have you had shrimp in there?

 

[brandon429]

BRS said it for sure but not for ammonia control, for systemic maturity

some people take it to mean the bioload carry is delayed that long

 

[Seansea]

Brs is wrong. My ammonia went from 4 to 0 in 24 hours with fritz turbo start and i added 2 clowns. A week later i added 6 corals and 3 more fish.

You will want some algae management tho whether it is algae scrubber or a fuge cuz your nitrates and phos are gonna surge.

 

[brandon429]

agreed fritz is amazing fast agreed.

 

[furface]

The only information I can offer is I’ve never tried this method but read it takes a bloody long time. There are quicker methods.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Shrimp method is so 1990's, and 3 months cycling time is outrageous.

Just buy a bottle of bacteria and ammonia and cycle your tank in a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending which bacteria you use.

 

[AdamG280]

updated cycling science is this:

cycling is no longer variable or incomplete

we already know when it will be done solely off your description, no testing needed, because we've tested ten thousand other reefs and had the levels reported back to discern the inherent completion time for each method, yours is a common method.

since the cycle is a done deal already, specific completion date stated, disease preps for your fish is where the concern lies. you must read the disease forum and you can wait as long as you want past the cycle date to add fish. but when you add them, add them using a fallow + quarantine method directly from the disease forum so they don't die six months later from skipping it.

in the disease forum you'll see a stark pattern of six month old tanks replacing fish right and left due to preventable issues. new cycling science is about fish disease prevention, the cycle control was merely a passing thought handled by counting a certain number of wait days to completion. testing for parameters is no longer required.

Welcome! I didnt see your join date was recent, nice to meet you. Ive been online 22 yrs and this is the best forum of them all. I get nonstop tank work jobs here due to the number of joined accounts it's really evolving reef tank science very fast. this is soon to be the largest reef site on the entire internet, any country.

Ok I read the fallow period is 77 days. So the potential parasites/disease would have come from the raw shrimp?

 

[brandon429]

when you stock the tank with wet items from a pet store, fish corals rocks clean up crews and plants, that vectors in disease the cycle shrimp isn't a risk.

Anything added to your tank from another aquarium can risk a quick or a delayed disease outbreak in fish

So if you cycle a tank with common rocks and a table shrimp there's no fish disease in it

Right when the first fish go in that is assumed to infect the tank, those fish need to be observed in quarantine first relative to the species and disease risk likelihood for the type of fish (clownfish and brooklynella for example)

Some fish are medicated as prevention during the observation time

Then they go in the tank

But that means any corals, plants, cuc/ anything wet from pet store must be passed through a fallow tank first-a separate tank in your house- or you'll undo all the quarantine work by vectoring in disease on the skip prep items

Any single item added can wreck your preps if they skip fallow

That's due to adding fish first like so many do

But here's the reverse, adding fish last saving you a bunch of individual fallow steps: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/has-anyone-done-coral-inverts-only-and-no-fish-at-first.960581/

Many people skip preps altogether or leaks happen and break the chain of control, which is what drives disease forum help threads each day.

**reefs destined for many mixed species really require this work. Simpler reefs destined for two clowns only might get by with no preps, each reefer must make the best prediction they can make based on self directed studies

 

[AdamG280]

when you stock the tank with wet items from a pet store, fish corals rocks clean up crews and plants, that vectors in disease the cycle shrimp isn't a risk.

Anything added to your tank from another aquarium can risk a quick or a delayed disease outbreak in fish

So if you cycle a tank with common rocks and a table shrimp there's no fish disease in it

Right when the first fish go in that is assumed to infect the tank, those fish need to be observed in quarantine first relative to the species and disease risk likelihood for the type of fish (clownfish and brooklynella for example)

Some fish are medicated as prevention during the observation time

Then they go in the tank

But that means any corals, plants, cuc/ anything wet from pet store must be passed through a fallow tank first-a separate tank in your house- or you'll undo all the quarantine work by vectoring in disease on the skip prep items

Any single item added can wreck your preps if they skip fallow

That's due to adding fish first like so many do

But here's the reverse, adding fish last saving you a bunch of individual fallow steps: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/has-anyone-done-coral-inverts-only-and-no-fish-at-first.960581/

Many people skip preps altogether or leaks happen and break the chain of control, which is what drives disease forum help threads each day.

**reefs destined for many mixed species really require this work. Simpler reefs destined for two clowns only might get by with no preps, each reefer must make the best prediction they can make based on self directed studies

In that case, I’ll spend a little more on prequarantined fish.

 

[AdamG280]

Well the shrimp doesn’t smell. It was my freshwater tank. The filter is on, but there is no flow.

 

[brandon429]

is this a freshwater tank cycle or a marine tank cycle

so far 100% of what I've posted is for marine tanks

 

[AdamG280]

is this a freshwater tank cycle or a marine tank cycle

so far 100% of what I've posted is for marine tanks

It’s a marine tank cycle. I thought the shrimp was starting to smell in the marine tank, but the smell was coming from my freshwater tank because the filter cut out and I didn’t know.