I have been in the process of making water all night and almost have tank filled with water. Since this is a new setup once I make sure that my equipment is functioning properly, powerheads are running okay and skimmer is working okay, I will be adding my salt into the tank. I am planning on using the raw shrimp method to make sure that my tank cycles properly. Have read about it quite a bit, but have never used this method when I cycled my freshwater tanks. I want to make sure that I understand how to do this properly so that I do not create myself additional problems. I will need a piece of raw shrimp that I add to the tank. From my understanding I will leave the shrimp in the tank until I get an ammonia spike, is this correct? Once my ammonia spikes I remove the shrimp and monitor my parameters until my ammonia and nitirites read 0, and I will have a reading on nitrates. Once this happens I will want to do a water change to bring my nitrates down and will be ready to add my cuc. Does anyone do anything special when putting the shrimp into the tank, I am thinking such as putting it into something to make it easier to remove when it is time? My idea is a coffee filter, like I said I have not used this method before so I am not sure how much decompostion I can expect from the shrimp and how easy it will be to remove afterwards. Also I have read differeing opinions about running the protien skimmer during the cycle, what are people's opinion on this? Also what is the consensus of doing water changes during the cycle?
Starting cycle on tank
- Thread starter BarbH
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skinz78
10K Club member
I wouldn't add the coffee filter, you never know what may leach out of it, and who knows it may fall apart over the extended time in the tank. Athough I don't drink coffee so I'm relatively unfamiliar with the filters.
I would run the skimmer, get it broke in during the cycle. You can do water changes, but I done usually do them toll fish are added.
Happy to help via Tapatalk
I would run the skimmer, get it broke in during the cycle. You can do water changes, but I done usually do them toll fish are added.
Happy to help via Tapatalk
Thanks skinz. How about using cheese cloth to place the shrimp into. it is 100 percent cotton. I am just thinking that the shrimp placed freely into the tank can get messy when trying to take it back out. Thought that the guy at the seafood counter at Krogers was going to think that I was insane for only wanting one shrimp, when I explained what I was doing he said he had a teacher that had done the same thing. Still probably one of the more unusual requests for the week :wink:
K1Reef
Community Member
Hello Barb glad to see your on your way. I too have started to make some water and adding live sand with dry rock. I've heard of the shrimp method being done before. They put the shrimp in a piece of pantyhose and placed it in tank. Sounds funny but it worked for him.
I'll be dosing kalkwasser 2 through the cycle to increase calcium... We'll see how it goes.
Good Luck !
I'll be dosing kalkwasser 2 through the cycle to increase calcium... We'll see how it goes.
Good Luck !
Hello Barb glad to see your on your way. I too have started to make some water and adding live sand with dry rock. I've heard of the shrimp method being done before. They put the shrimp in a piece of pantyhose and placed it in tank. Sounds funny but it worked for him.
I'll be dosing kalkwasser 2 through the cycle to increase calcium... We'll see how it goes.
Good Luck !
Hi K1Reef, definitly exciting to get this going. If pantyhose worked for the op than think that I should be okay with using new cheese cloth. Tank is almost full with water after having been making water for 24 hours straight now and I already had almost 20 gallons made up before hand sitting in a brute container. Tank should be filled before the end of the night with the shrimp placed in to start letting the cycle start its thing. The next step once the tank is filled is to get the protein skimmer going. That might end up being another post depending on how it goes, it is a bubble magus hob that I got from a local reefer. No instructions and trying to find operation information online is proving to be difficult :squigglemouth: One of the things that I love with finding an active and friendly reefing forum is being able to find help and support from others easily and fairly quickly :smile: Definilty would love to hear how things go with your setup and your plans for your tank.
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