is it safe to...

Kengaroo131 · #1 03/28/2007, 01:55 PM

is it safe to cycle a tank with a cleaner shrimp?

peregrinus · #2 03/28/2007, 02:00 PM

Well a cycle is where a tank finds a balance. it cycles cause of the die off and biuld up of good bactira. i would not do it, it would be a waste of a good cleaner shrimp if it dies. just put your live rock in and let it cycle.

Lion_Babe · #3 03/28/2007, 02:02 PM

Don't use an alive shrimp. You can cylce it with your LR and with an uncooked shrimp or two from your grocery store. Leave it in there for about a week and let it cycle.
Good luck!

Kengaroo131 · #4 03/28/2007, 02:13 PM

ok thanks guys!

bertoni · #5 03/28/2007, 02:14 PM

If the tank has live rock, there's no need for the dead shrimp. Just add the rock and wait for the ammonia to hit zero, if it spikes at all. Instead of a whole dead shrimp, I'd use small amounts of fish food for artifical filters.

Kengaroo131 · #6 03/28/2007, 02:21 PM

ok awesome, yea i was kind of wondering what exactly a dead shrimp would do?

alexb518 · #7 03/28/2007, 02:33 PM

the shrimp will help your cycle get started, meaning it will cause an ammonia spike. if this is you 10 gal, half a shrimp should be ample.

Kengaroo131 · #8 03/28/2007, 02:41 PM

ok cool thanks.

bertoni · #9 03/28/2007, 02:45 PM

If the tank has no live rock, and is using plastic balls or something similar for filtration, the shrimp acts as a food source to get bacterial colonies going. Live rock already has bacteria, so there's no need.

Kengaroo131 · #10 03/28/2007, 07:49 PM

would it make a differance if i burried the shrimp or should i just let it lay on the bottom?

skippy2 · #11 03/28/2007, 07:56 PM

Put the shrimp in a nylon. That way you can get it out when it smells to bad.

Kengaroo131 · #12 03/28/2007, 08:29 PM

briliant idea!ha.

so this is for a 5.5 gallon that im setting up with LR and i want to put corals in here mainy softys i guess. im running about 4 watts a gallon any suggestions on any types of corals that would look neat?

Myrphie · #13 03/28/2007, 09:47 PM

I like to use a small bit of shrimp even if the tank has live rock. A small ammonia spike will help bolster the bacteria population.

bertoni · #14 03/28/2007, 11:55 PM

I've never seen any reason to believe that an ammonia spike is a good thing for a tank with live rock. I'm not convinced that trying to build a bacterial population that way is effective at all, given the speed with which bacterial populations can grow and the rate at which bacteria are eaten or die due to lack of food.