Shimp vs Ammonia

[Jay Morris]

i guys
I got my first shipment of Marco live rock (25 lbs) Friday. I put it in a 20 gal barrel,powerhead, along with 25 lbs of DR and covered it with RHODI and salt 1/2 cup per gal, .
I have read somewhere stated that ammonia is faster than shrimp but from what I have been reading on the board shrimp seems to be the preferred catalyst
Which should I use to get my cycle of to a start?
I can't put it into my tank yet because I am still working on the stand.
I would have liked to put his this question on my build thread but I need to know the answer now.

Thank all.

Jay

 

[DianaKay]

Hi Jay
I'll vote on using the decaying shrimp. It most like resembles what a dead fish would in your tank.
It will do the trick to feed your good bacteria & at the same time if you have any hungry hitchhikers (all good ones WE HOPE!) it will feed them also. That would be easier than trying to monitor how much ammonia to add anyway.
That's my opinion & I'm sticking to it.

Glad you are going to start a tank thread: GO AHEAD, get it stated!!
Very BEST WISHES....:biker

 

[goma]

I've used a shrimp so I can recommend that and I know that it does work. I've heard about the ammonia route but I've never done it. My 2 cents...

 

[Snid]

One of the advantages of the shrimp vs. the Ammonia is that as the shrimp decays it keeps introducing Ammonia that the bacteria eating it needs to live. With pure Ammonia, it's kind of a one-and-done deal, as once it is eaten, it is gone. The thing with a cycle is that you don't want to just go through it, you want to keep it. If there is nothing to sustain the bacteria that eat Ammonia, they will die and you'll have to cycle again. Throw a shrimp in to get it going, and then until you have a good CUC or Fish, keep feeding those bacteria with either more shrimp or more even better, small amounts of fish food every other day.

 

[Creekview]

Shrimp

 

[SnoopNL]

So what's this about then ?
Dead shrimp in a box with your new live rock ?
Why ?

 

[goma]

Yes, adding a dead raw shrimp to start the nitrogen cycle in the tank.
The purpose of cycling is to build up the beneficial bacteria in a tank that feed off the waste materials of your fish/inverts. Without these present in great enough numbers, your fish will kill themselves with their own waste. By building up these bacteria prior to adding in fish, you avoid harming your fish. Unlike traditional cycling where a small amount of hearty fish are introduced into a tank, and slowly additional fish are added, fishless cycling (when properly performed) allows for a complete stocking of the tank at once. This is a huge benefit, and one which is often overlooked.
The 2 types of bacteria we are looking to grow convert ammonia (fish waste which is quite toxic) to nitrIte (actually more toxic than ammonia but not as long term damaging), and finally to nitrAte (relatively non-toxic unless allowed to build up to large amounts). So that’s:
ammonia—->nitrIte—>nitrAte

 

[Snid]

So what's this about then ?
Dead shrimp in a box with your new live rock ?
Why ?

When setting up a new system, there aren't enough bacteria for the Nitrogen Cycle; meaning not enough Bacteria that eats the Ammonia and converts it into Nitrites, not enough Bacteria that eats the Nitrites and converts them into Nitrates, which then in turn is consumed by Plants, Algae, and other Organisms. There is only a minimal amount of that Bacteria present because it is all new water and some of what was available on the Live Rock dies off in the relocation process. Also, there is minimal amount because the Bacteria wasn't getting ample amounts of Ammonia to feed off of in the relocation process.

Ammonia is extremely deadly to Fish and Invertebrates. So if you drop a dead shrimp into the system, as it decays it produces Ammonia and boosts the Nitrogen Cycle. This way when it comes time to add a Fish, when they create waste, which creates Ammonia, the Bacteria needed to consume it before it kills the Fish will be present and in strong numbers. In the old days, the dark times, people used to put hardier Fish into new systems to have them kick the Nitrogen Cycle into full force, but we have learned that such methods is cruel to those Fish as they still suffer from the Ammonia their very own waste produces that the Bacteria can't keep up with initially. So by throwing in a dead Shrimp, no living creatures are harmed in the process of strengthening the Nitrogen Cycle within the tank.

One of the reasons why Live Sand is a good way to help start up a new system is because it has some of that aforementioned Bacteria, thus strengthening the Nitrogen Cycle from the get go. Even then, the use of Live Sand isn't enough either, and the Cycle needs to be strengthened with something like the use of a dead Shrimp. It's all about the strength in numbers.

 

[SnoopNL]

Good to know. Any special kind of shrimp or size ?

Does the OP have pics maybe ?

 

[DianaKay]

Good to know. Any special kind of shrimp or size ?

Does the OP have pics maybe ?

This is the kind I used, it says "cooked" but it worked to decay & feed my cycle.
I tied a few of them in a cut off piece of nylon hosiery & anchored it to the bottom.
It brought a few bristle worms out of the rock to dine

 

[SnoopNL]

Thank you DianaKay, so how long did you leave them in before they were gone?

 

[DianaKay]

Thank you DianaKay, so how long did you leave them in before they were gone?

It was there a few weeks, I even added a 2nd bag (see photo)
...See that L-O-N-G bristle worm
He gave me the creepy-crawlies so he got evicted
I leave the little one & boot the BIG ones.

 

[Paul B]

I would wash the shrimp in ammonia, then throw it in the tank to get the best of both worlds. Then go out and have a nice Harvey Wallbanger and forget about it for a few weeks while I listened to some vintage Linda Ronstadt.

 

[SnoopNL]

I hate those as well DianaKay,

Got rid of two 10+ inch ones.

And Paul: now I have to look up Linda Ronstadt
Good tip to wash it in ammonia, not soak it ?

 

[Paul B]

You must be very young. :willis:

 

[Snid]

Heh... Paul. I work at a college campus and frequently have high school interns. I'm frequently shocked at what famous stars are unknown these days. The last big shocker I had was someone didn't know who Bruce Springstein was.

 

[SnoopNL]

You must be very young. :willis:

27
But hey, you have to learn about the classics at some point right ?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, Linda Ronstadt probably stopped recording longer ago than 27 years. In the 60s or 70s she was in a group called "The Stoned Ponies" If you heard one of their records you would probably recognize her. I think she had one of the best voices of anyone, at least in the top 5. In those days if you were a singer and actually had to be able to sing. Now it is all electronically enhanced. Have you ever heard Taylor Swift sing live? It is not a pleasant thing although she can put it over in a Pop record.
I have a fireclown 23 years old so he is catching up to you. :bouncer:

Bruce Springstein is annoying me lately but I used to like him.

 

[SnoopNL]

Well,

I like my classics.
I seem to have developed a taste for 70's and 80's music.
For some odd reason also some things from the 20's and 30's.

Taylor Swift is perfect, if you put tape over her mouth

But I'll look those up as well

 

[Paul B]

Also look up Janis Joplin.