Cycling.....prawn or no prawn?
- Thread starter Wattie
- Start date
a great :read:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...something-cycling-breaking-new-reef-tank.html
My thoughts... it all depends on the state of your LR, many lfs call their LR cured, but this can be pretty subjective and depending on how it's handled, the die off varies...
The nitrogen cycle starts with something that died, as it decays it creates ammonia ... this is what a rotting shrimp (prawn) is doing...
Watch for the ammonia to soar then fall to zero, then the nitrites soar & then fall to zero, then the nitrates soar, once this happens, do water changes to get rid of the nitrates - tank cycled
Depending on the state of your LR (how cured it was & how much die off it had), in general it will look something like this...
there other ways to cycle a tank, like adding liquid ammonia ... this ^ is an "old school way" that has worked from many & is one proven method
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...something-cycling-breaking-new-reef-tank.html
My thoughts... it all depends on the state of your LR, many lfs call their LR cured, but this can be pretty subjective and depending on how it's handled, the die off varies...
The nitrogen cycle starts with something that died, as it decays it creates ammonia ... this is what a rotting shrimp (prawn) is doing...
Watch for the ammonia to soar then fall to zero, then the nitrites soar & then fall to zero, then the nitrates soar, once this happens, do water changes to get rid of the nitrates - tank cycled
Depending on the state of your LR (how cured it was & how much die off it had), in general it will look something like this...
there other ways to cycle a tank, like adding liquid ammonia ... this ^ is an "old school way" that has worked from many & is one proven method
thanks - just sharing what others have shared with me along the way...
If your LR happens to be 100% cured, like it was in a tank at the lfs for a year & moved to your tank & kept wet during the trip...
adding a prawn to verify, will be just like adding a fish added that died & was in the lr where you could not remove it, as it decays your LR "if" 100% cured, should handle the bioload - adding the shrimp, letting it rot & testing will show you this...
If your LR happens to be 100% cured, like it was in a tank at the lfs for a year & moved to your tank & kept wet during the trip...
adding a prawn to verify, will be just like adding a fish added that died & was in the lr where you could not remove it, as it decays your LR "if" 100% cured, should handle the bioload - adding the shrimp, letting it rot & testing will show you this...