Cycling my tank. Should i remove the shrimp?

[The_Reef_Keeper]

It is currently day 19 of the nitrogen cycle in my new 30 gallon tank. On day one I added the frozen shrimp piece. my ammonia rose it about 4ppm at day seven and is dropping. I tested the water again today and I still had ammonia readings. Is this normal? should I remove the shrimp because it is producing ammonia? if i did remove my shrimp would my beneficial bacteria starve?


BTW: i started with live sand + dry rock and one bottle of BIO-SPIRA

Thanks!

 

[mcgyvr]

Remove shrimp.. wait for nitrites/ammonia to reach 0 = cycle complete

 

[scooter31707]

+1^^^

 

[thegrun]

I would also recommend removing the shrimp...although the shrimp isn't producing enough ammonia to prevent the ammonia from dropping to zero, your bacteria population just needs to increase. It usually only takes a few days for the ammonia to drop to zero once you see an initial significant drop in ammonia.

 

[The_Reef_Keeper]

Ok thanks! I removed the shrimp!

 

[Mikee002]

This topic is helpful to me too, as I'm adding my shrimp today. How long should I leave it in... A set number of days or until a specific number is reached? Thanks!

 

[mcgyvr]

This topic is helpful to me too, as I'm adding my shrimp today. How long should I leave it in... A set number of days or until a specific number is reached? Thanks!

There are so many variables that one really cannot give you an exact number..
If you are also using "bottled bacteria", live rock, live sand,etc.. you may never see any ammonia even with letting a shrimp rot in there..

Frankly a shrimp or ghost feeding,etc.. is ONLY really needed when you are starting with dry rock and dry sand as there should be little to any "dead/decaying" material on it and as such would not be sufficient to even get the cycling process started (or in a timely manner)..

If you want a WAG.. Then leave it in there for maybe 4-7 days or until ammonia is greater than 1.5-2ppm..

But.. I really don't worry about testing anything now as I just set a tank up.. Throw in a pinch of food and come back in a month and start stocking it..

 

[Mikee002]

There are so many variables that one really cannot give you an exact number..
If you are also using "bottled bacteria", live rock, live sand,etc.. you may never see any ammonia even with letting a shrimp rot in there..

Frankly a shrimp or ghost feeding,etc.. is ONLY really needed when you are starting with dry rock and dry sand as there should be little to any "dead/decaying" material on it and as such would not be sufficient to even get the cycling process started (or in a timely manner)..

If you want a WAG.. Then leave it in there for maybe 4-7 days or until ammonia is greater than 1.5-2ppm..

But.. I really don't worry about testing anything now as I just set a tank up.. Throw in a pinch of food and come back in a month and start stocking it..

Great... Thanks. I'm using dry rock, live sand and bio-spira. First tank so I'm full of questions and reading everything here.

 

[mcgyvr]

Great... Thanks. I'm using dry rock, live sand and bio-spira. First tank so I'm full of questions and reading everything here.

No need for shrimp then IMO plenty of "death" in the live sand and plenty of bacteria in the bottle there..

 

[Mikee002]

Thanks for the thread the_reef_keeper and thanks for the replies mcgyvr!