Newbie cycling question

[pugdan]

Hey

I'm very new to reef keeping and I have a 12g nano tank currently cycling. It has live sand and 5kg of live rock but no fish or livestock.

I've done a lot of reading about how to best cycle the tank and couldn't get access to a raw shrimp so I added a raw prawn to the tank. I have just ordered a bottle of ammonia but I am now getting myself into a bit of a fuss and I think I'm coming down with new tank syndrome.

Once the ammonia arrives is it acceptable to fish out the raw prawn and continue the cycle by dosing or is it an awful idea?

 

[ICE JUICE]

Prawn is fine.

 

[JohnnyHildo]

you said live sand and live rock are already present meaning don't need to add anything. so no ammonia and no shrimp. to be completely honest, you can cycle a tank with dry/dead rock, dry/dead sand or adding nothing; it just takes a little longer.
fighting the temptation to rush your cycle by adding stuff to your tank is your first and probably most important test in fish/coral keeping... learning patience.

 

[pugdan]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I'll get myself a list of films and resist the temptation to interfer anymore!

 

[TatorTaco]

Good luck Pugdan! The startup of a tank will certainly test your patience. Simply leave the prawn in the tank until you start to detect Ammonia. Then, you can remove the prawn and wait for the nitrate to spike, then the nitrite to spike.