when to remove shrimp in a fishless cycle?

Liepold

I'm new to this forum so hopefully this is the right page to ask questions if anyone has an answer!

I have a new 3 and a half foot fish tank (153 litres) and I'm currently doing a fishless cycle. It's in the second week. I have some frozen shrimp in a pantyhose and the ammonia jumped to about 6 ppm over about 10 days. A few days ago the Nitrite jumped to 0.50 ppm and today I tested for nitrates and it's around 20 ppm.

As I see nitrites and nitrates raising the ammonia isn't dropping. My question is when should I remove the decomposing shrimp? Does it all seem to be on track in the cycling process? It's the first time I've tried a fishless cycle and hope it's on track.

Thanks

Byron

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

I've never gone the shrimp cycling route (I use live plants, another story), but other members have so I'm sure some of them will be along to comment. In the interim, have a read of this guide to cycling written by one of our members and stickied at the head of this section, but here's the direct link:
A Beginner's Guide to the Freshwater Aquarium Cycle
This method is included.

Byron.

GwenInNM

I did the exact same thing, and was told here, that once I started getting the ammonia reading, I could remove the shrimp. There is enough ammonia to get the cycle started, you don't need to leave it in any longer - it gets pretty gross Good way to cycle!

Gwen

Liepold

Thanks Byron! The article was very helpful - thanks for the link!

Liepold

Thanks Gwen! Glad to know you have sucessfully done the same fishless cycle! I took the shrimp out today. Now that the Nitrite is 5.0 ppm and the nitrate is about 50 ppm, does the nitrate need to get any higher before it starts decreasing?

Do I need to keep adding ammonia?

Thanks,

Tonja
(liepold is my fish)

Liepold

Sorry Nitrite is 5.0 ppm

ladayen

NitrAte will not generally decrease on it's own. Thats when you gotta do a water change.

Seems your tank is well on it's way through the cycle. I dont think you need to add any more ammonia source. Just do water changes to keep the nitrAtes down below 20 and then when ammonia and nitrItes are 0 you can start adding in fish.. I would recommend adding slowly.

Liepold

Thanks Ladayen,

Good to know I'm on the right track!

Do I need to wait until the ammonia and nitrities go to 0 on their own before doing a water change to decrease the nitrAte?

Tonja

GwenInNM

Bryon may know more about this. Once you start getting nitrates, the cycling process is usually finished, but because you have nitrites, which are really deadly to fish, I suggest patience at this point. Eventually, the nullifying bacteria will get in big enough numbers to handle converting your high nitrites over to nitrates (which are safer in low numbers). You probably can do a water change to begin lowing some of those numbers. Let's see what Bryon says on this one
When did you start this process, by the way?

Just saw the other posts too. Good info there. No, don't add more ammonia.

Gwen

Liepold

Bryon may know more about this. Once you start getting nitrates, the cycling process is usually finished, but because you have nitrites, which are really deadly to fish, I suggest patience at this point. Eventually, the nullifying bacteria will get in big enough numbers to handle converting your high nitrites over to nitrates (which are safer in low numbers). You probably can do a water change to begin lowing some of those numbers. Let's see what Bryon says on this one
When did you start this process, by the way?

Just saw the other posts too. Good info there. No, don't add more ammonia.

Gwen


It would be good if I could start doing water changes! I started the process 12 days ago. Ammonia took over a week to jump really high. Nitrites were on 0 until the 8th day and have been increasing steadily since then. A few days ago nitrates started showing and is around 50 ppm at the moment.

Thanks for the info! Yes I appreciate all of the helpful answers and info! It's been a bit confusing until I heard back from people!

Tonja