Wrtbrgr87

Hi all, I introduced a piece of raw shrimp to my tank yesterday in order to produce ammonia to cycle my tank. THe tank has been set up for 2 weeks now and i was trying fish cycling, but it killed the fish. So now i'm doing fishless cycling and im showing a little nitrite and EXTREMELY high ammonia. The ammonia is so high, there is a layer of foam at the top of the tank and the water is quite cloudy. Is this normal? My test kit can't even register how high the ammonia is right now it's so high. Am I on the right track? I'm adding some tetra safestart tonight in order to introduce some bacteria. I'm sure they'll have a field day. How long do I leave the shrimp in to rot, until the cycling is complete or what? Thanks for any help. After the cycling is over, how much of a water change should I do to make it safe for my fish?


Joe

Lucy

Hi Joe, if your ammonia is off the chart, TSS can't handle that much ammonia. The bacteria will die.
Q & A With Tetra about Tetra SafeStart
It's designed to be added to a tank with a couple of fish.

If it were me, I'd just leave the shrimp utill the cyle is complete.
You could do a water change and bring it down to a readable level.

Meenu

I say don't waste the TSS in this situation - I think Lucy's right, if you aren't going to use it as it is intended, you run the risk of it not working.

You should cycle fishless with the shrimp, as you are doing. I'd save the TSS just in case, after you are cycled, you see an ammonia spike when you add fish... or for when MTS hits you, and you get your next tank in about 4 weeks.

Wrtbrgr87

I just measured the ammonia and it's 8 PPM, how high is that? LOL

Lucy

Pretty dang high.
Be patient. Cycling can seem to take forever.
Are you getting any other readings?