Adding a shrimp to aid in cycle question

Altohombre

The Tennis Pro Reefer
I have seen a couple times people suggest adding either fish food or a frozen shrimp to spike the ammonia (i think that is it) to aid in the cycle. My cycle with live rock and all live sand, protein skimmer, filter, and powerheads has been going for about 4 days. Should I just let it be or do this shrimp thing? I haven't tested the water yet, but I probably will tonight and will post results in here.
 
If you add a piece of shrimp, your tank will experience a bigger cycle, meaning there is less of a chance of starting another cycle when you add your first fish. Most of the time, the die off from live rock is enough to start an ample cycle. It won't hurt to toss in a piece of shrimp though.
 
Do I really want to make a bigger cycle if it means I have to wait longer? I will do what is best for the fish so you tell me. Also if I do the shrimp thing how long do I leave it in there for?
 
well I did my first test of my water. It was very difficult to score because depending how close to the light I put it there was a slightly different color. A couple times it appeared to be right in the middle of two of the color choices. Anyway using API Saltwater Master Test Kit here is what I think I got after 4.5 days of cycle:

pH: 7.4
Ammonia: .50
Nitrite: 1.0
Nitrate: 10

I hoped that at least my pH would be close to 8.2 because most sea salt mixes claim to have that level pH.
 
What kind of salt are you using? What is your salinity? Will be a few weeks before cycle is over or longer.
 
Oceanic Sea Salt. Salinity is a 1.022. I just added some more salt and hoping to make it to 1.023. I added a somewhat thawed out shrimp about 2 inches long. It somehow floated into the corner of the tank near my heater and my filter intake which I am not thrilled about but will have to do for now because I can't get to it unless I take my hood and lighting off.
 
that ph is pretty low. you should bring it up before adding any fish. do you have ample water turnover? or a surface ripple? oxygenating water will bring up ph. you may want to shoot more for a s.g. of 1.024. inverts such as snails and shrimp tend to do better in that range.
 
yeah the pH was pretty low (it came out a little darker than the yellow on the strip that read 7.4, I would guess it is closer to 7.6 or so. I am using API Master Saltwater Test Kit, API Tap Water Filter, Oceanic Sea Salt, have a Hydor Koralia 3 running and also the maxi-jet 1200 inside a preskimmer box on my AquaC and have the water flow from my Eheim 2213 canister filter. This is in a 46 gal bow front so I figure its good enough flow. At least 20x per hr. Should I put the powerhead closer to the top of the tank. Right now I have it about 2/3 up. Also I have a glass cover. Does this prevent oxygen?
 
Do you have any life on your live rock or in your live sand? How much of it do you want to keep? Harder the cycle the quicker you can get to overloading your system without huge problems, but the less life bought with the sand and rock that will live. Or you can go slower and save nearly all the life forms that came with your live sand and live rock. Sure if any life survives the hard , quick cycle besides bacteria it will possibly/probably repopulate over time. Say a year or so. Or you can buy replacements for what came with your rock and sand and speed the regrowth process up, if you are really anxious to fill the tank with fish and such. There are consequences for all choices. I prefer to slowly cycle the tank and do water changes while cycling. I also run lights, skimmer, full circulation, phosphate absorber and some charcoal. Then I slowly stock the tank so as to prevent recycling. Bacteria grow fast, but not if you kill most of them off but just the hardy ones. I personally am also opposed to covers unless there is at least a sump without a cover. I do not believe in heavy surface agitation of water, ripples is enough on an open top tank. Seachem makes a good product to raise your pH (Reef Buffer). Your circulation rate is the present day general recommendation for a principally SPS coral tank. I personally would do away with the Maxi Jet and eventually consider doing away with the canister filter. Yes, I am long winded. Two more days till school starts up again, Ya. As far as your pH. What are you using for water to make your marine mix? If you are using tap water and the treatment plant does lime softening of the water a low pH for a mix is not uncommon, even when using an DIO filter. Is it a new filter? Just use the Seachem Reef Buffer or equivalent to raise the pH. Do not use a buffer (Seachem Reef Builder) to raise the Alkalinity in order to raise the pH.
 
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I would try to aim for closer to 100 gph turnover rate. If I were you, I'd add one more powerhead, and yes, move them closer to the surface of the water so that they create a ripple. This encourages more gas exchange.
 
thanks for the replies. Just to remind you all this is a FOWLR for at least a while and not a Reef. Does this make a difference when buying Seachem Buffers? Also I did not see any life in terms of hitchhickers in my tank at this moment. I guess I got a bad/lucky batch from LiveAquaria.
 
FOWLR or reef wont make any difference in what buffer you use.
Try watching your tank after the lights have been off for a while at night.Just take a flash light with either a red lense or wrap it in a red plastic bag.Theres actually more nocturnal life in there then the stuff we pay for to watch.
 
I wouldn't stress over the pH just yet.While the tank is cycling pH tends to drop.If it doesn't come back after the cycle then use the buffer.Trust me,you have hitchhikers but they may not be visible.You may not see them for awhile yet.I'm sure there's copepods,bristleworms and small feather duster worms that will pop out of nowhere.I mean,who doesn't get at least those three hitchhikers?
 
Normal recommended turn over rates are 5 to 10 times for fish only and 20 times over or higher for principally hard stoney coral tank, and some people recomend even higher turnover rates for principally SPS tanks. I think you miss typed Biffer. A 100 gallon per hour turn over is smaller than the smallest Maxi-Jet flow rate. Ripples are good, but waves usually cause a lot of salt creap and spatters on your light tubes or light uv cover glass. Turbulence at the water surface is not necessary. I believe his turnover rate is good altjough I would just choose a few differening methods for the turnover rate.
 
I went to my local Petsmart just because I had a break during work and bought the Seachem Reef Buffer for pH. I will wait before using it to see if the pH goes up any. I am also going to put my powerhead a little closer to the top of the tank. So far my protein skimmer has been pulling a nice amount of brown stuff each day. I am quite pleased.
 
Seachem Reef Buffer is great for raising pH though the term buffer is not really being used correctly in a chemical sense. Do not use Seachem Marine Buffer or Seachem Reef Builder for raising the pH. Seachem Marine Buffer is a "true" marine buffers and is used to maintain Alkalinity and to maintain an already properly established pH not to raise a pH to a proper level. Seachem Reef Builder is a alkalinity increaser but it is not a balanced mix of carbonates like Marine Buffer.
 
Seachem Reef buffer is what you need to raise the pH. The others are to raise/maintain the alkalinity not raise the pH. The names are confusing and can be some what misleading and I have a hard time explaining why with out getting into chemical equations which very few people using this forum would understand or enjoy, with maybe Biffer and our super moderator being the exception. Stoichiometric equations, oh my!
 
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