Crazy shrimp question...but...

[julielynn47]

I am wondering if anyone can make a guess as to how long it would take for about 2 dozen shrimp, ghost shrimp, if that matters, to cause ammonia in a 75 gallon un-cycled tank.

I thought about starting to cycle my 75 gallon today. The water is very clear now, still a little bit of tannin's, but not nearly as much.

I noticed fuzzy stuff growing on the driftwood. It grew on the wood in my shrimp tank too, and the shrimp cleaned that wood like crazy. So I thought, instead of waiting for the fuzz to go away, why not get a bunch of shrimp and let them have a wonderful time doing it for me? Then when the ammonia finally did start to show up I could move them to the shrimp tank and proceed with the cycle.

Any thoughts?

 

[NickAu]

Shrimp need stable water conditions and a mature tank ( mature means at least 2 or 3 months after cycling ), You will just end up with a bunch of dead shrimp.

 

[luca1980]

I wouldn't put the shrimp in unless the tank is cycled, it is as inhumane to them as it would be to use fish. Do a fishless (shrimpless!) cycle, then add the shrimp as a cleaning crew once its ready. Its much easier to control the ammonia if you use a bottled source such as Dr Tim's - it removes much of the guesswork.

 

[BettaBettas]

this website should help you a bunch! has all kinds of shrimp, accurate information.
http://aquariuminfo.org/rcs.html

 

[julielynn47]

I am not trying to be inhumane....at this point there is no ammonia in the tank. Just clean water. My question was how long would it take for tiny shrimp to cause ammonia and need to be removed. I know about Dr Tim's. I have a bottle. I did not intend to cycle with fish or shrimp in the tank. I was only wondering how long it might be before I needed to remove them due to ammonia. And I still wonder just how much ammonia those little shrimp produce and how long it would take to show in a tank that size.

And yeah, I forgot about the need for an established tank. Now that is something I needed to be reminded of.

Thanks!

 

[luca1980]

Ahhh now I get it sorry julielynn47 for my confusion! I'm not sure how long it'd take for them to cause an ammonia buildup TBH. I have a big colony of ghost shrimp in my 50 gallon axolotl tank as a cleaning crew, and I would say the waste they generate would be pretty minimal. I guess the only way to know would be just daily testing with an API kit? And then remove them once you get a reading of ammonia?

 

[julielynn47]

Yeah, that was what I was thinking about doing. But I guess if they need an established tank, this is not it. LOL I just put water in it a couple weeks ago.