Setting up a new 55 gallon tank

[Goosegrl2019]

The easiest way to use raw shrimp is to put some in a container of water and wait for them to decompose. Then use the water as the source of ammonia to add to the tank. It means you don't end up with bits of decomposing shrimp all over the tank, and the container can be cleaned up so much more easily. It would mean starting a second container before the first one had gone completely horrible so you'd have a continuous supply of ammonia water. Then a third, and so on till the cycle was finished.
The shrimp water could be allowed to get pretty high in ammonia as you'll dilute it a lot when it's added to the tank. You'd just need to test the tank after half an hour to see how near to 3 ppm, or later 1 ppm, you'd added, then add more if necessary.

If it was me though, I'd use a bottle of ammonia, it's so much easier. Provided you keep the top on when not dosing it and keep it away from any children, it is quite safe.

How long does it take for shrimp to decompose in water like that??

 

[Mstansbury0704]

Thanks!!! Metalhead88 schooled me on the api stress coat as well & I switched to prime. I'm not doin feeder fish but I did drop some food in to start bacteria. I had an ich outbreak in my old tank & had to start over w new filters, gravel ect. So I'm starting as new

I first made the switch due to stresscoat and or QuickStart leaving a film on top of my betta tank, and also my 55 gal has 2 10” bubblers on each end. Using stresscoat and QuickStart it looked like someone put a drop of dish liquid in the tank it was so frothy at the top and the bubbles would linger so long they would sometimes touch in the center by the brace. After switching, the betta tank isn’t filmed over and the bubbles in the 55 dissipate quickly like normal. I too have a tank with an ich outbreak that I caught before it got out of hand. I Have daily dosed with prime and stability and Add paragaurd an hour later. Been doing this for a week. Only reason I’m dosing prime and stability though is to remove the carbon I had to change over half of the media so I’m just being cautious with my weakened bio filter And using prime to bind up any free toxic ammonia. Prime can be dosed 5x the strength. And I gravel vac and 50% water change every 3 days in this tank so It’s worked well for me. I’ve lost 0 fishies and am happy with it and the paragaurd is unnoticeable in tank unlike some blue staining treatments.
Also, my friend has this electronic ammonia tester he uses. Maybe be useful but it’s pricey for one tank

 

[Essjay]

I've never used the shrimp method so I have no idea how long it would take. I presume they would decompose faster in a warm room, but the smell could get a bit overpowering.

 

[seangee]

had to change over half of the media so I’m just being cautious with my weakened bio filter

In an established filter the bacteria will double every 24 hours. In an established tank a lot of the bacteria lives outside the filter, mostly on the substrate. Changing 50% of the filter material should not be something to worry about.

 

[Mstansbury0704]

In an established filter the bacteria will double every 24 hours. In an established tank a lot of the bacteria lives outside the filter, mostly on the substrate. Changing 50% of the filter material should not be something to worry about.

Yes but paragaurd I’ve read along with most other medicines put a hit on the bio bacteria. And I’m removing and rinsing all decor and gravel vaccing the entire substrate every 3 days. I know they say not to gravel vac same time as a media change. I presumed it was because you disturb some of the bacteria during gravel vaccing just like during a filter change. If that isn’t the case then I’m glad I don’t have to waste product. Will make the treatment a lot easier too

 

[Mstansbury0704]

Also to the OP if you’re using the shrimp Or ammonia method and using a startup product let us know how quickly it works. I’d like to do fishless cycles but I’ve never ventured into it. I’d think it’d be much quicker than a fish cycle

 

[Goosegrl2019]

I've never used the shrimp method so I have no idea how long it would take. I presume they would decompose faster in a warm room, but the smell could get a bit overpowering.

Yeah..I'm still thinking about the shrimp lol the smell is probably a bad idea for me.I put a small amt of fish flaked food in there last night & today my water is cloudy, no idea why can anyone help me w this one lol this is day 2

 

[Goosegrl2019]

Also to the OP if you’re using the shrimp Or ammonia method and using a startup product let us know how quickly it works. I’d like to do fishless cycles but I’ve never ventured into it. I’d think it’d be much quicker than a fish cycle

I will definitely do that, I'm currently putting fish food in there for now & boost hopefully w a cycle boosting product. I'm afraid the shrimp will probably smell really bad so I'm not sure on that yet

 

[Goosegrl2019]

Yeah...im not sure about the smell factor, its making me sort of think about that for a minute lol I put a small amt of fish flaked food in there last night & today my water is cloudy, no idea why can anyone help me w this one lol this is day 2

 

[Essjay]

I'm a bit confused - is this a brand new tank or the one in the blood parrot thread? Even if it is the tank form the blood parrot thread, you cleaned everything with steaming hot water so it's the same as being new.

New tanks often go cloudy when first set up. The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom, but not the bacteria we want to grow. These bacteria eat organic matter rather than ammonia and nitrite and they live floating in the water. You have added fish food, a good source of organic matter, which could well have caused the cloudiness.

 

[Goosegrl2019]

I'm a bit confused - is this a brand new tank or the one in the blood parrot thread? Even if it is the tank form the blood parrot thread, you cleaned everything with steaming hot water so it's the same as being new.

New tanks often go cloudy when first set up. The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom, but not the bacteria we want to grow. These bacteria eat organic matter rather than ammonia and nitrite and they live floating in the water. You have added fish food, a good source of organic matter, which could well have caused the cloudiness.

It was the blood parrots tank but I drained it & cleaned it & started back up w new gravel & filters so yes & yes lol. It seems much clearer today

 

[Goosegrl2019]

I'm a bit confused - is this a brand new tank or the one in the blood parrot thread? Even if it is the tank form the blood parrot thread, you cleaned everything with steaming hot water so it's the same as being new.

New tanks often go cloudy when first set up. The cloudiness is a bacterial bloom, but not the bacteria we want to grow. These bacteria eat organic matter rather than ammonia and nitrite and they live floating in the water. You have added fish food, a good source of organic matter, which could well have caused the cloudiness.

When I filled it back up I let it run at 86 degrees just in case any buggers were still hanging in there from ich which my fish guy tried to convince me is dead but I'm a bit traumatised lol

 

[Essjay]

if you leave the tank to run for at least a couple of weeks, that should get rid of any remaining ich parasites as the free swimming stage needs to attach on to a fish within a short period or they die. You can use this time to cycle the tank again.

 

[Mstansbury0704]

if Your paranoid and have the heating capacity you could crank the tank up to 90..I think I’ve read somewhere that ich stops reproducing at 86 and starts to die at 90? But without a host once the ich tomites or whatever they’re called pop into the free parasites they don’t live for long with no fish to eat on anyway, however I think some strains of ich can incubate As eggs in substrate for a LONG time..someone would have to confirm that. But if you’ve taken an infected tank. And dumped all old substrate and cleaned/boiled equipment and rinsed and cleaned walls of tank either with manual scrubbing and or bleach or vinegar and started new then I’d say you’re likely good. The cloud is a bacteria bloom, just a sudden spike of bacteria colonies in the water column. should be cleared up in a few days.

 

[Goosegrl2019]

Hey guys tonite my water is:
ammonia .5- 1.0,
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Hardness 300
Chlorine 0.5
Alkalinity 120
PH 8.4

Can I do anything about the hardness?? Otherwise, how is this looking w fishless cycle & only fish food & warm temps so far??