Can i cycle this way

[rbarb1111]

I want to cycle a 10 gallon tank that has only a heater and small hob filter.
No ls/lr. I would like to use the dead shrimp method. Will the sponge in the filter create enough of a biological filter to control ammonia. Should i use carbon? Will it work bettter if i put two sponges in the filter?? I only want to keep one fish at a time in the ten gallon after it cycles . Also, how long do you keep the shrimp in the tank?

Thanks

 

[blorkiemom]

I'll tag along on this one--I'm trying to cycle my 20-gal hospital tank with LR so I've been fussing over fishless cycle methods myself!

 

[Shultz]

I've just cycled my tank using raw tiger prawns, I put them in a little mesh bag, left them in there & after about 7 days there was nothing left.

Cheers Shelton.

 

[saberry]

I want to cycle a 10 gallon tank that has only a heater and small hob filter.
No ls/lr. I would like to use the dead shrimp method. Will the sponge in the filter create enough of a biological filter to control ammonia. Should i use carbon? Will it work bettter if i put two sponges in the filter?? I only want to keep one fish at a time in the ten gallon after it cycles . Also, how long do you keep the shrimp in the tank?

Thanks

Yes, that should be enough biological to control the ammonia of the shrimp. As far as for the live fish, that all depends on the size and type of fish - for most that would go in a 10gal you should be OK. Leave the shrimp in the tank until it has completely cycled and only take it out just before you add fish. FYI, in that small of a tank, make sure you keep up with fresh water top-offs and routine water changes. With such a small volume of water, you have much less room for error.

What you might want to do is in addition to keeping your sponge in there, also keep a charcoal pack 24/7 as well. The charcoal is very porous and will act as a second biological filter as well. When it's time to change filter media, either do the charcoal or the sponge but not both at the same time so that you don't knock down your bacteria population too much at any one time.
HTH.