I threw my shrimp in on Sunday (after an odd look from the seafood clerk when I asked for 1 raw shrimp for an aquarium). Today (Tuesday...2 days later) I have an ammonia of 1pmm (this is the only time I will say YEAH to that)
No Nitrites, no Nitrates yet....so I am still in the very beginning of my cycle. I am going to put in some sand from an established tank and some established ceramic bio media from a friends tank in the tank tomorrow...but I wanted to make sure I had an ammonia reading before doing so. I am hoping this will speed the cycle along.
Some other things I have heard to speed up your cycle:
1. Do not turn on the Actinic lights...I hear they can slow bacteria growth from the near
UV light it gives off
2. Minimize use of Protein Skimmer...It can skim the shrimp breakdown product before it can be converted into ammonia
3. Seed the tank with sand and or bio-media from an established tank.
There are also some products you can buy (Bio-Spira)..which can speed things up. I have not used it...and I am not in that much of a rush....I can wait for nature to take it's course.
Hope this helps! Keep us updated on your tank's water parameters!
WC
P.S. Also your water will smell a little "skanky" in a few days...as my wife informed me today (tank is near her computer)