Should i do upkeep during cycle to save hikers?

[Wah]

Hey guys and gals,

My nano has been up and running for about two days now, and once i got the right temp and salnity and water perms going i seem to have quite a few hitchhikers:

- Two very lovely green feather dusters
- Several snails of all kinds, mostly looking to be mixed nassarius and astera.
- A werid looking little hiker that seems to be something like a flat scallop shell with a small slug like shape under it, tends to "teleport" (aka, be somewhere else on the rock when i go looking for it later in the day.) have let to see it move myself.

If i want to keep these guys, would doing very small so i wont have a "mini cycle/recycle" issue water changes and additions of food during the cycle be safe, or should i leave them and hope thier robust during the cycle?

Thanks!

 

[tecwzrd]

Keeping your nh3/no2/no3 down as low as possible will help to save your hitchhikers. IME if you use one 100 ml bag of Purigen in your filter is should help to limit your nh3/no2 from getting too high. It will also prevent nh3/no2 from forming too quickly when it's time to add fish.

 

[seaham358]

doing water changes will just prolong the cycle IMO.. Have you tested for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates yet? what are the numbers...
No need to feed them they will get food from the LR. If the ammonia gets high you could put some SW in a small pail with a power head to keep them in for a short time..

 

[lando]

This is the dilema with using good quality LR to cycle. The good thing is that if the hitch hikers made it to your tank on the rock then your LR must be cured. This will certainly help in the cycle process. If you wish to keep the hitch hikers then going slow will be best. Monitor water parameters and keep them acceptible for supporting life in the tank. As mentioned, this may prolong your cycle but if the media is established already you could be okay. Just monitor closely.