Fishless Cycling

[tracygh]

I was just wondering if anyone had a timeline estimate for fishless cycling. I picked up a raw shrimp at my LGS, they actually gave it to me for free because it wouldn't weigh and price on the scale
My kids freaked out when they got home and saw a shrimp in the tank LOL.
So how long should I expect this to take? Any side effects to watch out for? Tank clouding? Smell? Anything else?
TIA,
Tracy *noticing a fair number of Canadians around here

 

[Cjazinski]

I've been reading and alot of people doing a fishless cycle are reporting it to be cloudy. Some also said that the tank did smell after a few days. I haven't done a fishless cycle. again i'm just telling you what i read

 

[Jchillin]

Yes to both questions. There will be cloudiness, particles of the shrimp and an awful smell. Also, a fuzz will accumulate on the shrimp and look ghastly. The amount of time varies from 4-6 weeks.

 

[tracygh]

The amount of time varies from 4-6 weeks.

oy-oy-oy!! 8O That's an awfully long time, I didn't realize.
Oh man, this will be a real test for me, I am NOT a patient person.
One more question, how long do I leave the shrimp in?
TIA,
Tracy *the impatient one

 

[Jchillin]

To keep the ammonia source active...until it completely decomposes. If you haven't reached your full cycle yet, you will need to add another shrimp. If your tank is larger than a 30gal, two shrimp at this time will do good. Test your parameters frequently to make sure you don't go above 2-3ppm.

 

[ace1uno_00]

well, how big is the tank you're cycling?

 

[ripvanrina]

i'm doing a fishless cycle with ammonia and yesterday i got my first nitrites!! (thank you, thank you)
for me it took 11 days for nitrites, but i started with 2ppm ammonia then moved it up to 5ppm a few days later so if you started with a shrimp it should probably be a little faster than that

 

[Hooie]

I did an ammonia fishless on my 75 and it took almost a month on my 75.