chizzle
Aquarium Advice Regular
I shall explain the simpliest way possible...
Cycling with a cocktail shrimp from the grocery store is the best way to go. The advice she gave you is out of date. We now realize it is cruel & inhumane for the fish to go through the cycling process. The shrimp is doing the same thing as the fish would be though - it is providing the bacteria something to feed off of & therefore creating ammonia, then nitrites, and finally nitrates. The bacteria doesn't care if it is a dead shrimp, or fish poop, it just needs something to break down.
As far as hyposalinity goes, I don't see the point in this. Once you are done cycling you will just have to raise your salinity back to more natural living levels. Maybe she suggested this so you wouldn't have to worry as much about acclimination, but that is still not a good idea.
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, though.
HTH
Cycling with a cocktail shrimp from the grocery store is the best way to go. The advice she gave you is out of date. We now realize it is cruel & inhumane for the fish to go through the cycling process. The shrimp is doing the same thing as the fish would be though - it is providing the bacteria something to feed off of & therefore creating ammonia, then nitrites, and finally nitrates. The bacteria doesn't care if it is a dead shrimp, or fish poop, it just needs something to break down.
As far as hyposalinity goes, I don't see the point in this. Once you are done cycling you will just have to raise your salinity back to more natural living levels. Maybe she suggested this so you wouldn't have to worry as much about acclimination, but that is still not a good idea.
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, though.
HTH