cycling question

[footballdude2k3]

hello, I am almost positive the answer is no, but i do not need to have lights on while the tank cycles correct?

[Sugar Magnolia]

No need to have the lights on during the cycle.

[Chiefsurfer]

only if you got hitch-hiking corals that you want to live. If not, then no, no reason to have them on, unless you want to see the tank.

[IslandCrow]

Yeah, it depends. Generally, no, but there may be some circumstances where you do, like for hithhiking corals as Chiefsurfer mentioned. Otherwise, yeah, save on that electric bill while you can.

[wooden_reefer]

No need to have light on during cycling per se.

Some times the need to have light is incidental to cycling, but not a part of cycling.

Cycling is the intense cultivation of nitrification bacteria onto a medium of filtration. No light is needed.

But many people cycle with recently collected LR and want to save some lives on the LR that need light.

I never need light to cycle.

[footballdude2k3]

ok so to cycle, i basically, need the sand/rock and a piece of shrimp in the tank, with the heater and powerhead running correct?

[Chiefsurfer]

^basically, yes. The number of shrimp is kind of a guess to me(i never remember wooden reefer's #'s). You can take like 4 of them, cut them each in half, throw them in a disposable pantyhoe(new, and never washed), tie a knot in it to keep the shrimp at the bottom. Then you test every day for ammonia. Once you reach a spike of 4 or so ppm, you have plenty of ammonia for the cycle, and you can remove the pantyhoe full of shrimp. Beware, it will REEEEEEEEEEK.

[footballdude2k3]

ok, is the process any different since i am using mostly base rock?

[Chiefsurfer]

so long as all the rock is in the tank when you add the shrimp, no, no difference.

[wooden_reefer]

half ounce of moist shrimp emusified will decay quickly to give 1ppm N ammonia in 100 gals of water.

[blacklighter11]

wooden reefer, when should i start seeing ammonia? i added 6 huge shrimps 2 days ago but no ammonia yet. this is my 2nd batch of shrimp already.

[wooden_reefer]

wooden reefer, when should i start seeing ammonia? i added 6 huge shrimps 2 days ago but no ammonia yet. this is my 2nd batch of shrimp already.

Did you emusify the shrimp or at least finely chop it? The physical aggregate is important to the rate of decay.

If you had emusified it, ammonia will be generated within 48 hours. If no ammonia is detected after 48 hours, the medium is cycled.

[C-Russ]

if you are going to use shrimp, please make sure to get FRESH RAW shrimp. Don't get cooked or ever frozen shrimp.

[wooden_reefer]

if you are going to use shrimp, please make sure to get FRESH RAW shrimp. Don't get cooked or ever frozen shrimp.

I think you cannot buy never frozen shrimp in most of North America.

Freezing to -20C kills some parasites, certainly.