How long will it take ammonia to become present in the tank?

[ahud]

I added two raw shrimp to my tank, one beat up and one whole. It has been two days and I still can not detect any ammonia with my salifert test.

Is this normal or do I have a defective test kit? I also tested for nitrates just for the unlikely chance that I had a two day cycle ,but it was zero also :rolleyes:

Tank information:
65gallon
20 gallon sump
60-70 pounds of dry rock
10-15 pounds live rock
Running for one week.
Temp 81.3
Salinity 1.026


Also, as a gift I received a kenya tree coral and a few snails (they came on the Live rock I was given) whats the chances of these guys making it?

[Tuscaquatics]

The Kenya tree might have a better chance than the snails, which will likely die. But don't bet on them either. Ammonia at any level is really tough on inverts altogether.

As for taking a few days to see ammonia, this is normal. That Salifert kit is one of the best. You will see it go way up in a day or so.

I always used flake food to seed ammonia for a cycle and it usually took 2 or 3 days to get a reading.

[iamwrasseman]

the ammonia can take a few days to detect as the test kits are not very accurate .you will not have a two day cycle as it takes six or seven weeks usually . every tank is different and it could take longer but probably not very much shorter . be carefull with that much shrimp as you can end up with sewer water if you over do it . how often are you adding shrimp ?

[ahud]

I was afraid that the life in the tank would have little chance for survival :(

Thanks for clearing up my ammonia question. Will the 10-15 pounds of live rock (it's fresh out of an established tank) significantly decrease my cycle time?

[ahud]

I just added two shrimp. I figured that would give me a good ammonia spike to get the cycle started. I can remove one of the shrimp if you guys think that is best.

[jenjen]

Personally I would just leave it be for a week. If you're still not detecting any ammonia after 7 days then post again for more suggestions. IME it takes around 5 days to see any ammonia. No need to remove any of the shrimp at this point.

[Tuscaquatics]

It's hard to say how much the live rock will decrease your cycle time. But it will help. Don't be surprised if it cuts a week off the total.