I got my tank a few days ago and made the mistake of putting some shrimp in too early as from what I'd seen and the instructions for the set up, it said it was a good idea to kick start the process. Everything was fine until yesterday I woke up, the tank was cloudy and everything was dead. Everything I have seen said to leave it now a few weeks or so and not touch it? But i came and had a look today to find what looks like a whole skin on top of the tank? Is that part of the cycling process or is something else wrong?
Film on top of new tank?
- Thread starter kiera500
- Start date
Did you have stuff in the tank before cycling it? In order for anything to survive in the tank it needs to be cycled. You need to establish a healthy population of nitrifying bacteria. Seems you were reading about the shrimp cycling method. If you choose that route you probably have close to a 3-5 month cycle.
what do you mean, "everything was dead"? There should not be any live animals in your tank while you cycle.
First you need a test kit, no way of knowing the progress of the cycle without a test kit. Get a test kit and measure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Not API test kit, its not very accurate, get anything but API.
Then you should get your self a bottle of bacteria, dr.tims or something similar, then use the test to follow the cycle. Ammonia will rise and fall, then nitrite, then finally nitrate. When then ammonia rises and drops back to zero for a few days, the tank is cycled.
A cycle should take 2-3 weeks IMO, and nothing alive in the tank during this time.
www.reef2reef.com
First you need a test kit, no way of knowing the progress of the cycle without a test kit. Get a test kit and measure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Not API test kit, its not very accurate, get anything but API.
Then you should get your self a bottle of bacteria, dr.tims or something similar, then use the test to follow the cycle. Ammonia will rise and fall, then nitrite, then finally nitrate. When then ammonia rises and drops back to zero for a few days, the tank is cycled.
A cycle should take 2-3 weeks IMO, and nothing alive in the tank during this time.
Beginner Topic - Cycling a Brand New Reef Aquarium
The cycling stages of a brand new reef aquarium.
www.reef2reef.com
if there is a film on top of the water, it means that you have no surface agitation, which means you probably have no gas exchange happening, and co2 is being trapped in the water.
if you read somewhere that putting shrimp in was a way to "kickstart" the process, it may have meant to put food grade shrimp in, and not live shrimp. my assumption is that you put live shrimp in, and my other assumption is that it said to put shrimp in it.
by doing raw shrimp, you create an ammonia source for bacteria to grow, which is needed for a cycle to start. during this time, the water is very toxic for fish, and would not surprise me that things died.
if you read somewhere that putting shrimp in was a way to "kickstart" the process, it may have meant to put food grade shrimp in, and not live shrimp. my assumption is that you put live shrimp in, and my other assumption is that it said to put shrimp in it.
by doing raw shrimp, you create an ammonia source for bacteria to grow, which is needed for a cycle to start. during this time, the water is very toxic for fish, and would not surprise me that things died.
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