New Tank - cycling with a prawn, fish food and stability - fishless

[DGJ]

So filled up the my 60 Gallon tank just now and put a sponge filter inside and a SunSun 304b (much more efficient this time!!!)

I've put a prawn in the fish net and hung it in the tank so that it all keeps together and it easy to whip out, also popped in some fish pellets and algae wafers.

Questions.

How long do I leave the prawn in there?
When should I begin dosing stability?
Do I do any water changes or do I let the cycle just roll?
How often do you test the water?
Has anyone done a cycle like this? How long did it take?

 

[Back in the fold]

I'm an old fool from the old school and all this cycling of an aquarium business kind of gets me to scratching my head sometimes. It seems that people are too caught up in the proper method of it. Before I start receiving hate mail let me tell you a tale. I set up a brand new 10 gallon last month. New sand, new filter, a little handful of Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) and two dozen Aplocheilus lineatus Golden Wonder Killifish about an inch in length. Today, over four weeks later, the water is crystal clear and smells good, the fish are healthy, growing and eating well and it looks just like a tank that's been set up for months. I have been taking this same easy approach to setting up tanks for well over fifty years and have yet to have any problems at all whatsoever. I did, however, let the water age for a month beforehand with an air stone bubbling in it. What you are doing should give you great results and I would let that shrimp loose and have the run of his tank.

 

[DGJ]

The shrimp is dead and actually now a little bit poached as I've had the water temp close to 90! So not sure how quickly it's going to rot and create ammonia.

Will see over the coming days I suppose. I have 7 Congo Tetras that I may toss in there as well to try and get it going quickly.

Just wish they sold ammonia in the shops here in Dubai

 

[DGJ]

So day one.

added the prawn and the fish food just under 24 hours ago.

just tested ammonia out of curiosity and it’s at .5ppm already. Thought I’d quickly check nitrite but that is still zero.

madder stability just now and will dose that for the next 7 days and see where we get to with the levels.

seems pretty quick to read so high?

I tested my tap water and it runs at 0ppm ammonia so it must be the shrimp and fish food.

I think I’m going to have to take the shrimp out tomorrow as the wife is less than impressed with the smell

 

[Back in the fold]

If it stinks then something is horribly wrong.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

Leave the prawn in and add a pinch of fish food every few days.The prawn should start to grow a fungi on it,you will know it’s rotting then.cheese is high in ammonia,but it’s a bit greasy,but it works.
You don’t really have to check the parameters,just wait til you see plenty of algae on the glass,then you will know it’s close to completing the cycle.
It seems not many folk are interested in anything else other than the methodical boring bottled ammonia method.
Don’t lose faith,your tank will cycle as long as you put the fish food in,it might take 5 or 6 weeks though,but the end result will be a strong filter?I’ve cycled three tanks this way.

 

[DGJ]

The cycle seems to be motoring along.

already have nitrite levels

ammonia 1ppm
Nitrite 1ppm
Nitrate 0ppm

Is it normal to go this quickly?

 

[Retired Viking]

I prefer to do a silent or planted cycle instead. Add several fast growing plants like hornwort or moneywort and let them take care of the ammonia made by your fish.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

The first tank I cycled with fish food and a bit of cheese lol,took about 3 weeks,which I thought was quick,but I also had plants and aqua soil added.The plants were sessiliflora which are quick growing and they were growing at what seemed like 2 inches a day,so they would have dealt with the ammonia too.I also added quick start on day one,I just poured the bottle in.
That was a quick cycle as far as I was concerned.
The second tank took about the same time and that was done by using a mackerel tail.I had the same plants in that,which I had propagated from the first tank and again I added quick start,no aqua soil that time.Unfortunately I went on holiday during that cycle and I left the light on and when I got back the whole tank was thick with brown algae.after giving it a good clean and adding more bits of mackerel I tested the water for a couple of weeks and the most I saw was a tiny spike in ammonia which was gone the next day.That tank annoyed me,and now looking back the bloomin thing cycled while I was on holiday,but I missed it haha.
The third tank took almost 8 weeks to cycle,and it was only 18l.small,but mighty thus tank seemed to take forever.
It was a cold water tank for the first week before I added a heater,so that may have contributed to it taking longer.
I had an ammonia reading after about a week and a half,but it took another 3 weeks or so to get nitrites.once I got nitrites it took ages for them to drop.I had added quick start to that,but the bacteria could have been dead and hence why it took so long,as the bacteria would have grown from scratch.
Your readings for ammonia and trite are looking good and I would say it’s cycling,just don’t cut corners and let those nitrites drop.don’t do any water changes unless the ammonia was to go through the roof.
You can remove the shrimp now,but continue adding fish food now and then until nitrates appear,then you can stop.
Looking good to me?