90 Restart question

I have been adding food for about a week. Today I put three raw shrimp in. Will be any benefit to add some cycle in a bottle? Or should I just leave everything alone and let it do its thing for another week?

 

How big is your tank? It sounds like you may be adding more food than you need to. The only down side from too much food is that the tank will generate more nutrients. You can fix that with water changes. Do you have a test kit?

 

Yes I do have test kits for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.
Its a 90.
I did the same thing a few years ago, but I forget if I added some cycle in a bottle or not.

 

I didnt add food every day. Just a big pinch of some cichlid pellets and a cube of brine shrimp last week. Then today I dropped in medium size shrimp in a pouch.

 

That sounds about right. Is cycle in a bottle ammonia or food? Seems like either way, you've got it covered.

 

bacteria

 

I think the bacteria will come along naturally. A live rock wouldn't hurt.

 

If you already have live rock in the tank, the bacteria present will multiply in response to the bioload placed in the system. If you are starting with all dead rock, then starting the cycle with a shrimp or food will do the trick. Some people use Dr Tims or something similar to add bacteria in the beginning. Many people feel that this speeds the cycle which it probably does, at least in the beginning, however each tank and the amount of time is different. Test kits are your friend and will tell you how it is progressing. be patient and good luck!

 

Thanks. Its all dryrock and dry sand. I guess I will just keep testing. Last time I remember it took about 2 weeks. I remember pulling the shrimp out and the smell was not pleasant!

 

Here is a question that always puzzles me. If my ammonia hits like 2.0 and I leave the shrimp (or whatever the decaying material may be) in the tank will it just become a never ending cycle until that decaying material is gone... in which case 3 shrimp could take a long time!