Add Hermit to cycling tank

Is it okay to add a hermit crab to my cycling tank to help breakdown detritus?

 

You really should wait. And the whole point of cycling is getting the tank to where it can do that by itself

 

Not if there is detectable ammonia and/or nitrite. Either of those will kill 'em off. Wait until after the cycle to establish your cleanup crew.

 

perfect. Thanks guys. I have ammonia levels at 15ppm now anyways. any ideas to how long that should take to drop.

 

i added hermits to my 24 g a week later and all of them did fine.

 

What size tank?

What method is being used to cycle it?

Are your nitrates going up yet?

15ppm will kill ANYTHING in the tank pretty much.

 

normally i would say yes, because hermits can with stand alot and should be the first animal that goes in your tank. but 15 ppm is rediculously high, my kit doesn't even go that high

 

yeah im totally apologetic about that reading, it was read at .15 ppm. My bad guys, sorry for the poor information. But nevertheless its still high.
The tank size is 55 gallons and im cycling the uncured rock just with heavy flow and no lighting. I did an ammonia test last night and the reading was almost zero; but i do not believe the tank has fully cycled yet.

 

You also have to wait until the nitrates, and nitrites drop to zero as well before the cycle is completly finished.

 

I would say wait. I waited until the cycle was completely done until adding anything living except the fish that my LFS gave me to cycle (I didn't know of fishless cycling at the time, although now I do believe it is a much better option). But anyway, better safe than sorry. You'd hate to buy a bunch of hermits just to see them die off due to a late nitrite or ammonia spike.