Wow, smells bad!

So when I set up my tanks in the past, I always used LR, never really had to deal with the initial cycling.

This time around, I'm using 2 not-so-frozen-anymore shrimp in my 25 Cube........................after about a week its starting to reek! Every few minutes I'll catch a wiff of Santa Monica and it makes me do a spin-around.

How long do I have to leave the shrimp in there, and when can I take them out!

 

Yes you can take them out.

 

How will that affect the cycle though? Im reading about 1.0 on the ammonia, and nitrites are definitely coming up (color blind = hard to differentiate colors). If I take them out, do I need to keep doing something to keep the cycle going?

 

Just throw a pinch of fish food in every couple days.

 

^ Knows her stuff; +1

 

A Splash of ammonia does work faster

 

Right on, thanks a bunch!

 

As long as it's not anhydrous. OP, if your gonna add ammonia look into Dr. Tim fish less cycle. I would take corallines advice and do fish food. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby

 

In my understanding, pure ammonia does not do the trick as well as feeding the tank does.
Excess food (as well as poo) is exactly what our systems must break down. You need that organic material, not just a nitrogen source (ammonia), to feed and build the bacteria we need.

 

+1