I have a 10gl planted tank with some amano shrimp and I am new to this shrimp thing (I LOVE SHRIMP SOOOO MUCH) and looking into adding RCS. anyway I have been reading around on the search but I cant find out how to cycle your tank or what that even means. I have had fish for a long time( I also have a 10gl with 5 red clawed crabs and a Procambarus clarkii) so this sounds like something serious and could kill my shrimp and other critters. please help
one more thing how many shrimp to a 10gl?
You are right that there is not a lot definitive about cycling a new tank here. Mustafa, when you get a chance, I think this would be a good addition to the beginners FAQs. It gets talked about a lot here, but not in a usefull way for a newbie.
If you are keeping your crays alive, the chances are good you have a cycled tank for the crays. Cycling basicly means that the tank has what it takes to complete the cycle that converts animal and food wastes to nitrates and phosphates. The waste does not convert to ammonia or remain as nitrite, which creates acid. A non-cycled tank gets ammonia and acid spikes that kill most aquatic animals.
If you squeeze out the filter from an established tank into the water for a new tank, you pretty much have an instant cycle. Doing much else takes a lot longer, even weeks.
Google "fishless cycle" and you see what that is.
As for how amny shrimp, it depends on the shrimp. A good start is 10 Red Cherry shrimp (RCS). Do not get more than that to start, and be sure you get them from someone who breeds them, not ones that are imported and wild caught. The mortality rate of imports is huge.
If you are no good at breeding them, you won't lose a lot of money. If you are good at it, that 10 will be 50-100 in 3 months. At that point the numbers are self limiting and the females pretty much shut down egg production.
Last night I removed 30 juvies from each of two 10 gallon tanks to get the females going again.
thank you bladflash for helping me but I have another question. Where I buy shrimp they sell RCS they are 4.00 each and Im am not the richest man alive. So how hard is it to breed RCS? becasue If I buy ten RCS for my 10gl would it be a good investment becasue they would breed easily, and I get more, or breeding them is very difficult and I should not even try.
Q. 2- whats the deal with the green water and breeding stuff, and taking the babies and putting them into another tank ,and adding salt water this sounds hard?
Do me a favor and go to the article section and read the ones on shrimp. I'd hate to see you get in trouble, and most of those questions have been asked & answered many times.
You should also read over the shrimp varieties page for Red Cherry Shrimp and for Amano Shrimp.
Breeding Amanos is not a beginners project. If you want more info, there are several members, including myself that have chronicled their attempts, and a few successes.
Red Cherry shrimp live for around 18 months. If you don't over feed and keep the water clean, they breed easily. If you don't they die. Amanos may live as long as 5 years. I have some that are ooover 2 years old.
Berried means that the female is carrying eggs on her tummy. They look like berries.
badflash wrote:
Cycling basicly means that the tank has what it takes to complete the cycle that converts animal and food wastes to nitrates and phosphates. The waste does not convert to ammonia or remain as nitrite, which creates acid. A non-cycled tank gets ammonia and acid spikes that kill most aquatic animals.
Just a few clarifications. First, the term "cycle" is a short form of "nitrogen cycle" and refers to the conversion of ammonia/ammonium to nitrite, which then turns into nitrate. Phosphate is not involved in the "cycle." Second, the type of acid you are talking about, is actually associated with the nitrate produced in the tank. When you measure nitrate in the tank you are actually measuring nitric acid. Nitric acid is actually hydrogen nitrate (HNO3). So, the end product of the cycle (nitric acid) is acidic, not the ammonia/ammonium itself.
And third, of course I will write an article about cycling, water parameters and similar issues when I get the chance.
