Is it really necessary to cycle a new tank?

[ryangiggs]

I just setup a very small tank and put 1 shrimp in it. It had been 3 days and the shrimp is still alive and actively swimming. At first it just went swimming in cycle as it seems stressed. But after 1 day, it started to swim more like it is looking for food although its color is not as red as before.

This brought me to wonder is it really necessary to cycle a new tank first for 2-4 weeks? The shrimp seems hardy enough to survive a new tank without any cycling.

Will continue to monitor the shrimp for another 2-3 weeks before adding more shrimps.

[Varanus]

Its safest to cycle, but a single supershrimp indeed exerts so little a bioload that I can see them tending to survive.

Cycling in terms of testing the water, making sure there is zero ammonia detected, etc. is less important for these guys than many other aquarium creatures. Hence Mustafa's advice of just waiting for algae to grow as being a pretty good rule rather than strict cycling. It ensures that there is adequate food in the tank as well as lifeforms that are eating waste products (i.e. the algae).

[i<3Opae]

Just because I've had many shrimp die due to high ammonia (back when I knew nothing about them), I'll never not cycle a supershrimp tank.

[mike.d]

Based on your experience, I would say it appears that it's not always necessary.

Personally, I'd still want to give it at least a week or two, just to be safe. If I was starting a new tank I'd take some rocks, algae, snails, and substrate from my established tank to speed up the process. In my case, there's no reason not to let it cycle for a little while.

I'm all for experimentation. Please continue to report back on your progress.

Other than not cycling, did you do anything special or different from the normal process outlined on this site?

Did you already have an established tank prior to setting up the non-cycled one?

Was it a totally clean tank? New container? Freshly mixed RO/DI water and Instant Ocean salt? Rinsed gravel straight from Pet*?

[ryangiggs]

Yup i was trying to experiment without cycling...

I setup the tank totally new... with newly washed and dried substrate, new glass container, some coral pcs... newly mixed bottled distilled water with sea salt to abt 1.012 salinity... added some marimo moss balls...

the only contact with an established tank is when i catch the shrimp from my big tank and release the shrimp into the new tank...

But like Varanus said... maybe the bioload of 1 shrimp is too little to spike up any ammonia that will most certainly be lethal to the shrimp...

will continue to monitor the shrimp... probably add in a snail to increase the bioload to see if it will spike up the ammonia...

[marianne]

I'm a little surprised by the answers, for me "not cycling" a tank is to avoid all together, except in emergency situations.

Because your tank will cycle, no matter what you do. In any new tank system, cycling happens. Beneficial bacteria and algea (=processing ammonia/nitrites/nitrates) take time to establish, and in the process any dead matter / other bacteria will increase tank's ammonia/nitrites/nitrates transiently. Your tank need time to stabilize it's matter cyle.
Having a very small population (small bioload) is not solving the ammonia increase, as the main source is not them but dead matter and other bacteria. Your tank will do it's cycling anyway, and your shrimp will experience bad conditions for a while. It's not because it's not dying that it's doing great.
It's still better than putting 50 shrimps in it, but yeah -I don't think I would recommend it for this poor little guy. The only positive aspect I can imagine is that the shrimp probably brings along a little portion of beneficial bacteria -therefore boosting the cycling process.

At least, this is my understanding of it.

[mike.d]

I setup the tank totally new... with newly washed and dried substrate, new glass container, some coral pcs... newly mixed bottled distilled water with sea salt to abt 1.012 salinity... added some marimo moss balls...

My theory is the marimo helped. I'm thinking even if there was a lot of ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites in your tank the bacteria and algae in the marimo and the marimo itself probably took care of it.

Thanks for the extra details. Interesting experiment.

[ryangiggs]

I'm a little surprised by the answers, for me "not cycling" a tank is to avoid all together, except in emergency situations.

Because your tank will cycle, no matter what you do. In any new tank system, cycling happens. Beneficial bacteria and algea (=processing ammonia/nitrites/nitrates) take time to establish, and in the process any dead matter / other bacteria will increase tank's ammonia/nitrites/nitrates transiently. Your tank need time to stabilize it's matter cyle.
Having a very small population (small bioload) is not solving the ammonia increase, as the main source is not them but dead matter and other bacteria. Your tank will do it's cycling anyway, and your shrimp will experience bad conditions for a while. It's not because it's not dying that it's doing great.
It's still better than putting 50 shrimps in it, but yeah -I don't think I would recommend it for this poor little guy. The only positive aspect I can imagine is that the shrimp probably brings along a little portion of beneficial bacteria -therefore boosting the cycling process.

At least, this is my understanding of it.

I got this idea from those local shops that are selling such shrimps... sometimes they held workshops to teach pple how to setup such small tanks... they will use new substrate... newly mixed brackish water... and just dump 3-5 shrimps into the newly setup tanks on the spot which u will be able to take home... this prompt me to think it is actually possible to setup the tank without cycling... the shrimps will survive the new tank while the tank is still cycling...

maybe this is not for the best for the health of the shrimp... but just that it is possible for such shrimps to survive in very tough water condition... of coz i will not recommend such methods... but like you say in emergency situations... probably we should not worry too much abt cycling and just transfer the shrimps to new tanks...

i am thinking these local shops probably ordered these shrimps from suppliers that send them by the thousands and pack in small packets... if they can survive a few days of courier in a small packet with all those bioload... they are probably strong enough to survive a uncycle tank easily...

just some of my opinions... despite my findings and ideas... i still strongly advise everyone to cycle the tank first... unless in an emergency situation...

[DrKirk]

It's useful to understand that 'cycling' is a process that establishes the necessary bacterial flora for metabolizing ammonia to nitrites, then to nitrates. While it might be possible to circumvent the time needed for this process by limiting the number of shrimp initially introduced, it's better to just be patient and give a new system a few weeks to attain the proper balance.

[Dylan]

I always cycle my tanks now - I lost fish when I was younger and didn't understand this necessary process. It's just not worth the risk - especially when you are getting more expensive animals.

There are ways to speed the process up - if you can find someone with an established healthy tank - they can give you some filter matter (if filtered tank); or some water and sand; and/or something from their tank (a shell, plant etc.)

[marianne]

just some of my opinions... despite my findings and ideas... i still strongly advise everyone to cycle the tank first... unless in an emergency situation...

Okay, I first understood your thread more like "cycling is useless let's get ride of it", but I was msitaken.
Shrimps are very hardy indeed, but I prefer waiting a little time than making them bad conditions I can avoid.
In the aquarist lobby, there are also people cycling tank fast by throwing in the hardest fishes then waiting. Most of them survive. It's the same question "can I spare them these conditions or am I under such circumstances that it's not possible or too hard ?".

[Vorteil]

Just because the opae are hardy and can be introduced into an uncycled tank doesn't mean they should. I personally would let the tank cycle on its own. Let it get established before introducing the opae. My prefernce.

[ryangiggs]

Just an update...

1 month into my new tank... the only shrimp that i put in had molted 3 times and algae is forming on the glass and other surfaces... i never knew they molt so fast... perhaps it is the new environment causing it to molt more frequently? I don’t usually notice molting in my other tanks... maybe too many shrimps in those tanks and the molt usually got eaten up...

I can almost see the pattern when it decides to molt... usually the day before molting it will be less active... even if i disturb it or shake the container it will barely move... sometimes i think it had died... but the next day i will see the molt and the shrimp will be back being active again...

Will be adding in a horn nerite snails and maybe another 4-5 shrimps later this month...

[Varanus]

They seem to molt more when adapting to new environments (like after being put in a new tank). Perhaps water conditions are shifting in your tank as it cycles, encouraging more molting.