cycling and ammonia

so im doing a fishless cycle. ive got a 46 gallon bowfront, with 60 lbs of sand, 60 lbs of rock. about 10 lbs of the rock is live, and i added about 10 lbs of live sand (in small bowls) to add some bacteria.

i added in a couple raw shrimp to raise the ammonia 2 days ago.

now, the ammonia level has risen to what looks to be 2-4 on the test kit.....how high should this get before i remove the shrimp? whats a good level to get the bacteria reproducing and colonizing?

i am also adding biozyme (i know there are mixed feelings on this) to promote additional bacteria growth

i just dont want to keep upping the ammonia level to a point where it is counterproductive

should i take the shrimp out now and let the bacteria do their thing? or let it spike more?

my nitrites are also currently at 0

 

Just leave them in until they disappear.

 

Your cycle will take some time usually around 3-6 weeks depending. All you can do now is wait it out. What part of NJ are you in?

 

Just let them disintegrate in the tank water. The bacteria will break it down to mush. What I do to start my cycle is use plain ammonia and dump some in the tank. It keeps from having rotting food in the water, but also naturally starts the bacteria cycle. I find that it speeds up the nitrifying cycle by about 2 weeks.

 

cool, thanks guys

fisherman, im in ridgewood

 

Good luck with your tank SamsdbO