Rocker wrote:Measurements are taken daily and the ammonia is topped up daily if needs be to ensure the maximum amount of both colonies are develpoed.
Daily testing should be done when cycling with shrimp as well. It works the same way except having to measure out a hundred or more drops of ammonia on a daily basis.
Rocker wrote:How many prawns do you need to cycle and fully stock a tank?
Depends on the size of the tank, the size of the prawns, and what the stock consists of.
What size prawns and what type and number of fish are going in it? Generally speaking, I use one rather large shrimp per 20 gallons for a light bioload.
I have never used shrimp...And am looking for a little clarification for future reference...
Would not the consistancy of the ammonia produced be a problem...the amount created on day 1 will be different than day 3...than day 10...ect
How does one know when ammonia levels start to fall that it is the bacteria consuming it, rather then the supply from the decomposing shrimp being exhausted?
that is in addition to knowing how many to add initially to give you a specifc level of ammonia...
The level of ammonia rises as the shrimp decompose. If they decompose too rapidly and the level of ammonia starts to fall before the nitrites start to rise significantly, I add more shrimp and when they start to decompose, remove what's left of the original shrimp. Once the ammonia and nitrites are near zero, the bacteria can be tested using bottled ammonia for a day to ensure that it is due to the sufficient bacterial load.
I've never used shrimp and looked for a specific level of ammonia, as that never made sense to me. How much ammonia does a particular fish produce? Does anyone know? What specific level of ammonia does a 2 inch oscar produce, or a handful of glolight tetras?
I understand the point of using more ammonia than one anticipates the fish producing in order to ensure a sufficient bacterial colony, and that is why I use what I believe to be a sufficient amount of shrimp to accomplish the same thing. I've done it and haven't had any problem with a spike after adding fish, and I've helped other people do it as well and they haven't reported any problems to me of spikes after adding fish.
I'd only use shrimp as a fall back if clean ammonia isn't readily available, but that's just me. But who knows, maybe there are other compounds that get produced by decomposing flesh that wouldn't be found in pure ammonia.
It doesn't seem too accurate for my liking. At least with the ammonia method becaus eyou know exactly what you have added and you know the test results you can tell exactly whats happening and where you are in a cycle. You also know that the tank will be able to cope with whatever stock you put in there.
Like I say the prawn method is still a little too hit and miss.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll !
Great discussion! My plan now is too add more prawns and wait for the ammonia and nitrite to drop to zero. Then add more prawns to see how the tank reacts. There really isn't going to be much of a bio-load going into the tank. Two small ceylons that are maybe 1.5". In their current 20gallon, we have yet to see the nitrates go past 5-10 ppm. I have called a local drug store to get a MDS of their cleanning ammonia, just in case the shrimp cycling fails. Maybe I'll add one of the filter pads from the 120 into the HOB of the 20g now and let it seed more.
Some call it a product of a mis-spent youth, I call it Rock n Roll ! 
