Dry Rock is Making my Water Cloudy, HELP!

[ErinCahir]

I am just going to dump a shrimp or two in... The only flake food I have atm is some old Tropical fish food flakes from my last FW setup. Although I may toss some of them in as well just to get it kick-started.

What does Ghost feed the tank mean, exactly? Just adding flakes 1-2 times a day as if feeding fish? How much should I add & how ofter for 125 gallons?

Forgive my ignorance, it is just a term I have never heard before.

If you're just doing a shrimp, don't worry about the ghost feeding (which yes, is exactly what you described. You stop once you see a solid ammonia measurement).

 

[istrahd]

Ok... I am reading 0.25ppm Ammonia, 0ppm Nitrate & Nitrite, now what do I do? How high should I allow the Ammonia to rise before removing the shrimp?

All of the posts I have read just say wait for a spike in ammonia but none of them say how high it should be!

Once it does reach whatever level, what then?

I really need to find a good post with some step by step instructions. Every post/thread I have found is either vague or contradictory!

I don't have a clue and could use some direction from from someone who knows what the heck they are talking about. At least point me to a good solid thread with step by step info on cycling. reading all of the contradictory crap out there makes my head hurt. I would greatly appreciae some specific info on cycling my tank, what to do when Ammonia reaches Level X, Nitrates reach Level Y & Nitrates reach Level Z, etc...

Thanks, you have all been a great help so far, I am looking forward to more of your sound advice!

My water is back to crystal clear, btw. the HOB filter sucked out all of the fine particulates the sand had floating in the water.

 

[2XAl]

I tossed a table shrimp in there forever, like literally let it rot. Every cycle is different there is no set levels. Don't do anything until you read 0 ammonia and nitrites with anything for a nitrate reading. At this point your tank is cycled and all of your bacteria are in check. This is when you can start stocking and performing routine water changes. You'll get a hundred different answers on how to cycle a tank but this is my tried and true method.

I'm really not a fan of cycling with fish. I can't agree with intentionally putting a living creature in conditions you know are harmful to them.

 

[istrahd]

I'm really not a fan of cycling with fish. I can't agree with intentionally putting a living creature in conditions you know are harmful to them.

I agree with you on this. In almost every thread where I have read of someone using a fish (usually a damsel) the fish ends up dying. That is cruel, to knowingly put an animal in an environment you know it can not live in... You may as well keep your dog in the garage while you warm up your car! You are endangering the life of an animal. Just because it isn't furry and has no legs makes is NO LESS Cruelty to Animals.

If you read my thread in the introduction section, you will find that I am asking a bunch of questions so that I can get my tank started correctly so my critters will thrive & be healthy!

Anyone who would use a live fish to cycle a tank is not only a cruel and heartless POS, they are dumber than dirt! Why would you torture an animal (that is expensive) when you can use a shrimp that is ALREADY Dead and only cost a few cents apiece?