How long for a tank to mature?

[vinniemabuna]

Hi, I restarted a 9 gallon eheime tank about 5-6 weeks ago. It had plannaria yuck, I nuked it with fenbenadole and the planaria and most snails are gone. I sols all the red cherry shrimp plants ect and saved the bacteria in the filter and put new Brightwell substrate with some old substrate mixed on top, no ammonia ect. I added bloody mary shrimp and CRS the CRS out of 14 about half are dead a couple of the BMS died also. Now its about 6-7 weeks in and my moss is growing some and all looks a little better my PH is about 7 not sure about the other measurements . Im getting tangerine tiger shrimp next week do you think the tank will do good in the future ?

[jayc]

There is no guaranteed period where you can say "Yup the tank is cycled now after x weeks". It's different for everyone depending on what they do to the tank during the cycling period. 

Only way to be sure that a tank has matured enough and completed it's cycling period is to get an Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate test kit and run those tests.

Adding shrimp or fish too soon will result in deaths, as you have experienced.

Will the tank be ready for more shrimp? - well that depends on the ammonia, nitirite and nitrate results.

 

 

[Zoidburg]

Fenbendazole can damage some shrimp colonies....

 

Really need to know Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, GH and KH using liquid test kits. Part of the deaths could be due to incorrect tank parameters, or maybe where you purchased them from.