Shrimp Cycling method?

[Korbexo]

Alrighty, so I'm a college student living away from home. I currently have two betta living in smaller tanks with me at school(Two 3.5 gallon tanks, no filters, weekly 100% water changes). For Christmas this year I know I'll be getting a 10 gallon tank, which I plan to divide in two so my guys can live in there when I'm home on breaks and in the summer, and if I get an apartment next year I'll take it with me there(It wont fit in my dorm room this year unfortunately). I plan on getting it this weekend, and would like to cycle it before I head home for winter break. I was wondering if the "fishless cycle with shrimp" would work.
I plan on setting up the tank Sunday, but I'll be leaving to go back to school the next day, and wont be home for a week or two. If I set the tank up and put the shrimp in, would the tank cycle naturally? Obviously I wont be there to add anything or check parameters every day. Would any problems arise from this? Any suggestions would be great!

[Wendyjo]

It should, altho if the shrimp totally rots away then someone would need to replace it. It's worth a try. What type of filter are you getting? It may get smelly :(

It sounds like you will only be using the 10g part of them time until you get your own place? If so, that could be a problem cause if you don't have fish in there all the time and no one is there to feed the tank, the cycle will crash.

[Korbexo]

I'm not sure on the specifics of the filter but I plan on getting this tank set which comes with one
http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo
I'll be using the tank for 5-6 weeks over winter break, but yeah then I'd be going back to school. x: If the cycle crashes, would the remedy just be emptying the tank and starting over again? If so I'd head back home a couple weeks before summer break to do the same thing I'm gonna try out now.
My parents are home though so it's possible I could get one of them to check on the status of the shrimp every so often while the cycle is going...And if my dad is feeling super charitable he might agree to feeding a fish when needed and maybe I could leave one of them there to keep the cycle from crashing(I go home every other week, sometimes more often to work so I could check on them).

[Wendyjo]

Yeah, you'd just start all over again. I wouldn't leave on there to keep it cycled because when you bring the other one home and add him to the tank you'll be doubling the bioload, which would probably cause a mini cycle.

But, depending on how far from home you are, you could get filters for the smaller tanks and move some filter media back and forth when you travel and then the tank(s) would be cycled where ever you go. That will only work if it's not a long trip tho, and if you changed out the filter in the 10 so it could be divided equally between the 2 smaller tanks. Something to think about though.

[Hallyx]

This is a logistical challenge more than anything else.

First of all: Personally I would never leave a tank with rotting shrimp in my parents home...nor even my own. Not a wholesome experience, as anyone who has done it will testify.

And you don't need the anxiety of wondering how your cycle is going, or if it will be complete by a certain date. You never know how long it will take, especially if you're not using live bacteria to seed the tank.

Here's my considered suggestion:

Cycle the two 3.5g tanks with the fish in them (the fish are the ammonia source) using two sponge filters driven by one airpump. (I run two 3g tanks with stable cycles off one pump.) You can cycle them one at a time, if you want (the first filter will seed the second). You'll be there to do the necessary water tests and changes.

Alternatively, you can fishless cycle two sponge filters in a bucket, using pure ammonia instead of shrimp or fishfood (thank me later). Then put your cycled filters into the tanks and the tanks will then be instantly cycled.

When you go home, put the filters in conditioned water. The bacteria will survive for a few days as long as they're kept wet. Upon arrival, place them in the 10g and that tank will be instantly cycled.