It honestly depends on the setting they are coming from... Most likely you'll be okay without waiting a couple months but I'd say extend your light period for 2-3 weeks and try to be patient. You'll be able to get by but they won't be able to really thrive


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Also depends on how long the tank takes to cycle...during that time you can start to build up biofilm and when the tank is done cycling youd have a nice amount to start off with and can grow it from there after putting the shrimps in.

You can also use products that help aid in the production of biofilm like mosura bt9, mk-breed zsilver powder, and glasgarten bacter ae as well as other products that were made for helping biofilm

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Baxter AE builds biofilm over night. A thick layer

 

i thought bacter ae is used as a shrimp food too? so if using without shrimp wpuld it be bad? ive only used it in tanks with shrimp so id like to know for next time when i set up tanks!!!!

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Bacter ae is a biofilm enhancer, when you dose it whatever surfaces it covers by the next 48 hours it will have a good layer of biofilm on it. It also provides and produces micro fauna and micro flora, which all three of these things shrimp eat, they don't eat the powder itself.

I used it in my cycling apisto bio top tank to produce a thick layer on my manzanita for the ottos. One day after dosing it there was a thick. And I mean like half to one centimeter deep.

 

Wow...i should start using it then...ive only been dosing it sparingly thinking it was shrimp food that doubled as biofilm maker -_- thanks for the info!!!

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Haha, if you red the box that's what it sais. And I can attest to its effectiveness as a bio film enhancer. It's one of the best on the market.

 

The box said lowly stock normally stock and heavily stocked so i didnt think i could use it without shrimp to feed on it haha...ill start using it more often now!!

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You cab use it when there are no shrimp it just works faster because the shrimp aren't picking at it.

I use it in all my tanks with algae eaters because they all love the biofilm.

 

Makes life easier as i have three tanks cycling atm LOL

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Bacteria ae is one of the best products I have ever used and I swear by it now

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