Cycled?...Opinions....(Photos)

[CrossRamZ11]

Hi,

Just wanted to get some opinions...My 55g tank has been up and running for about 4 weeks now, about halfway through I added a DSB, 20 pounds of live sand (120# total) , and another 20 pounds of live rock, and 2 pounds of Carribean Sand to seed the DSB. I also have a Fluval 404 running.

I have been monitoring all of the water conditions...as of today they are:

temp - Contant 80F
Sal - 1.022
PH - 8.2
A Total Ammonia is approx. .15-.20 with the toxic being .005 per the test kit.
Nitrite is O
Nitrate is <10

I have had a huge Diatom bloom as shown in the picture, pretty much on everything:


I think the tank is cycled, am I correct, or do I need to wait longer? I have not yet done a water change, I was waiting until the cycle was complete.

Looking for some guidance...I am anxious to order a critter kit from Saltwaterfish.com, but I want to make sure everything is cool before I add them.

Thanks as always

[d9hp]

Man, I gotta say, that is some of the best aquascaping for that tank size I have ever seen!

[CrossRamZ11]

Thanks for the compliment on the aquascaping...I really enjoy that part of this hobby. Here are a couple more pictures I just took tonight...






So, does it appear cycled?

[ConanTheLibraia]

I am not very familiar with cycling of saltwater tanks but it really must take some talent to get a tank looking that nice!

[d9hp]

Man that one cave it really cool!!

[Hara]

As long as you have ammonia, your tank is NOT cycled. Have you been monitoring levels all along? If so, have you seen the nitrites spike yet?

[bizzybeas]

I second Hara's opinion. After my tank was cycled it still did some adjusting for about another week or so. Better to be safe! I kept a log and tested the water every 2 days, as not to miss anything, the nitrite spike only lasted 2 days. Cool rocks, did you epoxy the ledge or is it balancing? I have not decided if I am going to epoxy or not.

[CrossRamZ11]

Sorry for the delayed response,

Actually, I did not epoxy, but I do take quite a bit of time to set the rocks and place them correctly. I always make sure that there are at least 3 points of contact to make a stable base for each and every rock. In some cases, I utilize the back glass as the third point. Take you time, and epoxy is not necessary.

p.s. Ammonia hit 0, Nitrates are 0 and Nitrites are <10..I am cycled baby!!!!!

[BrianH]

Sorry to tell you this but if you still have nitrites then your tank has not finished cycling.

Brian