How fast will the cycle start?

[808]

I set up my tank on 8/19, and on 8/20 the LR went in. I did a water test today (8/23) and my readings were:
Ammonia = 0.25 mg/l
Nitrite = <0.3 mg/l
Nitrate = 0 mg/l
Specific Gravity = 1.022

The ammonia test color actually looked closer to 0 than to .25, likewise for the nitrite. But i figure i'd be cautious and take the higher color. I've searched on other test results people got when cycling their tanks, and my numbers seem really low for a cycle, especially when it looked like it could have been zero's across the board. Is this my cycle? Am i lucky and have little die-off? Or has it not really started yet, and i'm testing too early? How fast do cycles normally start...i was under the impression that it should spike pretty fast.

 

[lando]

There might not be enough die-off to feed a full cycle. Go to the grocery store and get a cockatail shrimp or two and throw them into the tank. This will be plenty to jump-start your cycle.

 

[seaham358]

Did you buy cured LR? And Seeing your in Hawaii is it local LR? Like lando says not enough die off for a cycle.
If its cured you will not see a cycle because it already has the bacteria needed on it.
Take your time and it will happen... try the shrimp like lando suggests...
nothing good happens fast in this hobby...

 

[fishfreek]

If the live rock was good quality cured rock you might not see much of an ammonia spike even with adding a shrimp. This is because if you have enough live rock that has a good bed of bactera already on it than the bactera can easily handle the increased ammonia from the shrimp and thus you wont end up with extremly high numbers.

 

[808]

It's not cured. By cured you mean it was already cleaned of the stuff that died on it right? I got the rock straight from the beach. Went to a part of the island inaccessible by cars and any vehicles...hiked a bit to the ocean, swam out and picked the loose rock. Put that in a bucket with some fresh seawater and took it home. Time from ocean to my tank was about 30-40 minutes. What is that considered? Uncured right? I guess i gotta throw a shrimp in there and prepare myself for some unpleasant smells around the house.

And i know it'll probably come up...LFS said law is 1lb per day.

 

[fishfreek]

Well it could be consitered aganst the law depending on the state. I dont know what HI's rules are on collection of rock from the ocean but I know in other states its highly illegal.

That would be classified as cured since there would be next to zero dieoff.