So I started up my tank on January 11th, I had my live sand but not my live rock so I decided to set it up with just the live sand. I dropped in a cocktail shrimp 2 days after the set up to start my cycle, I then started testing parameters a few days after the setup. About two weeks went by before I finally got my live rock from my local fish store, I took the old shrimp out, did a 5 gal water change and set up my live rock and also poured in a bottle of instant ocean biospira. A day or two after I dropped another cocktail shrimp in. Idk if that was necessary but I didn’t think it would hurt anything! Lol it’s now almost a week after I put my live rocks in and I thought I’d share what’s going on! I wanted to get a clean up crew in there around February 12 but I have a question, is my cycle complete? I tracked my parameters and wrote them down so I’ll put a picture down below of my results. 
I know that I have to build up a colony of bacteria in the system which breaks down waste into ammonia which means that will spike, and it did! But then it’s supposed to break further down into nitrite which is the second step but I got no spike in my nitrite levels? Then ill get a spike in nitrate which will lower back down and then that’s when the cycle is complete but I’m just confused cause it seems like it’s been a while and my ammonia has spiked and dropped and I have nitrates but nothing at all has happened with my nitrites?
Here is my 29 gal Coralife biocube
I’m using:
instant ocean reef crystals
Live sand from ARCreef.com
Live rock from LFS
Intank Media basket (with a filter floss and polishing pad right now. Once tank gets cycled going to be using Seachem Purigen and chemipure elite)
Stock pump
Hydor moralist Nano 240 circulation pump
Cobalt 100 watt bro-therm heater (set at 80)
Viparspectra 165 watt led
Tunze USA 3152 ATO
I don’t have a RO/DI unit so I’m using tap water with seachem prime conditioner I’m hoping to get a ro/di soon
and that’s my set up! any tips or anything would be great!
I know that I have to build up a colony of bacteria in the system which breaks down waste into ammonia which means that will spike, and it did! But then it’s supposed to break further down into nitrite which is the second step but I got no spike in my nitrite levels? Then ill get a spike in nitrate which will lower back down and then that’s when the cycle is complete but I’m just confused cause it seems like it’s been a while and my ammonia has spiked and dropped and I have nitrates but nothing at all has happened with my nitrites?
Here is my 29 gal Coralife biocube
I’m using:
instant ocean reef crystals
Live sand from ARCreef.com
Live rock from LFS
Intank Media basket (with a filter floss and polishing pad right now. Once tank gets cycled going to be using Seachem Purigen and chemipure elite)
Stock pump
Hydor moralist Nano 240 circulation pump
Cobalt 100 watt bro-therm heater (set at 80)
Viparspectra 165 watt led
Tunze USA 3152 ATO
I don’t have a RO/DI unit so I’m using tap water with seachem prime conditioner I’m hoping to get a ro/di soon
and that’s my set up! any tips or anything would be great!
