Ammonia is Zero

[JMorris271]

Just my luck. My cycle is almost complete according to the zero Ammonia reading. Now I have to leave town for 2 weeks tomorrow. Tonight I'll raise ammonia back up to 2 ppt and see what the reading is.. I'll wait to check the nitrites when we get back. Hopefully it will be time to do my first water change.:celeb3:
Should I have my house sitter ghost feed the tank while I am gone?
Algae is starting to take off and I can see a few brown dots on the rock and sand. I hope that's a good thing.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

You do need some source of ammonia to feed the bacteria, not sure how long they will live without it. The algae is going to go through a cycle so the sooner the better for it to start.

 

[homer1475]

If you dose back up to 2ppm just leave it be while your gone. Those bacteria don't need to be fed they can live a very long time without something to feed off. Ghost feeding the tank will only cause you problems and super high nitrates in the end.

My guess is your tank will be ready for its first WC and CUC when you get home as your ammonia will be 0 and more then likely your nitrite will be 0, and your nitrates will be high. Signaling the end of your cycle.

 

[JMorris271]

At what point should I get the skimmer going?
There is some short stringy stuff coming out of what looks like barnacles on my LR.
I'm not sure what the heck it is but that will cause some anxiety until I get back.