Aquarium Cycling Question

[aquatichypnosis]

I've cycled an aquarium a couple times before, always with a couple damsels. This time I'm transferring my livestock from a 30 gal into a 75 gal. I have read there are better methods to cycling a tank and I don't want an aggressive damsel, so this time I've set it up with 80 pounds of dry 50% crushed coral and 50% aragonite. 8 days ago I set up the tank and seeded the sand bed with two large handfuls of sand from the established sand bed of the 30 gal at the same time i added about 20-25 pounds of live rock from that aquarium and also added ceramic filter media from the established 30 gal filter into the canister filter of the 75 gal.

My question is on a simple testing strip (all i have at the moment) my nitrite and nitrate levels read 0 ppm. I added some flake fish food when i set up the tank 8 days ago. I have no ammonia testing kit. Is it safe to assume it might be okay to transfer my livestock now?

Coming in from the 30 gal I have a Maroon Clownfish, Six Line Wrasse, Flameback Angel and a Yellow Watchman Gobie. A good clean up crew as well consisting of shrimp, hermit crabs, snails and serpent stars.

Any suggestions?

 

[QPWithCheeseQP]

Hmm I'd give it a little longer before adding livestock. And add the other fish very gradually to help the new tank adjust. The bacteria already in it can probably handle some feeding but increasing the bioload rapidly can cause another cycle.

 

[aquatichypnosis]

a little longer meaning a couple days or a couple weeks?

 

[QPWithCheeseQP]

a little longer meaning a couple days or a couple weeks?

Probably a couple days. If you have a LFS anywhere near you they should test all your params for free. Honestly if all params are good, start adding the livestock. Just make sure you do it slowly. Like one or maybe two fish every week. That way even if you still can't test ammonia, you won't lose all your fish in a crash. Just my .02

 

[gone fishin]

In all honesty I would not add anything until it was tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Once you get the test kits you can add some pure ammonia( no surfacant) until you get to 1-2 ppm. If you are cycled all you should see is some nitrate after 24 hours.

With what you added to the new tank I would suspect you would have a quick cycle.