is my cycle done?

[Billybatz9]

I did the fishless cycle using pure ammonia and fritz zyme 9 (for my nitrifying bacteria). When I started about 4 days ago, my ammonia level was at about 4 ppm. Today I tested, and here are my results.

Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm

Am I done? Should I add more ammonia to test again? Or can I add my clean up crew now? I have no algae except for the small barely noticeable hair algae.

 

[tzylak]

Your tanks specs and duration would help to answer your question.
Add a SMALL amount of CUC and ONE fish (per month). Then monitor the ammonia and nitrate.
Good luck!

Fish: 1 Ocellaris Clown, 1 B&W Clown, 1 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Fire Shrimp, 1 Corral Banded Shrimp, 1 Arrow Crab, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, Bristle Worms and CUC.
Reef: 150 lb. Sand, 70 lb. Rock, Frog Spawn, Button Polyps, Mushrooms, Kenya Trees, Feather Star, Brain and several aiptasias. . . .
Tank: 50g hex, overflow, 20um filter, 23 gal sump with DSB, 2 pumps, 3 in-tank circulators, 5 UH fluorescent, chiller 650, heater 150W, skimmer 65, I got it on 7/18/2014 but it has been established for over 15 years!!
BTW, Getting the Feather Star was an ignorant rookie mistake on my part. . . .

 

[Billybatz9]

Your tanks specs and duration would help to answer your question.
Add a SMALL amount of CUC and ONE fish (per month). Then monitor the ammonia and nitrate.
Good luck!

Fish: 1 Ocellaris Clown, 1 B&W Clown, 1 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 1 Fire Shrimp, 1 Corral Banded Shrimp, 1 Arrow Crab, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, Bristle Worms and CUC.
Reef: 150 lb. Sand, 70 lb. Rock, Frog Spawn, Button Polyps, Mushrooms, Kenya Trees, Feather Star, Brain and several aiptasias. . . .
Tank: 50g hex, overflow, 20um filter, 23 gal sump with DSB, 2 pumps, 3 in-tank circulators, 5 UH fluorescent, chiller 650, heater 150W, skimmer 65, I got it on 7/18/2014 but it has been established for over 15 years!!
BTW, Getting the Feather Star was an ignorant rookie mistake on my part. . . .

I set my tank up about 3 weeks ago with live rock (no microorganisms, they were in buckets in my garage for a year). After realizing I would never get any ammonia readings, I went and bought ammonia from ace hardware and put some in, along with a nitrifying bacteria bottle that I bought (fritz zyme). 4 days later (today), the readings were good. I'm also using caribsea special grade dry sand.

So i should get a cuc? Don't do another ammonia dosing?

 

[whosurcaddie]

I would add the rock to the tank dose 1ppm ammonia without the bacteria this time and see if you get the same nitrate reading. If you do your good to go. It was most likely the bacteria in a bottle that converted the ammonia so you want to make sure your rock is fully cycled.