How Do I Know When My Tank Has Finished Cycling

[MoonTang]

I have a 55 Gal Tank set-up for about 3 weeks now. I have 65lbs of live rock with 25lbs of Sea Aragonite. A overflow system with 30 Gal sump, 2 powerheads (450gph and 850gph), a 9w uv sterilizer, Prizm Deluxe protein skimmer.

I have added a blue yellow-tail damsel and a orange diamond back goby and 3 turbo snails. All of them seem very healthy.

I have did a water test. Here are the stats; Salinity- 1.024, PH-8.4, Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, Nitrate-0 and water temp is at 78. Also i just wanted to add that i used tap water with water conditioner. I also wanted to know if it's ok to use filtered water(brita) or spring water in the big jugs at supermarkets for the tank??



Hope someone could give me some great advice. This is mine very first setup

 

[steelhealr]

Moontang:



1) If your tank has been up for as long as you state, it is most likely cycled. However, I wouldn't go stocking it with corals or expensive fish as yet

2) I think you are making a grievous error by using tap water in your tank. It is a recipe for trouble and heartache. Brita is no good. Spring water is no good. I STRONGLY recommend that you changeover to either RO water, distilled or NSW.

3) 1.024 is your specific gravity, NOT your salinity. It's good to get your terms down

I apologize if the post seems 'rough', but, it's a terrible thing to see a new 'mariner' start off on the wrong foot. There is so much to lose. SH

 

[SkiFletch]

I agree with what SH had to say. You've done VERY well setting up the tank hardware wise. Thats a good sized sump, plenty of LR, plenty of flowrate, a decent skimmer, and the sterilizer is also a wise choice for a first-timer. I do agree though that using tapwater or even springwater is not a wise course of action. You can buy DISTILLED water from the supermarket if you want, but brita and spring water are not good. Water treated that way can still carry bad heavy metals like copper and lead and sometimes even nitrates and phosphates survive brita or spring type filtration. You need a distiller or membrane (RO) filter to remove those.

Also, watch your damselfish very carefully as you add other tank inhabitants. Most damsels despite their diminutive size can be extremely aggressive towards other species. So agressive that you might want to consider returning them to your LFS for some store credit or similar.

You're off to a great start though and we want pics