how to figure when your cycle is done

I filled my tank with 5 stage rodi, top off with rodi and do water changes with rodi. I never had a spike, or a cycle for that matter. I put 200 lbs of live rock from an exsisting reef in and a huge chunk of chaeto in the fuge.

 

When your fish stop dying.;D

 

if u used tap water to fill up maybe get yourself a phosphate test aswell, if you dont wanna use chemicals to remove (phosphate) then you'll be struggling with algae for a long time. I think you'll find your phosphate off the charts?

 

I also used established rock + sand, and ro/di mix in my tank and I saw very little of a cycle. I got nitrites once but it was a very low reading.

The phosphate test kit can wait, as can ones for magnesium, calcium, alkalinity, iodine, stronium, etc. and their respective buffers. The best way to know where your cycle is at is with a test kit of your own, might as well become familiar with them now as later on your going to be using them a lot more.

~Will.

 

RO/DI water is, the water they sell in fish shops right? Already made salt water?

 

ro/di is Reverse Osmissis De-Ionized water. you get it by running tap water through a ro/di filter. It has almost nothing to do with your actual cycle, but the long term benefits are huge.

~Will.

 

so I would need to buy RO/DI Filter? Is that really needed? Cant I just buy that ro/di water from fish shops?

 

you dont need to have one, its just a lot more convenient to have one set up in your home for top offs and water changes.

~Will.

 

Well so I went to fish shop and did a water testing..And the following results were...

Ammonia 0
Nitrate 20
Nitrite .5
PH 8.4

Am i almost there yet, or still far to go

 

youre gettin very close. give it a bit longer just to make sure theres no additional spikes. better safe than sorry. im sorry didnt notice, wil this be fish only or reef?