Am I Finally Cycled? Clean up crew?

According to the colour chart I have an ammonia level of .25, I should of be cycled by now though, NO2 and NO3 are 0.

I decided to run a test on my RO/DI water it says .25 too, I think the colour is just off a little, RO/DI should not have any ammonia right? not with a TDS reading of 3.

So am I ready for my clean up crew, the algae is taking over, mostly long hair? I've got some cool algae that looks like palm tree leaves too.

Not much red slime left.

This is the clean up crew that I want, does it sound good?

Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit 5
Peppermint Shrimp 4
Turbo Snail 10
Bumble Bee Snail 5
Queen Conch 1
Red Footed Conch 2
Scarlet Reef Hermit 3
Orange Marked 3
Electric Blue Hermit 1
Green Lettus Nudibranch 2

 

"According to the colour chart I have an ammonia level of .25"

Nope, your not cycled yet.

 

If you are getting the same color on you RO/DI water, you may be right about your test kit being off. I would suggest taking a sample of your tank water to your LFS and have them test it. Most will do it for free. If it tests good at the LFS, get a new ammonia test kit.

Mike

 

I agree with Michael, your test kit is probably off. Some are a lot better than others.
That is an interesting clean up crew selection. I do not have any experience with about half of them.... Hermits and snails are the staples as far as I know. The rest I'm not sure of

Jim

 

I would add some cerith snails as they keep the glass clean at the top of, and just below the gravel line. Nerites are great and so are Nassarith snails which like to burrow in the sand and come out at night. They are good ditrovores. Be careful of the Red Footed Snail, they are a cold water species and are short lived in warmer water.

 

Regarding the blue legged hermits, our supplier is taking them back in dozens after people reported they're a bit too aggressive with other stuff and each other. Personally, I've removed most of ours (the larger ones) after I caught them merrily eating our snails. One or two perhaps, but I saw one get hauled of the glass by a blue leg and then he started eating him. The red leg hermits are a lot more suitable apparently.

 

.25 is still deadly to fish and inverts. I'm a little confused as to why you have an algal bloom when the cycle isn't even done? I'm curious if you added LR with pest algae already on it. It's not normal to have a bloom of hair in the first stages of your cycle, but cyanobacteria is. I've never seen any like that.

When I cycled my 20g tank, I noticed that the hair algea thrived under the cycle period, the hair algae was present because it was introduced with a rock from my 30g reef. That's why I ask if you introduced stuff with pest algae already on the LR.

 

A am going to pick up a new ammonia test today. The color is so close 0 but more close to .25, being more greenish than yellow, but the colour is still very yellow. I think the reference test pretty much speaks for its self. The .25 is right next to the 0, it may even be the lighting in my kitchen. Maybe I'll try it under a different light.

I'll keep some of the clean up crew stuff in mind, get rid of some of them and replace them with others. I'm going to order them tonight after I get the new ammonia test.

You should see my tank, some of the green hair is 8 inches long. Some of it is bright green, some of it more brown. Almost everything is covered.

I am thinking of getting a lawn mower blenny, any body have them?

Thanks for all your help everyone.

 

"That's why I ask if you introduced stuff with pest algae already on the LR."

No didn't, not that I know of, the rocks where very clean when I put them in. Nothing grew on them for about 5 weeks.

 

I have a lawn mower blennie and they are wonderful algae eaters. Just be sure you find one that will eat prepared foods because once the algae is gone they will starve. Mine eats every thing I put in the tank. Emarald crabs will make quick work the hair algae as well but may start eating your snails once they get bigger. I had to return mine back to my LFS after it got too big.