Fast Cycle?!?!

I ran a few test and was I surprised!

My Ammonia levels dropped to <0.02 from ~4.0 ppm
Nitrite levels dropped to 0 from ~5.0 ppm
Nitrate levels remained about the same 40-80 ppm maybe dropped a bit (I'm bad with judging colors)
pH staying consistent at ~8.2

These are the only test I have that came with the API kit. Any other test I should go out and buy before adding fish? Am I closed to done cycling?

 

Mg, Ca, ALK! If your testing these things to see how fast you can put livestock in there you are going to have problems later on. Slow down and let mother nature do her work.

Oh welcome to 3reef.

 

Cycle could take as little as 4 weeks or much longer depending on how much live bacteria was already on the livesand and liverock in your tank from the begining.

 

my tank cycled in about 3-4 weeks all said and done. Also, you really don't need to test for Ca and Mg if you are only adding fish at this stage. They are good numbers to know, but not necessary when keeping only fish. If I were you, I would wait at least another week to make sure the numbers are relatively stable before adding anything. Then start with some hardy species

 

I would recommend PO3+4 if you don't have it yet, and about the cycling, I wait about 5weeks minimum and don't get any fish that you might regret later on

 

Lesson learned, I will never test a tank again until after it's been up for 4 weeks, and NOTHING is going in until I KNOW for sure that it's cycled. You do not want to wake up in the morning to a fish lying on the sandbed because you thought your cycle was over (I was taking my water to the LFS to be tested and running tests at home), went too fast and when the ammonia REALLY spiked have it get sick and die! Been there, and don't want a t-shirt! I will tell you that I'm not going back any time soon either.

Next time, I'm waiting a month before I test, and then I'm waiting 2 weeks after I "think" I've cycled and waiting for everything to get to zero (Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite) and STAY at zero before I put a fish in...PERIOD!!!!!

 

Thanks for all the feedback, really do appreciate it. I'll stay away from the tank for awhile. My new cell phone should keep me distracted for at least a week or two =D

 

You will see constant fluctuations in all 3 of these numbers, until you see nothing but nitrates your still cycling and then you need to still park it and wait another week.

Are you doing any kind of ghost feeding on the tank so the bacteria has something to feed on and multiply faster?

 

I threw some shrimp in there that mushed up and then got sucked in by the powerhead, after a few days. Other than the shrimp I haven't added anything.