New to this & need cycling advice

I'm new to this forum & this is helping explain things.

I've been cycling for 3 weeks now & am just now getting the brown algae.
I have a 20 G with live sand with a few clams, & about 10 lb of live rock with crab, tube worms, clams, amphipods, & coralline algae stragglers.
I've been testing every 3 days & have always got pH 8.4 & 0ppm on NO2 NO3 NH4.
Am I not testing regularly enough? Bercause I am beginning to get the brown algae/diatom.
I'm thinking I missed the spike. Do brown algae/diatoms come after or before the NH4 spike?

 

Welcome to 3reef. Diatoms come after NH4 and NO2 spikes.
Double check your numbers at a LFS, or buy another set of tests to be certain.

 

quick question, what is LFS?

 

Loca fish store

You should not have anything live in the tank yet until your cycle is complete, sounds like it's almost there, how long have you had clams in it

 

Thanks, I need to get use to the acronyms.
Small clams was in the live sand 3 weeks, clams from rock almost 2 weeks.

 

LFS = local fish store

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/common-acronyms-abbreviations-54351.html

 

NH4 is up to 1.0, NO2 is zero, & NO3 is 10 ppm. What do I do now? I'm thinking to wait for the NH4 to zero out. What do y'alll think?
Also, does the NO3 also zero? If is does or doesn't, then what?
Any comment would be helpful.

 

Wait for ammonia to get back to 0 before you add anything.

 

Ok. well NH4 is 0, NO2 is 0, NO3 is 10-20 ppm, but the pH is ~7.8.

What do you you do a/b the pH?
What do I need to do a/b the NO3?

 

pH is too low, should bring that up gradually with a buffer

NO3 can be dec by water changes, less feeding, sump w/macro algae