Cycling question for 29 gallon

[jlbiggs11]

So I started my fish tank sometime in June, I put salt and sand in my tank, about a full month later, July 18th, I received 25 lbs of Fiji rock, cleaned, and added to my tank.I started waiting for my tank to cycle. I was at first using a test strip for ammonia. I decided I didn't need nitrates or nitrites yet since my ammonia wasn't spiking. Yesterday, July 23, I decided maybe my test strips were not accurate since the highest spike in a week was .25 ppm. I got a master testing kit with test tubes and tested ammonia which read 0 ppm nitrates which was 0 ppm and nitrites in between 20 ppm and 40 ppm... So 30 ppm and ph was either 8.0 and 8.2. It was hard to differ between the violets.
My question is, do you think since I had added live sand so early, the the bacteria was enough to cover the die off of my rock? Or maybe my rock was in really good condition, it was in the mail for over 7 days so I figured EVERYTHING would be dead. Or maybe the cycling hasn't even began yet? Thanks in advance for any help, and feel free to ask any questions.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jlbiggs11 http:///forum/thread/386874/cycling-question-for-29-gallon#post_3400289
So I started my fish tank sometime in June, I put salt and sand in my tank, about a full month later, July 18th, I received 25 lbs of Fiji rock, cleaned, and added to my tank.I started waiting for my tank to cycle. I was at first using a test strip for ammonia. I decided I didn't need nitrates or nitrites yet since my ammonia wasn't spiking. Yesterday, July 23, I decided maybe my test strips were not accurate since the highest spike in a week was .25 ppm. I got a master testing kit with test tubes and tested ammonia which read 0 ppm nitrates which was 0 ppm and nitrites in between 20 ppm and 40 ppm... So 30 ppm and ph was either 8.0 and 8.2. It was hard to differ between the violets.
My question is, do you think since I had added live sand so early, the the bacteria was enough to cover the die off of my rock? Or maybe my rock was in really good condition, it was in the mail for over 7 days so I figured EVERYTHING would be dead. Or maybe the cycling hasn't even began yet? Thanks in advance for any help, and feel free to ask any questions.
Welcome to the site...glad you got the right test kits. Strips are no use.
The cycle is

• 
  ammonia
• 
  nitrite
  then last of all nitrate

From your test kit...you already had some ammonia and it has started the next stage... nitrite...next to show up is the nitrate
After nitrates show then do a water change and wait 1 week, if after one week you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites then you are good to add a fish. ONE fish or two little guys, like clown fish. Youy should also be setting up the QT so they cycle at the same pace, giving you a place for new critters before adding them.

 

[jlbiggs11]

Oops sorry I made a mistake my NITRITES were at 0 Ppm and NITRATES at 30 ppm.