End of Cycle ... ?

[aaron childs]

Cycle ... ?
4 Weeks Later and my tank is cycled I believe ... The guy at the fish store says I didnt have my damsel in long enough before he passed on .. But I have cycled it with 1 Damsel for about two weeks, and 25 lbs of LR since the beginning and I also have 4 hermits in there (Scarlet'). The guy at the LFS says my tank may have never even cycled ... I beg to differ and wanted a little help ... Algae grew like heck for about a week and then the hermits cleaned it up .. God bless them
But anyhow ... I need to know if Im ready for a small fish or not. The readings at the locals fish store today ... I had it checked at two stores and both were close to eachother ...
spec. gravity: 1.025
water temp.: 81
ph: 8.1 - 8.2
ammonia: 0
nitrite: forgot the reading but it was very low ... (Almost a clear whiteish pink on the test kit.)
Tank Specs:
-20 gallon long
-25 lbs LR
-30-35 lbs of LS
-penguin 125 bio wheel filter
-2 powerheads (turnover rate approx= 260 GPH)
-5 scarlet crabs
-1 blue hermit
Any help would be great ! ... I hope its done ... Eek.
Thanks all,
Aaron

 

[blackhavoc]

Did it could up real bad the first week? Mine got almost solid white for about 10 days, then has been crystal clear since. If your amonia is a 0 and nitrates that low, go ahead. Get a cheap fish though, just to be on the safe side.

 

[nudibranch]

Was the LR Cured? It sounds cycled to me...

 

[aaron childs]

LR was uncured and pull of growth.

 

[nudibranch]

aslongasyou are reading 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and very low nitrate you should be set. You may want to take some water to a LFS and have them test it as well just to compare to be sure.