how long do i let it cycle?

[seanqrs]

12 gallon jbj nano cube...how long should i let it cycle? also i went to one of the conversion calculator things about water replacement and whats that all about? thx

[dwd5813]

[welcome]

the measure of a cycle is test results, rather than time. get yourself an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test and keep an eye on your results. test often and you will be able to notice a shift, as ammonia spikes first, then that goes down and nitrite spikes, then eventually that will go down and nitrate will spike. this is what is generally considered the end of the cycle. it's important to realize, however, that just because this process has gone on doesn't mean that the tank is done swinging around.

here's a good read on tank maturation
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=249112