Tank is cycled, can I add fish no skimmer or sump yet?

[fltekdiver]

I have a 180 Gallon tank been up and running now 10 months doing great !

I just started a 60 gallon cube up a few weeks ago, and it's been cycled now
for 2 weeks.

I wasn't expecting the cycle to take place so quick. I used 2 bags of live sand,
40lbs of dry rock, and 10lbs of Live seeded from my 180

My custom sump isn't coming in till next week. So I have a skimmer, return pump, ATO, all sitting here waiting on the sump

Since I been cycled for 2 weeks, Can I add 2 clowns for now ?

[jrozzi]

I would say if you KNOW it cycled and all your levels are back to 0 you should be fine. I'm always skeptical on a quick cycle like that so I would keep an eye on it after adding a fish.

[fltekdiver]

I forgot to add :

I started it off with :

ATM Colony Professional Grade Nitrifying Bacteria Marine Aquarium Supplement

http://www.petco.com/product/121162/ATM-Colony-Professional-Grade-Nitrifying-Bacteria-Marine-Aquarium-Supplement.aspx

[Stbobo]

If you have to have the clowns, you'll be fine. I would wait it out until everything is in place and operating smoothly though.

Just my 2 cents!

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

I'm a total rookie here, but when I cycled my aquarium, I tested it by adding pure ammonia to see if the cycle had finished and the ammonia was processed. Then I waited an extra week to make sure. After that I started adding fish, and so far so good. (5 months now)

You can get pure ammonia at the hardware store.
JMHO

[SwampyBill]

Personally, I don't trust those 'cycle in a bottle' products, & prefer the old 'sit back & let tank cycle on it's own' method...Did you have an ammonia then nitrite spike? What are your nitrates & other parameters now?

[fltekdiver]

I did the old ammonia trick when I first started the tank. I went to Ace Hardware and started the tank with If I remember 2 cap full' s of Ammonia each night until it peaked and started down, but maybe because of the Live Rock, it had only taken around a week

I added the Nitrifying Bacteria at the end of the cycle

Tanks been sitting now still ghost feeding 2 weeks , and the levels are still the same

I just went to the LFS, but they didn't have the clowns I'm looking for in stock

Readings are

Ammonia = 0

PH = 8.3

Nitrites = 0

Nitrates = 0

SG = 1.024

Temp is 78.7

[fltekdiver]

My 180 I started the same way, brought the ammonia up by adding pure ammonia, and base rock, topped off by a bunch of live rock , and my 180 was cycled in less then 2 weeks

On my 180 I didn't add the Nitrifying Bacteria

Here's a video of my 180

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7m8klmn00&list=UU9rW-dOqFNrKEs7kBWJQudA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7m8klmn00&list=UU9rW-dOqFNrKEs7kBWJQudA