Sum friendly advice needed!!

[ReeferSutherlan]

HI YALL NAMES MAJOR N IM SOMEWHAT NEW TO THE HOBBY SO ID LIKE TO START OFF BY TELLIN U WHAT I AM WORKIN WITH.....SO FAR I HAVE A

55 GALLON SEACLEAR SYSTEM II ACRYLIC TANK WITH THE FILTER BUILT IN BACK FOR BIO MEDIA FILTRATION POWERHEAD ETC
40 LBS LIVE SAND
13lbs DEAD ROCK
1 powerhead FOR CIRCULATION

I ALSO SEEDED BACTERIA IN THE BIO BALLS IN THE BACK ASWELL!!! I STARTED OUT WITH A MAROON CLOWN BECAUSE I LET MY IDIOT LFS GUY CONVINCE ME TO DO A CYCLE WITH A FISH SMH SO THAT BEING SAID I WAS DOING EVERYTHING I VOULD TO CATER TO THE LIL DUDE I BOUGHT FLUVAL CONCENTRATED BACTERIA START UP WITH THE OPTION TO ADD FISH IMM. WHICH I HAD TO SAY DIDNT AFFECT THE LEVELS AT ALL AT FIRST.....MY GF FORGOT TO LEAVE THE AC ON IN THE HOUSE AND TEMP SKY ROCKETED N MY CLOWN DIED SMH

SO I HAVE NOW HAD A FISHLESS CYCLING TANK. I HEARD THAT ELEVATED TEMPS HELP THE BACTERIA GROW FASTER SO I LET THE TANK LINGER ROUND 84-88 degrees IS THT A BAD MOVE???

THE TANK HAS BEEN CYCLING FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS AND MY AMMONIA IS AT 0 MY NITRITES AT 0 MY NITRATES A LITTLE OVER 0 my salinity is bout 33 and my gravity is about 1.026

THIS IS ALL AFTER AMMONIA AND NITRATE SPIKES (I THINK I MISSED THE NITRITE SPIKE)

DOES THIS MEAN MY TANK IS CYCLED OR DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH MY FISH NOT BEING IN THE TANK TO PRODUCE AMMONIA? BUT SINCE THERE WAS AN AMMONIA SPIKE FROM THE JUMP WOULDNT THAT MEAN MY TANK HAS BEEN CYCLED???

ANYWHHO ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED THANKZ!!!!

[sde1500]

If you saw your ammonia spike and drop and didn't test but now have no nitrites your tank is probably cycled and ready for fish. Make you you QT any fish you get to not introduce disease into the tank. And maybe try not typing in all caps, it's a bit much to read.

[gone fishin]

I would suggest getting some more rock for the tank, 13 pounds is a bit light on the rock. Maybe another 25-30 pounds. I would also consider removing the bioballs. With enough rock in the tank to act as your bio filter the bioballs are not needed. If you decide to go this route then you will more than likely get a cycle again.

IMO the bioballs will require frequent maintenance. Good luck just my 2 cents.

[Sk8r]

Put a few flakes of fishfood in daily. This will lie there and rot. If it eventually disappears, and if there is no ammonia from it, it's pretty sure the tank has cycled. At that point you can add snails and crabs for a 4 week stay, feed them; and meanwhile put a first fish into quarantine for 4 weeks or do a tank-transfer process (consult the fish disease forum for that process). You can also add hardy corals at this point, but if this is your first tank, I'd wait a while on that.

[ReeferSutherlan]

If you saw your ammonia spike and drop and didn't test but now have no nitrites your tank is probably cycled and ready for fish. Make you you QT any fish you get to not introduce disease into the tank. And maybe try not typing in all caps, it's a bit much to read.

ok good to kno sorry bout the caps lol

[ReeferSutherlan]

Put a few flakes of fishfood in daily. This will lie there and rot. If it eventually disappears, and if there is no ammonia from it, it's pretty sure the tank has cycled. At that point you can add snails and crabs for a 4 week stay, feed them; and meanwhile put a first fish into quarantine for 4 weeks or do a tank-transfer process (consult the fish disease forum for that process). You can also add hardy corals at this point, but if this is your first tank, I'd wait a while on that.

ok I readba bit bout the tank transfer method n it seems like having a small quarintine tank is the easiest on the pocket so I guess ill go that route.....are pellets ok to toss in there or should fkajes be the prefereed method? another question at when is it ok to thro a uv filter in there if at all??

[ReeferSutherlan]

I would suggest getting some more rock for the tank, 13 pounds is a bit light on the rock. Maybe another 25-30 pounds. I would also consider removing the bioballs. With enough rock in the tank to act as your bio filter the bioballs are not needed. If you decide to go this route then you will more than likely get a cycle again.

IMO the bioballs will require frequent maintenance. Good luck just my 2 cents.

ok sooo if I get dead rock and let the existing bacteria seed to it then I will be able to remove the bioballs withiut ressetting the cycle?

[gone fishin]

ok sooo if I get dead rock and let the existing bacteria seed to it then I will be able to remove the bioballs withiut ressetting the cycle?

IMO depending on how clean the dead rock is then you may just see a short bit of a cycle. I would prefer to have a longer wait time now than trying to add rock down the road with live stock in the tank.