how to tell if LR is cycling right

[varpanus]

How can you tell if your newly aquired lr is cycling the way it should? been a couple weeks now, just wondering if I'm supposed to be doing/seeing anything now? been topping off, and checking sg since day 1. that's all stable. temps stable between 80-81.been giving it about 2 hrs of light a day. blowing debris and sand off it every night. seems like nothings changing. looks like alot of soft tissue or plant matter still on the rocks, but no new colors,changes at all that I can tell.any ideas?

TOny

 

[Krish]

Tony, you will have to test your water weekly to see how the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are (really the ammonia and nitrite). As your tank cycles, you will have an incease in ammonia. Once that begins to drop off nitrite will begin to rise, then the nitrite will drop off and the nitrate will rise. Once your tank is reading 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, then your tank is cycled. Nitrates will be a little harder to work off, but the ammonia and nitrite are the ones to be mostly concerned with as they are more toxic (nitrate is toxic as well, but fish can tolerate quite a bit of it) so just continue to test your water and you will be able to tell what your rock is doing

 

[NaH2O]

I agree. Test your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to follow along with your cycle.

 

[Little Luey]

Tony, you will have to test your water weekly to see how the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are (really the ammonia and nitrite). As your tank cycles, you will have an incease in ammonia. Once that begins to drop off nitrite will begin to rise, then the nitrite will drop off and the nitrate will rise. Once your tank is reading 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, then your tank is cycled. Nitrates will be a little harder to work off, but the ammonia and nitrite are the ones to be mostly concerned with as they are more toxic (nitrate is toxic as well, but fish can tolerate quite a bit of it) so just continue to test your water and you will be able to tell what your rock is doing

This is a great answer. It should take you between 6 to 8 weeks to finish your cycle, all depends on how much die off you have on the rocks. To be honest with you, I never check for ammoni, nitrate or nitite during the 6 weeks, I wait until after that to start checking, check in params at this time just makes me want to put something in the tank, that is why I just leave it alone. Try to be patience yourself.