I used a combination of BRS pukani dry and marco. There was enoough dead organic matter in the dry rock to start the cycle after about 2 weeks - time for the material to rehydrate and decompose. I used MB7 to kick start the bacteria. After about 3 weeks ammonia dropped to zero with the natural spike in nitrites, followed by nitrates. I held off on WC and skimming until nitrites dropped to zero. Water was fairly yellow after but the skimmer cleared it up over about a week, don't forget the daily cleanings and skim wet for quicker removal. After the base cycle was complete I started dosing in ammonia daily, std grocery story variety, until I hit a level that gave measureable ammonia the day after a spike. Went through another mini cycle over about a week then I was sure there was sufficient bacteria to support life safely. I've never seen a spike or mini cycle since then. Of course additions have been slow like 1 fish every 1-1.5 months, the QT time. If you don't see an ammonia rise in a couple of weeks you may ned to add some organic material to decompose or just start spiking in some ammonia to start the bacterial bloom your developing during the cycle. BTW the nitrate cnversion will take about 3-6 months to really kick in so be patient and careful on keeping up with normal water changes, 10% qweekly if you can, for the good of your fish. I like clean water and air to live in and demand the same for my aquarium inhabitents. Good luck and be patient.
