If you have 0 in NH4 and NO2 - your cycle is done. Because that you use a process with adding NH4/NH3 your cycle end up with crazy NO3 levels. You can do a water change, you can use som methods for removing nitrates as DOC dosing (dissolved organic carbon), a fuge, DSB or a denitrification filter. But if you wait, only wait for the NO3 levels go done by itself - prepare next year or the year after that for stocking your tank.
I do not really understand you folk over there - why do you do easy things in a complicated maner?
If I start up a new tank - I fill and mix my water day one together with sand (often living sand) and living stones/dead stones. No preparing of the stones - not at all. If there is things growing on the LS - I let i be. If I have access to "old good water" - I mix some in to the new aquaria - the same if I have som gravel from an aquarium that´s work. Day two or three - I introduce a fat and healthy fish - often some types of Clowns. I start to introduce a clean up crew too - and a rather large crew with different species of hermits and snails. Day three - I start to feed but very carefully. The first week - I feed my clown with 4 or 5 frozen adult artemia every third day. second week - the same amount very second day and the third week - every day the same amount. week 4 - I slowly rise the amount of food every day. When I start feeding I add nitrification bacteria every day - either in the form of commercial products (but only nitrification bacteria like biospira). I add every day whatever the instructions say. I can also use sludge from a working aquaria - solve it in saltwater - put it in the refrigerator and pull in some of it every day. It does not matter if its from SW or FW system. I start my illumination day 2 (or then the clean up crew is introduced) I start with my light period but if possible - not with max intensity.
Day 7 I put in some NO3 into the aquarium in order to avoid any cyano coming up. The necessary PO4 will come from the uncleaned stones. microalgae will grow - the Clean up Crew will eat it.
Normally i start to stock my aquarium with corals after a week - not the most sensitive but they will consume some nutrients
I normally not measure anything the first 2 months - when my bacterial life of the aquarium has settled - I star measure and adjust my levels with proper methods
Its important to stress that this slow feeding (an small feeding) mostly will cycle the aquaria without any measurable levels of NH3/NH4 or NO2 and end up with low levels of NO3
If I only use new mixed SW I normally use a Tetra product - bacterozym. It make the water less aggressive for the fish's mucus layer. if I have access to some "used" water - I skip that.
In this way - I have started many aquariums without breakdowns, algae explosions and so on for many years and my method (in Sweden) is known as Lasse 15 points for an easy start. See my build thread for the last start I have done
Sincerely Lasse
