Did I skip the cycle?

[NewReefer455]

I know that there are probably a million threads like this, but it seems the more I read the more opinions I find. I'm running a 25g cube display with a 20 gal sump at around 40 gallons of total volume. I got my tank wet mid-day on the first of this month. I filled it with fresh mixed water, 5 stage rodi and (red sea salt), at 1.025 sg. The next morning I added 10 lbs of dry marco rock, 8 lbs of established live rock, and 20 lbs of live-wet fijipink followed by 16oz of fritz zyme 9. The next morning I added half of a large uncooked table shrimp, hanging in a filter sock right in front of one of the return jets ion the display, as well as the second half of the fritz bottle. Since the start I have tested salinity, ph, ammonia, and nitrate twice daily using salifert kits and a refractometer. Salinity I am keeping steady at 1.026 and temperature is running off a ranco at 78*; ph started around 8.00 but has risen and remained at 8.15 the past 3 days. I have not read any ammonia at all in the water, but yesterday and today I have gotten my first hits of nitrate at 1ppm and now 2.5ppm. To be sure of the cycle I checked nitrite levels today and yesterday as well and they are zero, phosphate is also at zero (I was concerned about not having allowed the dry marco rock to cure). Since day 1 I have been lighting the tank with an ai prime 8" above the water surface using the lord howe preset.
I am under the impression that the initial cycle is done with, and I would like to pull the shrimp out of the water, but I am not certain. Anyone have any insight? If the cycle has completed I'd like to pull that shrimp and get a cuc going in the tank. If anything I know I can just wait it out and see what happens.

 

[ndrwater]

Leave the shrimp in for now.
There will need to be a constant source of ammonia for things to keep working as they should.
That can be the aforementioned shrimp, a fish, or added ammonia from the makers of the bacteria in a bottle.
By removing the shrimp without adding in a source of ammonia, things will stall and potentially worse, go backwards.

 

[NewReefer455]

Leave the shrimp in for now.
There will need to be a constant source of ammonia for things to keep working as they should.
That can be the aforementioned shrimp, a fish, or added ammonia from the makers of the bacteria in a bottle.
By removing the shrimp without adding in a source of ammonia, things will stall and potentially worse, go backwards.

Once the shrimp vanishes completely should I begin ghost feeding or should I just add my first livestock? I'm not sure if it is advisable to have livestock in the tank for the diatom/cyano/algae stages

 

[ndrwater]

You will need a source of ammonia no matter what. Typically, people have added their first livestock to the tank when the algae start appearing.
I wouldn't recommend leaving the shrimp in with any livestock.

 

[Salty Lemon]

Waiting is the hardest part of this hobby.

 

[NewReefer455]

You will need a source of ammonia no matter what. Typically, people have added their first livestock to the tank when the algae start appearing.
I wouldn't recommend leaving the shrimp in with any livestock.

I guess I will wait until the algae starts appearing and I will pull the shrimp, if there is anything left of it, and I will add the two ocellaris clowns that my lfs has waiting for me in a quarantine tank.

Waiting is the hardest part of this hobby.

I actually don't mind the waiting, its just the current uncertainty that bothers me. No ammonia ever read while seeing nitrates slowly rise is what confused me. I was fully expecting to wait a month or more before even considering adding livestock.

 

[NewReefer455]

Cycle is definitely completed. I was just glancing at the tank a few minutes ago and it seems that overnight, or possibly even just this morning after the lights started up, the diatoms are starting to take hold. They are barely visible from a distance, but looking right at the sand and rock up close I am starting to see colonies form in small patches. There is also very small (mm or smaller) white hairs beginning to take hold on the glass surfaces in random parts of the tank.

 

[DeniseAndy]

The live rock you added would have been enough to get the system into almost full cycle mode. Adding the shrimp just boosted the bacteria and now most rocks should be live. No ammonia or nitrite, should be good to go.

 

[Inertiatic]

Definitely possible since you seeded with live rock. The easiest way to be sure is to use some ammonium chloride https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ammonium-chloride-for-fishless-cycles-dr-tim-s.html.

With something like that, you can accurately add 1 ppm of ammonia and then test in 24 hours. If the tank is ready, it should have no problem breaking down 1 ppm in 24 hours.