How to mature with no fish?

[Solga]

I have a quick question, and this is not intended to start any kind of arguments, or flame wars. But if it has been proven that most cycle times take 14-21 days, what is the point of testing for the nitrogen cycle ? Other than to establish good maintenance habits for new(ish) reefers ?

 

[AgentKooper]

They will decrease and will be 10-14 days ( assuming your test kit is accurate)

Interesting, thanks. Pretty much everything else I've read suggests that complete denitrification only happens in long-established tanks, and that a big water change is the only way to bring high nitrates down after ammonia and nitrite zero out in a new tank (assuming live rock wasn't used). I've never heard of waiting for nitrates to go below 20 ppm as the final part of the cycle.

 

[pulpfiction]

I am having some issues with ammonia without more stuff in the tank to keep bacteria up. A snail died and my ammonia and nitrate spiked. I had to do a water change 4 days in a row for the cycle to stabilize again. I found the dead snail after stabilizing the tank. I'm 99% sure its death was the cause of overtaxing the bioload.

after it stabilized I added a couple cerith snails and a rock flower since they will eat food. I may try to grab bristle worms from my main tank and introduce them so if a snail dies it wont sit there rotting.