Is my tank still cycling?

[Reefhabit]

I recently set up my 130 gallon reef and wanted to know your thoughts on whether or not it is still going through a cycling period.
I first started off with uncured liverock that had decomposing algae and sponges in which I cured in a plastic bin for a total of 6 weeks.
During that period I would always discard leftover coral food to feed the bacteria.
I then did a 100% water change in the curing bin after 4 weeks.
After another 2 weeks I introduced the cured liverock into the new tank and let it continue curing for another 2 weeks with 24 hour skimming. There was brown algae/diatom growth but nothing major.
I tested the water and got a zero reading for ammonia and nitrites. Nitrate test showed below 5ppm using brand new API kits.
I then added 7 damsels, 30 astrea snails, 20 hermit crabs, a favia colony, and several zoanthid frags which are all going great so far but now I see a heavy increase in brown algae/diatom growth.
It's appears to be brown algae/diatoms because even after wiping down the glass the algae would resettle on the glass within minutes.
I don't know if this information is pertinent but under artificial lighting the algae appears brownish in color but under natural sunlight it is green.
A couple of my friends told me the tank is still cycling. Worried about the fish, coral, and inverts I added Seachem Stability into the tank.
The following day I tested the water and got a zero reading on ammonia and nitrites with nitrates testing below .5 ppm.
So far all fish, corals, and inverts are doing great with no sign of distress.
So do you guys think my tank is still going through its cycling period?
Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Brew12]

I recently set up my 130 gallon reef and wanted to know your thoughts on whether or not it is still going through a cycling period.
I first started off with uncured liverock that had decomposing algae and sponges in which I cured in a plastic bin for a total of 6 weeks.
During that period I would always discard leftover coral food to feed the bacteria.
I then did a 100% water change in the curing bin after 4 weeks.
After another 2 weeks I introduced the cured liverock into the new tank and let it continue curing for another 2 weeks with 24 hour skimming. There was brown algae/diatom growth but nothing major.
I tested the water and got a zero reading for ammonia and nitrites. Nitrate test showed below 5ppm using brand new API kits.
I then added 7 damsels, 30 astrea snails, 20 hermit crabs, a favia colony, and several zoanthid frags which are all going great so far but now I see a heavy increase in brown algae/diatom growth.
It's appears to be brown algae/diatoms because even after wiping down the glass the algae would resettle on the glass within minutes.
I don't know if this information is pertinent but under artificial lighting the algae appears brownish in color but under natural sunlight it is green.
A couple of my friends told me the tank is still cycling. Worried about the fish, coral, and inverts I added Seachem Stability into the tank.
The following day I tested the water and got a zero reading on ammonia and nitrites with nitrates testing below .5 ppm.
So far all fish, corals, and inverts are doing great with no sign of distress.
So do you guys think my tank is still going through its cycling period?
Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
Thank you

There are many phases that a tank will go through as it matures which we incorrectly call cycles. If you have 7 damsels in your tank and 0 ammonia, your tank is "cycled" from a nitrifying bacteria perspective.

I think you are just fine with how your tank is coming along. Sounds like you are just experiencing one of the other "cycles" a tank goes through. That is the uglies!

 

[jenreefer]

You seem to be on the right track. This is a normal phase that all new tanks go through. It is not the ammonia "cycle" that you have to worry about with new fish, but rather the tank maturing. You will see this come and go several times during the next year. You should be following your alkalinity, calcium, ph and salinity on a regular basis. I test alkalinity and ph daily, and the rest weekly.

That is a lot of damsels. Do you plan to keep this a damsel tank? If not, you will likely have aggression issues with them in the future.

 

[Reefhabit]

Thanks for the reasurance! I was planning on adding Green Chromis in the tank but that's all they had at the time. I got Alleni damsels since they aren't as agressive as the other damsels I've dealt with. Hopefully they won't be too aggressive towards new tank mates. If so I'll just trap them one by one if I have to.
Yeah I've been testing my parameters as well.
Alk is stable at 9, calcium at 400, and pH at 8.
I just tested my nutrient levels and I'm still getting the same results.