Testing kit advice + when can I add corals??

[boboyo]

Hi all, I am excited to say that my tank was fully cycled yesterday and I added 2 clownfish!! The aquavitro seed bottle said 7 days but it took a solid 10 (at some point I was even convinced it was a garbage product since there was mixed feelings on here but I can confirm it’s legit!!)


question 1 - is it normal to see a ph spike after adding fish? It used to read something between 7.8-8ph until 24h after I put the fish. I might be colourblind since I can’t even tell where this weird pink should be on the scale (check picture attached). I’m using API. Is there also something digital I could use to test ph, nitrate, phosphate and others that someone can recommend?

Question 2: how long until I can put corals? I didn’t install my lights yet as I’m waiting for parts to install some cooling for my metal halide setup and paint it because the aluminum reflector is stained and very ugly from the outside.
Should I start with a little cuc gradually and have my lights on for a couple of weeks? Is a month a realistic expected time frame for a basic coral and what should I do to accelerate it without hurting my little clown fishies?


Pics are with and without flash

 

[paul01609]

Stability is key

 

[Rmckoy]

I’d suggest retesting .
if I had to guess though I’d say 8.4 which isn’t too bad . But as mentioned above . Stability is more important .