No Cycle?

[keithstric]

I've been out of the hobby now for about 15 years until this past Sunday (10/29/2017). I purchased and started the setup of a LED BioCube 32. I've added:

• 25gal RO/DI Water
• 20lbs CaribSea Fiji Pink Live Sand with the included bacteria packets
• 12lbs Cured Live Rock
• 5ml MicroBacter7 daily starting on 10/30/2017

My concern is after 5 days I'm not seeing any Ammonia, Nitrite or Nitrate. So I guess my question is:
Is MicroBacter7 a suitable additive to start the cycle?

I understand I'll need more Live Rock in the very near future which I was kind-of waiting for the cycle to complete before adding more.

[mcgyvr]

A cycle is all about establishing a bacterial population in the tank so that toxic ammonia,etc.. can be fully/quickly processed..
"live rock" by definition is rock that is fully populated with bacteria..

ammonia/nitrite only show up on test kits when there is no bacteria or is insufficient bacteria to process it quickly..

So its likely that you will not have a cycle as the rock is already live so its current bacterial population is sufficient to process ammonia quick enough that you don't measure it..

Here.. I wrote this not too long ago.

Funny how few really understand what a cycle even is..

You won't have a cycle (or if you did it was very small/quick)

You bought live rock from a local source (and we shall assume that you kept it at least moist and didn't let it dry out for months in your garage)..
The reason its called "live rock" is because it ALREADY has plenty of living bacteria on its surface.. Its only "Live" because of the bacteria and that term means nothing about the amount of living creatures or macro algae or sponges or whatever already on it.. "Live" only refers to being colonized with bacteria or not...

The cycle already happened before you even got the rock..
You purchase live rock (locally sourced) because you want little to no cycle at all.. The local fish store already did the work and cycled it so that your little daughter who is pulling at your pant leg saying .."Give me Nemo daddy.. Give me Nemo" can get you to whip out your credit card and buy a tank and some "live rock" and some water and that little Nemo and you can take it home and set it up that same day and not kill that Nemo from ammonia toxicity...

A cycle is the process of building up sufficient quantities of bacteria on the surfaces of the tank.. You can take a cycled tank and change out 100% of the water and the tank is still cycled because very few bacteria are free floating in the water..

While the tank is still building up its bacterial colonies there was plenty of bacteria already brought in on the live rock.. That bacteria can easily process the small amount of ammonia quickly already from your small damsel fish..
Hence.. No visible cycle for you.. There won't be a cycle..

[keithstric]

Thanks mcgyvr