Is my tank cycled after 3 weeks ?

[C2 da fish]

what exactly is a diatom bloom? should I be expecting that to happen?

[Oldsalt01]

Diatoms feed on silicates, which are released from  rock, very often from dry rock, but any rock can do it. All part of the normal cycle, and to be expected. You can research this more on this site. Read, read, read, my friend. 

[Nano Nano Boo Boo]

Diatoms are traditionally a sign that the cycle is nearing completion. In my case I’m assuming I will get a bigger bloom, but patiently waiting as levels bounce around. 

[Aurortpa]

You may get brown dusty powdery looking algae which is diatoms, then maybe cyano, then finally brown/green algae...these steps are natural processes of a tank maturing.  You can do water changes and scrub to help mitigate each but maturity only happens in time.  

[Oldsalt01]

1 hour ago, Aurortpa said:

You may get brown dusty powdery looking algae which is diatoms, then maybe cyano, then finally brown/green algae...these steps are natural processes of a tank maturing.  You can do water changes and scrub to help mitigate each but maturity only happens in time.  

Read above: "maturity only happens with time". Don't try to rush the process. Only bad things happen if u do. Tank cycles are a natural process even though they are an artificial environment. Just let it happen.

[C2 da fish]

So I tested my water 24 hours after I added dr tims ammonia I dosed 2ppm and my results are 0.25 or 0.50 ppm hard to tell I’m using api test kit and my nitrites look like 2ppm I mean I only dosed 2ppm ammonia so it should match to 2ppm nitrite ? And my ph was 8.0 

are things looking good ? Do I need to worry about my nitrite not processing in 24 hours to zero ? 

[BrentSA]

I'd say give it some more time , but if you cant wait , crabs is your best bet for now if you really want something living and they will add to the bio-load.  Just do a water change to get the nitrates out first , once your water is clean nitrites shouldn't climb up too quickly with just one or two crabs .

[MrsPeet15]

Just my 2 cents, my tank cycle started in March. It’s now August and I only added Clean cup crew (crabs) last Saturday. IF my water params keep up I will add fish in a fortnight. It took 5 months for my tank to stabilise, despite it looking like it was cycled because diatoms showed up after 3 weeks. If you get one test suggesting the cycle is over, there’s nothing to stop a parameter swing happening a few days later. You want to get consistently good tests every day for at least a week in my opinion.

Take it from someone who learned the hard way - patience is a virtue in this hobby and will save you a lot of heartache. And money..

[BrentSA]

1 hour ago, MrsPeet15 said:

You want to get consistently good tests every day for at least a week in my opinion.

 

Very good opinion! I always wait 3 months minimum 

[Ladytank]

You can always feed you CUC clams and nori,until your tank grows some algea. It worked for me.