Katie,
It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete the marine cycle. During this time you should see an aray of various algae blooms. When I cycle a tank I watch for te dreaded diatoms, my husband hates these "why is that tank so brown, aren’t you gonna do something with that?".
If you want to see if you tank has cycled add a tablespoon of pure amonia. Test for nh3 once you get the amonia levels to 2ppm and gone within 24 hours it’s safe to say the tank has cycled. If you aren’t going to add livestock right away you will need to continue feeding the bio bacteia until such time you do add livestock. This can be done by adding prawns or pure amonia. If you use the amonia make sure it has no perfumes it should be 100% pure. Then do a complete water change before adding seahorses.
I’d like to see the ph a bit higher at least 8, but in my expeirence it is not uncommon for the ph to fluctuate during the first cycle.
Hope this helps.
Regards Kris
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
