i know my store in st albert will test nirates but the rest i have to do myself so dont test till i get corals or fish in there? start with rock let it sit for a couple of weeks?
with my 15% changes

You should be testing ammonia right away. If it gets to 2 ppm I would suggest you do a 50-100% water change to lower it to prevent a toxic environment for the critters on/in the rock. Contrary to popular belief water changes will not slow down the nitrogen cycle. You will remove very little good bacteria doing a water change as these bacteria are primarily attached to surfaces, not in the free water column.

That's too bad the LFS won't test for ammonia and nitrite too. You will need an ammonia kit then (Salifert has always done me well here). To save money, skip the nitrite kit (nitrite isn't particularly toxic in the marine environment unlike freshwater). Once your ammonia reads 0 wait a week or two before adding your clean up crew just to be sure the cycle is fully complete. Test for nitrate before adding the CUC too, should be less than 10 ppm, but hopefully it will be close to 0. So for CUC, fish, and soft corals just test for ammonia and nitrate. Once you decide to add hard corals (LPS, SPS) you will need to test and supplement the big three (Ca, alk, mg) before adding those corals.

hey i work with your mom lol you definitely want to make sure that you have surface agitation from of the return of the filter or powerheads pointed at the surface it will help steady ph as you will release built up co2 and keep ph steadier the flowing picture was 29 gallon tank using h2ocean and tap water water change every two weeks never dosed anything no skimmer and a hang on filter with filter floss for water clarity 2 koralia 1 and 4X24 w t5 and as for cycling the tank just do reading online and remember to roll the pail of salt before using helps stir up all the elements that have settled

http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/y...3/DSCF0912.jpg

ha ha disregard the skimmer in the right hand side of the picture started tank with it prism pro from big als biggest pos i have ever owned unplugged after a few days use and too lazy to take it off the tank so it just sat there for decoration it made me feel better after spending 160 on it

BlueTang has good advice. Although I would still test the big three with those LPS in there. H2Ocean is a good salt, and the parameters seem to be fairly reliable (some people have noted low magnesium though). Buying a high quality salt like that will often dismiss the need for supplementing provided the salt isn't lacking, and regular water changes are performed. Test every new bucket before use, and supplement the freshly mixed saltwater as needed.

If you take a read through the "My tanks" link in my signature you will find an article about calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium as well as doing proper water changes (in the novice article I think). Those articles are easy reading, and have lots of basic info.

another thing is it a good habit to get some airline and a valve or tie a knot and drip acclimate everything

yea i think im going to use a 3 gal bucket (well depending on the fish to accumulate it our LFS tests ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, basically it tests all the stuff you need for a fresh water tank. as for the adgitation i might invest in a spray bar, im going to get a RO to help out then just do the water changes for now, buying the rock from a used source for about 4-5 a lbs will save me alot, thanks for all the advice everyone, looks like ill be well on my way to getting a CUC in the next couple of weeks :)

For circulation check into a powerhead or two. A single Koralia 2 or pair would probably do quite well in there to supplement the spray bar. As mentioned earlier, it will be important for you to aim a powerhead (or the spray bar) at the surface so you ripple the surface fiarly strongly. This improves water quality by reducing the greasy layer that will try to accumulate on the surface without a sump, and also helps to keep your pH up without the help of a skimmer.

currently the return is very close to the top so the one side is very rippled

Perfect. You will probably still need a supplemental powerhead though. Try to find a used one to save a few bucks.