Week 1: Stuff is dying!

So a few days into letting my tank cycle I notice a few hitch-hikers. This turned out to be both BAD and GOOD. First the bad - they were dying. The good - they were unwanted hitch-hikers. The first I noticed was a 1.5 inch bristleworm. These guys actually arent too bad, except certain species eat polyps and the bristles can sting you if touched. The next critter was pretty bad - a Mantis Shrimp. These guys are nocturnal predators that posess an evil weapon - the chelae.This thing can kill fish and shrimp or even put a hole in your finger. So it was a good thing it was dead. I was a little concerned as to why it would be dead though, but i figure my ammonia levels must have been pretty high in order to kill the hitch-hikers. Still waiting on my test kit so i know what my water params are.