Cooling system no coolant in the surge tank?

So I have a cooling system problem. I just replaced head gasket and the head was still flat with no warp. I flushed the entire system out and installed a new water pump thermostat and also did the engine front cover gasket while I was at it and I put everything back together and filled it with coolant. I then bled the system of air but when I do it ends up with no coolant in the surge tank and it seems like is pulling air in through the breather not the cap but the breather port for air to escape. There is no coolant in the combustion chamber as I have used a borescope to look down on top of the pistons, I have removed valve cover and there is no frothy or milky appearance. There are absolutely no visible leaks. Has anybody had these issues before? When the system is full but the surge tank is empty and the hoses are full the temp starts to rise and will get above 250 so I immediately shut it off but when I open the air bleed valve and release some of the coolant the temperature starts to drop and will stay around 208-216 but I feel that there is not enough coolant in the system.