Another way to consider a cycle is that there's a specific finish date, not that rock is done maturing but in regards to bacteria handling a typical entry bioload, the things we want for our tank. The finite point of dry rock cycling is simply the 2-4 ppm digestion test using a high quality, non API ammonia test kit.
When the dry rocks and the water they are in can be spiked to 2-4 ppm using cleaning ammonia (speed, exact measures vs variability of shrimp decay) and that hq test kit shows true zero in 24 hours, then you can add a fish or some light coral loading and simply begin. Expect and deal with algae issues early on since the rock is highly reflective white vs allelopathic coralline, but it's generally nice to know a finite time exists in every form of tank cycling where a reasonable starting point can be found plainly.
Removing guesswork out of reefing is prime prime in being able to make a reef live a very long time. There is no harm waiting arbitrary weeks past a set point either...the point is also having the option for a repeatable starting point among new tanks as well. If you are wondering how long established bacteria will live once you stop keeping registered ammonia levels, the answer is longer than it will take you to start. Once established many modes of feed acquisition exist for nitrifers and the mixed bacteria they live among.(communal support)
these alt feed gaining factors are never considered in aquarium cycling threads, but in a microbiology thread they'd be discussing twenty ways bacteria gain feed(ammonia) even when humans withhold. First one of twenty at least: death of mixed heterotrophs in close association * decay-proteins-ammonia etc
2. Organic nutrient reserves captured in floc among crevices that takes a very long time to become inert (meanwhile is bac substrate)
