here is all it takes to cycle that aquarium, even without testing:
set it all in saltwater, wait 12 days its all cycled and cannot fail to cycle. You've rotted shrimp, so dont base your cycle on rot water, change the algae water/shrimp degredation water out then measure, and params will be clean.
Its best to remove the shrimp, wait 12 days (the hydrated activation time for purple liferock) and go.
the live rock you added can process enough ammonia to make current testing invalid. all you need is the submersion factor, so the greater portion of your surface area activates.
a chunk of already real live rock might be 3x as much as is about to activate, real live rock is skip cycle ready.
at 12 days, if you do a water change, testing does not factor. This arrangement cannot fail to cycle so what tests say wont matter.
You dont need the shrimp, its counterproductive, its making rot algae water with mixed nitrogen species api and red sea will never handle correctly. it will cause mis testing to skew your results, but this tank is done by day 12 and a water change any way we slice it. specifically, starting bioload will not die if you add it in two weeks. it likely wouldnt even die right now, thats how powerful ten pounds of real live rock is--would cover all starting bioload until the liferock alone catches up by hydration (all that is needed is painted on)
