Ok, so I started cycling this tank on either the 5th or 6th. Added the Prodibio start up on the 6th after running this thread. Looked like my ammonia was dropping pretty fast so I dosed back to somewhere between 1.2 and 2 ppm at 8-8:30 this morning. At 8 PM I was at .2 so figure I’ll be at 0 by morning. However I just tested for nitrites using Red Sea for all, and as soon as I added the part C powder it turned bright red. Over 1 PPM. After the 9 minutes it was way darker than the 1 ppm on the color card. My salinity is at 1.014 and temp at 79.1 as I read the bacteria multiply faster at the lower salinity. My nitrates are over 75 PPM.Go ahead and add the bacteria. 2ppm ammonia won't kill bacteria, otherwise we wouldn't use it as the standard test. You don't want it too much higher than that, but 2ppm is entirely fine.
A tank is considered cycled if it can reduce 2ppm ammonia to 0 ammonia in 24 hours or less. Once that happens, you're good to add critters.
Is my cycle complete? I think I remember Randy Holmes saying nitrite doesn’t test right if nitrate present. Or is there that much nitrite present also and I need to continue dosing ammonia?
thanks.