New Tank Cycling

Hi Thor,

Checked my levels again last night. Here are the values.

Ammonia : 0 - 0.25 (yellowish green)
Nitrites : 2
Nitrates : 20-40
Ph : 7.4

Do I need to check for the hardness of the water ? I have the test kits. I've read that Shrimp are very sensitive to even the slightest fluctuations in water conditions. I burnt my hands twice with 2 batches of cherry's when I first got the tank without knowing about the nitrogen cycle and I don't want to make that mistake again without being sure that the tank is ready for them.

I added in some fish food again today hoping that would increase the ammonia but the gravel seems to be becoming dirty. Should I leave it as it is or should I use a suction pipe to clean the clean the gravel ?

Thanks a ton
Dean