When doing a fishless cycle can you use ammonia and filter media?

[New2Betas]

I started cycling use crushed betta food for 3 days and nothing happen, so today I added ammonia, but then I got an e-mail from a lady part of a fish club willing to give me her old filter and some live plants tomorrow morning. So my question is, do I use all 3 (ammonia, old filter media, live plants) or a different combination? What would work the quickest and most efficient? My master test kit should be here be between the 3rd and 7th but I can get test dont at my LFS. Personal experience only please.

[Mizzle]

I fishless cycled my aquarium using ammonia. I wouldn't use a combination of both ammonia & fish flakes as you may overdose your tank with ammonia. The flakes will start to produce ammonia when they begin to decay. If you get some matured filter media (cycled tank filter media) you can put it in your filter, but you will have to supply the bacteria a source of ammonia to feed on. I wouldn't go any higher than 3-4ppm of ammonia, as I stalled my cycle multiple times by going higher. Stop adding fish flakes if your going to add ammonia.

If you are going to use ammonia you will need something to measure each dose in ml's. inconsistency will put you behind (again, this is what happened to me)

also, it took me around 5-6 weeks to cycle my aquarium... I wouldn't go into this thinking you will get it done by X date. I was for damn sure that I would have my tank cycled in like 1-2 weeks. Not even close lol.