Don't use ammolock or similar products while cycling a tank. It distorts you test readings.
Just stay on top of your water changes (25% daily maybe) to help protect your fish while the tank cycles.
Carbon in the filter does no effect your cycle. In fact bacteria will colonise it, so leave it in.
Avoid all products (except maybe Bio Spira) that claim to speed a cycle up. They lie. The only additive you should be using is a dechlorinator when you change the water(maybe a also fertilizer if you have plants).
Live plants help in a cycle by using up some of the nitrates etc which can harm the fish. Try some hornwort or something, its fast growing, undmenading and floats so its easy to remove if you don't wish to keep it. They will not speed the process up though.
Do get some matured filter media, or even gravel, from an established healthy tank. Add it you tank. This will "seed" bacteria in your tank and speed the process up. This is the top tip!
If your fish all die then try again with the fishless cycle, it saves the heartache and cost of having the fish die.
Read the sticky at the top of this forum.
