Cycling tank, add more ammonia?

[Essjay]

You need to make sure that the tank can clear a dose of ammonia to zero ammonia and zero nitrite in 24 hours. For a single betta, 1 ppm ammonia is enough for cycling.
Once you reach that stage you have several days to get fish. The bacteria don't starve overnight as used to be thought. If it'll be longer than 5 days, add another 1 ppm dose of ammonia.

 

[SABWARNER16]

You need to make sure that the tank can clear a dose of ammonia to zero ammonia and zero nitrite in 24 hours. For a single betta, 1 ppm ammonia is enough for cycling.
Once you reach that stage you have several days to get fish. The bacteria don't starve overnight as used to be thought. If it'll be longer than 5 days, add another 1 ppm dose of ammonia.

Thank you!

 

[SABWARNER16]

You need to make sure that the tank can clear a dose of ammonia to zero ammonia and zero nitrite in 24 hours. For a single betta, 1 ppm ammonia is enough for cycling.
Once you reach that stage you have several days to get fish. The bacteria don't starve overnight as used to be thought. If it'll be longer than 5 days, add another 1 ppm dose of ammonia.

Once ammonia and nitrite go to 0, is it okay to raise ammonia to 1ppm again just to make sure the tank is ready for a fish? Like make sure it will go down in 24 hours? Because if it doesn’t, then obviously the tank needs more time right?
And then when it IS ready, how much of a water change should I do before adding fish? I imagine the nitrates will be pretty high by then

 

[SABWARNER16]

You need to make sure that the tank can clear a dose of ammonia to zero ammonia and zero nitrite in 24 hours. For a single betta, 1 ppm ammonia is enough for cycling.
Once you reach that stage you have several days to get fish. The bacteria don't starve overnight as used to be thought. If it'll be longer than 5 days, add another 1 ppm dose of ammonia.

ALSO, sorry to bombard you with questions! But I had raised my dad’s tank to about a 4ppm ammonia, and after reading your post, I went ahead and did a water change and got it to 1ppm. I had finally gotten a nitrite reading on it and nitrates were 10ppm so I don’t think it’ll actually take that long. It will also only be housing a betta. What do you think?

 

[Essjay]

One betta does not make very much ammonia. Unless the tank is very tiny (like those 1 gallon things you see bettas in) 1 ppm is enough ammonia to use to cycle the tank.

Once both ammonia and nitrite reach zero, adding 1 ppm ammonia will test the tank. If both ammonia and nitrite are zero after 24 hours, the tank is ready for a betta.

When nitrite appears you are in the second stage. You then need to wait till nitrite drops to zero. Nitrate testers also test for nitrite, so when there's nitrite in the tank the nitrate reading will be nitrate + nitrite so it won't be accurate. Don't take too much notice of nitrate at this stage.