Yes, get the ammonia.
This is what I'd do (I do the same when I set up new tanks); add enough ammonia to give a reading of 1 or 2 ppm. Add some mature media from your friend's filter, and leave the tank running overnight. If, when you test the next morning, there is no trace of either ammonia or nitrite, then you're ok to go and get fish.
That way you know, for certain, that the bacteria are alive and well and doing their job.
If there is any reading at all for ammonia or nitrite, then you have to add more ammonia and test again in 12 hours, as you obviously don't have enough bacteria to give you a properly cycled filter.
This is what I'd do (I do the same when I set up new tanks); add enough ammonia to give a reading of 1 or 2 ppm. Add some mature media from your friend's filter, and leave the tank running overnight. If, when you test the next morning, there is no trace of either ammonia or nitrite, then you're ok to go and get fish.
That way you know, for certain, that the bacteria are alive and well and doing their job.
If there is any reading at all for ammonia or nitrite, then you have to add more ammonia and test again in 12 hours, as you obviously don't have enough bacteria to give you a properly cycled filter.
No problem; I'll keep an eye out
It might do, but it depends on the hardness of your water.
Your water supplier's website will tell you 
I currently have a heavily planted non-cycled aquarium containing 5 black neon tetras. The ammonia and nitrite levels are constantly zero and the fish are happy and shown no signs of irritation. I plan to add 2 GBR's to this tank in several months time under the following conditions:
I think the route I am taking saves a lot of time and hassle and is a perfectly safe preparation for adding GBR's or EBR's.
If you do use liquid ammonia to cycle your aquarium you will still need to take into account the fact that GBR's / EBR's should only be added several months after you have completed your ammonia cycle because micro ammonia spikes will kill this fish out right. You will also, in my opinion, need to remove all of the substrate that you used during the cycle as this will contain trapped ammonia and nitrite. Simply disturbing ammonia/nitrite-contained substrate can kill Rams and even corydoras.
I think it's also important to note that a fishless ammonia cycle is most efficient when your PH is at 8.2. The bog wood you have added will be lowering the PH.
- the ammonia and nitrite levels stay consistently at 0 ppm every week for several months; I have added a large piece of pond filtration sponge which has 5 years of nitrosomonas and nitrobacter bacteria on it which will be helping, alongside the plants, to remove ammonia and nitrite.
- The plants continue to grow well over this several month period so they don't contribute any ammonia to the water.
I think the route I am taking saves a lot of time and hassle and is a perfectly safe preparation for adding GBR's or EBR's.
If you do use liquid ammonia to cycle your aquarium you will still need to take into account the fact that GBR's / EBR's should only be added several months after you have completed your ammonia cycle because micro ammonia spikes will kill this fish out right. You will also, in my opinion, need to remove all of the substrate that you used during the cycle as this will contain trapped ammonia and nitrite. Simply disturbing ammonia/nitrite-contained substrate can kill Rams and even corydoras.
I think it's also important to note that a fishless ammonia cycle is most efficient when your PH is at 8.2. The bog wood you have added will be lowering the PH.
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