There are also other methods to use when fishless cycling. You could use fish food, it will eventually rot and create the required amonia. You could also use frozen shrimp, just plop it in the water and let it rot. This is probably a little faster than fish flakes, but not as easy to quantify as ammonia. You can't exactly measure 5 ppm of rotting shrimp. And I have never done it personally, so I can't comment on whether or not there is a smell. But, if you can't get ammonia it is another alternative other than using fish to cycle.
\Dan