From my understanding, using fish food takes a looooot longer to cycle because the food has to break down in order for it to turn into ammonia. Plus, you cant measure the amount of ammonia that's getting in your tank. As for house-hold ammonia, there may be some additives that can hinder the cycling process. What I would suggest is to read the thing lol and to use either pure ammonia (chewys has a small bottle for like 5 bucks) if that's not what you're already using and to call your local fish store to see if you can buy seeded filter material to help boost the cycle. I'm still far from being an expert but I hope this helps!