Agree! The ammonia dosing: 2ppm, 3ppm, 4ppm, 5ppm.. really doesn't matter until the final couple of weeks of cycling way off in the third phase, which may be more than a month away! Its in those final couple of weeks that you want to try to get the dosing amount up to 5ppm (without going too much over!) and to watch the bacteria clear both the ammonia and nitrite down to zero ppm within 12 hours or less, for a whole week or so, to prove that the biofilter is ready for fish.
So for most of the long weeks of fishless cycling, the important thing is just to establish one particular "hour" (out of the 24 hours of a day) which will always be your "add-hour" so to speak (this is rough.. we're not talking precision here, just overall sort of thing.) And the rule is that if the bacteria managed to clear all the ammonia down to zero ppm any time during the previous 24 hour period, then you add a new dose of ammonia at your "add-hour." The amount is not so important (2,3,4,5).. its the "pulsing" effect, the A-Bacs seeing a "pulse" of ammonia, then eating it all, then the N-Bacs seeing a "pulse" of nitrite(NO2), then them eating it all and then both species seeing a zero period prior to getting fed again. This is what I have a hunch may be important. There is active interest in this in the waste water treatment plant scientific literature lately.
And of course, you want your "bacterial soup" recipe to be good! The temp should be 84F/29C, the pH of 8.0 to 8.4 is optimal but anywhere from pH 6.3 up to pH 9 or somewhere will grow the bacteria, just at slower speeds as you move off of the optimal 8 to 8.4. And the bacteria need some tiny amounts of calcium and iron but usually your tap water will more than supply enough of that.
~~waterdrop~~