Tank Is Cycling. How Often Should I Be Doing Water Tests/changes?

Okay, here we go...
So I was sort of dumb and bought a betta 3 weeks before I needed to pack up my things and move back to my university. Moving day, I emptied pretty much all the water (there ended up being some left in the filter and a little bit in the gravel). I didn't rinse any of the plants or ornaments off, so I filled the tank back up. My tank is 3.5 gallons and it has a filter & Heater. I noticed that my betta was chilling at the surface of the water and not really swimming around like he would normally do. This made me nervous, so I picked up the API Freshwater Master Test Kit and did some tests:
PH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
I am not sure what any of it meant or how I am supposed to fix it, but I did a partial water change to hopefully bring down the ammonia. Today (which would be three days later) I checked the water again and my ammonia was 0.50 ppm, nitrite was 0. I feel really bad. I read that the tank has to cycle for a while and that at some point the ammonia will go up, then the nitrite..? (Correct me if I am wrong) but is there anything else I can do to keep the ammonia down? I am only feeding him once a day now to reduce the amount of waste, was feeding him 2x a day.

 

Using prime water conditioner will detoxify the ammonia. You will need to cycle the tank. To do a fish-in cycle, pick up a bottle of tetra safestart plus. Use prime water conditioner to detoxify the ammonia. Wait 24 hours. Also fill up a bucket with water and add prime. Add the whole bottle of tetra safestart to your tank. Now do nothing. Do not test or do any water changes. TSS+ will do all sorts of wonky things to the parameters. Fish keepers will panic and change the water messing up the entire cycle. Feed fish normally. Do not do anything for 14 days. Water will start to evaporate. Remember the bucket with dechlorinated water? Add some of that to keep the tank full. After 14 days you can change the water since the tank should be cycled. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

Using prime water conditioner will detoxify the ammonia. You will need to cycle the tank. To do a fish-in cycle, pick up a bottle of tetra safestart plus. Use prime water conditioner to detoxify the ammonia. Wait 24 hours. Also fill up a bucket with water and add prime. Add the whole bottle of tetra safestart to your tank. Now do nothing. Do not test or do any water changes. TSS+ will do all sorts of wonky things to the parameters. Fish keepers will panic and change the water messing up the entire cycle. Feed fish normally. Do not do anything for 14 days. Water will start to evaporate. Remember the bucket with dechlorinated water? Add some of that to keep the tank full. After 14 days you can change the water since the tank should be cycled. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Thank you for your suggestions! I live in Canada and I guess TSS isn't available where I am. I would have to order it online and wait 4 weeks for it to get here are there any other brands that you know of that do a similar thing? I am able to get prime though.

 

Thank you for your suggestions! I live in Canada and I guess TSS isn't available where I am. I would have to order it online and wait 4 weeks for it to get here are there any other brands that you know of that do a similar thing? I am able to get prime though.

Maybe Seachem Stability? I’ve never used it but I’ve heard good things

 

Maybe Seachem Stability? I’ve never used it but I’ve heard good things

Thanks! I will try that!