You can go the fish food method and the raw fish method too but they take a LONG time to do as the first step is for the ammonia to be produced from them. The ammonia method is quicker and for the main advantage in my opinion cleaner. You do not have rotten fish food or fish to remove later. The smell is not as bad as all that as you do not use that much. When I did it you put 10 drops in a tank for each 5 gallons of tank size until the nitrites start to show up and then you cut it down to 5 drops per 5 gallons until the nitrates formed and the ammonia and nitrites were returning to 0 after 24 hours. Then you stop the ammonia, do a 50% water change and do not vacuum the gravel. Be prepared at this time to add a couple of small fish and thereafter you can add two or three small fish every other week for 4 weeks (2 more additions) and then you are free to add the rest if your tank will support more. Just be sure not to overload the tank as no cycle will support more than the tank should for capacity with no problems.

You may not like to live by any rules but the fish are not doing as well as they could in a tank where they are not overcrowded. Extra water changes and tank cleanings can make a difference but why have fish and then crowd them to the point of not being able to keep them happy where they are? The difference in their behavior may astound you. They are your fish and you may do as you wish and I wish you well.