there is a way to do a fishless cycle but I have never done one. I do a fish in cycle which is more labor intensive as u need to do alot of water changes to keep the toxins down. if u do plan to do a fish in cycle get hardy cheap fish such as danios. and make sure u have test kits for the 3 major toxins, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate before u add your fish. u will notice within a couple days the tank water starting to cloud up, perfectly normal as ammonia rises, keep an eye on the ammonia levels and do water changes as the level rises. you will notice the tank clearing up after a week or so on average. then it will get cloudy again as the nitrites start to spike. again keep an eye on the levels and do water changes as neccessary. finally the tank will clear up again and the cycle will be more or less over. if anyone has anything else to add feel free. and big p feel free to ask questions if anything is unclear