i don't have another fish to use to start the cycling of my tank...i've never actually done that before, and i'm sure that probably has something to do with my bad fish luck. i have a betta who i'd intended to use, but he has come down with the same fungal infection that killed my last fish, so i can't use him.
the tank is set up, and the filter has been running for about 36 hours, with no fish in it. what can i do to make it safe for a goldfish? i have a 10 gallon for now, and i only plan on buying one fish, until i can get some more experience with goldfish, and get one to really thrive for once. if i were to use a snail, would that work? since i'll be buying one anyway? i wouldn't guess so, but i don't know what else to do. i was hoping to be able to buy my goldfish this coming weekend, but if the tank is going to be too new to put one in, i'm sort of at a loss for what i'm supposed to do now...any help would be very appreciated.

i read an article once, and the author reccomended two or three danios to start a tank cycling. they are reputed to not be huge ammonia producers, but make enough to get the bac. started, and the cycle going. they are about a dollar a piece, and would be compatible with the goldfish.(too fast to be eaten, and not likely to eat the fins off the goldies)also, danios are a schooling type fish, and do better in numbers.

from my own thoughts, if you did this, you would still have to be careful when introducing the goldie, because te ammonia load would go up alot with the new fish. i dont think there is anything fool proof. im sure its more difficult to keep a smaller tank stable than it is a large one, due to the volume of water to the volume of toxins.

It is possible to cycle the tank with your goldfish in it, as long as your are absoloutely committed to doing loads of water changes and test your water every day. It will also take longer because of all the water changes you will be doing. Problems only start when people don't test the water every day and don;t perform the neccessary water changes.
If I were you I'd set your tank up now and fill with dechlorinated water and let the filter run for a few days before buying your fish and ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits. Introduce the fish by floating the bag and letting some water in gradually.
It will take a few days for the ammonia to start to rise but when it does you will need to do 20-30% water changes every day to lower it to a satisfactory level. Then the same when the nitrites kick in. This will take some weeks and will be hard work. The tank is only cycled when your ammonia and nitrite have returned to 0 and your nitrates are over 0.
While the tank is cycling I would restrict feeding to just 2minutes once a day as this will lower the amount of waste produced. Once it's cycled you can up this to feeding twice a day if you prefer.

Since you say that you do not have a fish to start the cycle I am assuming this means that you do not NEED your new tank for goldfish, yet.

In that case - do a fishless cycle! I am a total and complete convert to this. It is quick, easy, requires almost no water changes, harms NO fish, and could not work slicker.

There are articles on this under the info section here on this site, as well as some good ones at:

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycle2.html

http://www.aquahobby.com/tips/fishless.html

These and the one on this site are VERY informative, and I think that you will find that noot only does the process goes more quickly this way, the amount of relief that you will feel NOT have it worry about your fish constantly will be enormous!

Good luck! Let us know how it is going!

interesting stuff...
the fishless cycle sounds like it would be very difficult to do...at least for me anyway. so if i were to buy a cheap little danio or something, it would live with my goldfish ok and not mess up the one fish per 10 gallon thing? i have an extra bowl, i guess i could buy a second betta...since the one i have has a fungus...
i also have this stuff from a couple years ago, that i'd forgotten i had. it's active bacteria which you can just add into the water when setting up a new tank to get the bacteria cycles going. would that be basically the same as adding a fish?

oh yeah, ps -
the stuff i have, it's called biozyme...i don't have the package anymore, all it says is that it's freshwater bacteria.

opusfish - I think that stuff has to be kept under certain conditions to really work - someone correct me if I am wrong here. Is it a good idea to use a filter from a friend who has a cycled tank already? Just a thought. I know I have heard of people using their own in different tanks, so why not from someone else's tank - just make sure they know how to take care of theirs.

yeah...that, unfortunately is not an option for me, i am the only aqua geek i know. i guess tomorrow i'll try to pick up a little fishie or something...