Hagen makes a product, Cycle (duh!) which I have used for years. It helps because you are adding the helpful bacteria rather than waiting for them to develop. I use it every water change.

Make sure you have a good test kit and test the water before you even consider adding fish. You can buy test strips which include all the tests on one strip: PH level; ammonia level; nitrite; nitrate; and water hardness.

Here is just one of many links for Cycle, so you can read about it:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/214950/product.web