Hi

Just been passed onto your website by a friend and could do with some help.
I have a 6ft tall tower aquarium with heater, pump etc that we had some tropical fish in.
Just like this tank...CLICK
One by one, they all died and we were told by the local aquarium shop that they probably didn't have enough oxygen.
We have since changed to goldfish...only four of them and they are also dying.
Just looked today and out of the remaining two fish, one is obviously dying as well.
He is swimmind on his side and when I looked closely, he has a lot of scales missing from both sides of his body.
Don't quite know what to do, as I am no expert.
Any help would be appreciated.

Hi there, right a few things...
Firstly, did you cycle the tank before you put fish in there?
Secondly, I suggest taking a sample of the water to your LFS for testing to check your nitrate and ammonia levels
Thirdly, what media have you got in your filter?
Finally, obv if you have goldfish in there you wont need the heater. Just a tip though, goldfish produce a huge amount of waste so if you want a low maintenence tank I wouldnt put them in there. Try starting from scratch, and once the tank is fully cycled, put 3-4 hardy tropical fish in, like guppys. Leave it for a few weeks, then check your water at your LFS again. If all is ok, you can them start buying a few more fish to build up your community.
Good luck.

I must be either a numpty or an absolute novice.
I have absolutely no idea, what you are talking about.......What does cycling the tank mean....What is my LFS....What is media?
I have a sticker thing that is on the inside of the tank, that shows the ammonia levels etc, and that is fine.
I'm sorry that I appear an absolute thicko...but probably either need to do some reading or havve som kind soul explain things to me.

This post has been edited by dunsberry55: May 20 2008, 04:33 PM

How many gallons is the tank.
First off goldfish need lengh in tanks not height.
I would do an immediate water change.
How long has the tank been set up.
Goldfish are massive waste producers so need double the filter size to the tank.
Suppose you don't have water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph.

Lol, dont worry, we all start somewhere!
Your LFS is your local fish store (seems obv now doesn't it!)
Cycling the tank is the single most important thing when setting up a new tank. Basically, fresh water and a clean filter = big problems as the fish waste is not able to be broken down. When the tank has been running for a few weeks with SMALL fish in the tank, there will be important bacteria building up in the filter media (in other words the foam inside the filter) that helps keep the water in good condition. Sorry if Im not explaining this very well..try googling cycling a tank and it will give you step by step instructions. If you do this first, you should have success with your tank!

Read the topics at the top of this section:

http://www.fishforums.net/category/26/New-to-the-hobby/

What kind of filter do you have ?

First thing you need to do is to buy a test kit.

Do you use water conditioner when filling the tank ?

That's probably a fair amount of the problem also.

While the tank IS pretty. I would hate to have to clean it !

What fish would be appropiate for that tank ?