Green Tiger Barb

[rtongel]

Hi yall,
 
Im a college kid living in a dorm and I decided to get an aquarium and some fish just to keep me busy. Well I went to petland and bought a 10 gallon tank, the filter, heater, water cleaner, and all that stuff. When I went to buy fish the lady recommended starting out with a Green Tiger Barb fish. I listened to her and started with 4 of them. The first day they were all totally fine, seemed normal, and stuck together. They all were eating regularly and seemed happy. The next morning/day they were acting pretty weird. They were all hanging in different parts of the tank and had no interest in eating. I immediately knew something was up. Shortly one of them started going belly up and swimming totally irrationally around the tank. I came back from class and that one had died. The other three were still acting weird. But that day all three of the others died also. I called petland and they were of no help. I have no clue if there is something wrong that I did, or if I shouldnt have had those fish in a new tank without all the necessary bacteria. I would love any help or tips because I am totally new to the fish community but im also so excited to broaden my knowledge. 
 

 

[BerryAttack]

didn't cycle the tank, take the fish back and do a fishless cycle. look on the site for more information about a fishless cycle.

 

[starangel]

You needed to cycle your new tank. One trick I learned from a seasoned fish keeper is to get some feeder goldfish, just a few like 3-4 and use them to cycle the tank. They are cheap, like .25  a piece When the tank is cycled you can give them away or get a smaller tank to keep them in. I have 3 in a 3 gal jug and with a filter and air they are just fine. Next spring they are going in my pond.
Another thing I did to get a tank cycled was to use guppies. Started with a few and decided to keep them in there, it's a 10 gal, full of beautiful fancy tailed and cobra guppies. You still have to keep track of the ammonia and all the bacteria and do weekly water changes of 25-50%. I hope you got a good testing kit too. I go to Pet Smart, they are well informed about fish.
A fish less cycle takes a long time to cycle. I have had better luck using some in expensive fish and go from there, but don't rush, you will have another flush funeral. And be careful about spraying things in the air  like air conditioners ( smelly stuff ) they can get into the tank and get the fish sick.
I would like to know what you used as a water cleaner? I use Prime plus Quick Start and when I put fish in I use a bit of Stress Coat. Also, a bit of aqua salt is  good. I mix up my water in a 5 gal jug like a Polar Spring water jug. I also put some water in a clean milk jug, put it in the microwave about 3 min. put about 5 grams of the salt in swish it around, let it cool a bit and add it to the jug. My fish are thriving, 
This is how I've been doing it, others have there own way, I highly recommend getting some Prime for when the water spikes you can add it to the tank and not hurt the fish. This is good for when you can't do a sudden water change but not a cure, you must keep the water  clean. Good luck

 

[rtongel]

Appreciate the feedback. Im going to petland some point today to get some more things and another test kit. Im using a Nutrafin aqua plus water cleanser. The lady at petland recommended that. Another problem im having is with my heater. I have a small deep blue heating stick, for a 5-10 gallon tank and it is horrible. Hasnt changed the temperature of the water whatsoever. So im taking that back and making a few different changes today. Appreciate your help