New Tank And Guppies Died

[susan22]

Hi, i'm new to this hobby, i used to watch my dad with his tank though.

I bought a 48l tank and set it all up and left it a week, i then added 2 guppies, they have been fine for 3 days then this morning i found them dead in bottom of tank. I have ordered a tank water testing kit, but how long do i need to wait now before i add 2 new fish or do i just use the test kit to help me, thanks

 

[gaz gun man]

hi Susan, welcome to the forum

The reason your fish died is because the tank has not been cycled yet. Basically the waste produced by the fish causes bacteria to grow in the filter. Its this bacteria that gives the fish a safe environment to live in.

If you have a read in this section, it will educate you about the cycling process, and how to do it
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=277264

Theres two ways, with fish, or without. Without fish is the easiest and kindest way to cycle, however it takes around a month to complete. With fish-in cycling, you will need to do regular water changes (roughly about 3-5 per day) until the bacteria has grown enough to handle the fish waste.

Hope that helps

 

[susan22]

thank you, i don't have any fish now tho so do i do a water change and buy 2 new fish or get some ammonia and do it that way

 

[gaz gun man]

well at the end of the day it's upto you.

I went down the fish-less cycling route myself.

Theres no guarantee that those 2 fish you buy will survive, and like I said, expect to do multiple water changes on a daily basis until its cycled.

Where abouts do you live? There are members here that donate mature media (from their already-cycled tanks) to help out newbies such as yourself, but the donation will only compliment a cycle, not replace one.

 

[gogfumble]

Most people on this forum will advise getting the ammonia and doing a fishless cycle as, firstly from what I know it is much easier (I have never attempted a fish-in cycle but they do sound like a lot of work) and of course, with a fishless cycle you are not harming any fish in the process.

 

[Dogson]

The Ammonia way (fishless cycling) is most popular and better for future inhabitants! Have a read about the process and then read it again as it can be a little confusing. I would recommend keeping this thread open so that you can keep a diary of your readings and will also help the forum members on here diagnose any future problems and offer advice.
Good luck
P.S patience is a must when going through Fishless cycling!

 

[susan22]

im in staines in surrey, ive looked online and boots sell some household ammonia for £1.79, i dnt mind doing the water changes as in a stay at home mum at the mo so i can do them its just the fish might die

 

[gaz gun man]

sounds like the fishless cycling route would be best then

Keep a diary of your progression, it'll help you out, plus if you run into problems, knowing your water stats will help us advise you...should you need help of course!

 

[susan22]

im in staines in surrey, ive looked online and boots sell some household ammonia for £1.79, i dnt mind doing the water changes as in a stay at home mum at the mo so i can do them its just the fish might die

i will do a water change today and get some of the ammonia, how much do i need to add to the tank and when, sorry but i dnt really know much, i have some books but they just say add fish

 

[gaz gun man]

im in staines in surrey, ive looked online and boots sell some household ammonia for £1.79, i dnt mind doing the water changes as in a stay at home mum at the mo so i can do them its just the fish might die

i will do a water change today and get some of the ammonia, how much do i need to add to the tank and when, sorry but i dnt really know much, i have some books but they just say add fish

yes unfortunately some books and most aquatic stores will tell you just to add fish, as prospective buyers could be put off by the idea of fishless cycling (thus losing the shop a sale)

There is a 'forum calculator' at the top of the page, for a tank your size, you are looking at adding around 2.5ml, which should indicate on your test kit, a concentration of around 5ppm (parts per million)

 

[Dogson]

Fishless Cycling thread: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

 

[Bobtastic]

Don't forget to get yourself a good liquid based test kit (Nutrafin or API Mini Master) so that you can keep track of your Ammonia, NitrITE, NitrATE and pH levels!

I did a fish-in cycle, as I fell into the "LFS buy now" trap. I didn't need to do more than one water change a day (tho I've got a 110 litre tank). It can be done, you just have to keep an eye on the Ammonia and NitrITE levels and make sure that they don't get above 0.25 ppm. It was a lot more work, but I'm now extremely comfortable with water changes.

 

[susan22]

Fishless Cycling thread: [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861[/URL]

thank you i will read this. Going to get some ammonia today and will do a water change, just have to wait for the test kit, dnt know if i should just wait for the test kit then start the ammonia as prob wont get the test kit until end of the week

 

[Dogson]

Add the ammonia seeing as you are at the beginning you may not see any result change for about a week sometimes more?

 

[susan22]

Add the ammonia seeing as you are at the beginning you may not see any result change for about a week sometimes more?

thanks, think i get the process lol, its so much info