Am I Stupid Or What

[ladyboo]

ok i bought 29 gallon tank i guess thats the size. to be honest i have to the perfect spot for it thats why i bought it i love it. it is beautifull. but i thought i would be easy put some water some stress coat some fish i dont have to do any thing but feed and change water WRONG. but know im hooked i love it i love to watch them and i want to make it work but im having some issues. i have easy fish or from what im told their easy mollies, platies, a crab, and a tiger barb. but keeping them alive not so easy do all first timers have this issue. i have never in my life not even as a child had a tank not even a gold fish. but the guy at pet store said it would be easy. im i stupid or is it possible. if any one has any thing for me please help if not for for my fish

 

[WILDER]

How long has the tank been set up, it sounds like it's cycling, do you have water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph.
If not take a water sample to the store and tell them to write the readings down for you.
I would invest in some liquid test kits as well.
Are the fish at the top of the tank, laboured breathing.

 

[riverman444]

You came to the right place for help. The most important thing I could teach you would be "patience".

Keeping healthy fish and plants is not easy, no matter what the worker at the local fish store says. Yes, it may seem easier over time, but you'll soon realize that you do FAR MORE than the average fishkeeper without even giving it a second thought. The second most important is research. You can NEVER know TOO much about the hobby. The more you know the better you are and the more you will see the "whole" picture that is our hobby.

There are tons of pinned articles in the forums. Some of them are written by some pretty intelligent and well-respected members of this forum. Read read read........and buy a test kit

 

[freddyk]

Yup, fish keeping is very easy, but knowledge is key. If you added fish without cycling, or worse, bought the tank and the fish at the same time, I would return the fish for credit and begin again with an empty tank using the help of more knowledgable people, like many you'll find here. I don't think tiger barbs are necessarily easy since they do best in groups and are quite feisty and nippy, and most crabs will grow up to eat small fish (I'm curious about it, the only tiger crab I know of is marine).

Can you give a basic rundown of the steps you took to set this up?

 

[FBF]

tiger barb... not a tiger crab.


im confused as to what your question really is? have you lost fish?

my advice would be to research your fish before you buy them and never listen to what the fish shop has told you. (theyve already sold you a solitary tiger barb that will begin to nip the platy and molly very soon.. he'd have t go if it was my tank.)

 

[pieman]

Try and take the barb back or you could take the platy and molly back and get a group of tiger barbs.

 

[iain.betson]

As riverman said patience is the key.
read up on 'cycling with fish' as you have fish already.
Get yourself a 'test kit' to check all the levels of chemicals needed and not needed.
As for the fish if you like the Tiger Barb do not worry just get a few more (although maybe only once your tank has cycled) and they will only be concerned with each other.
It may all seem a bit daunting but once you get going you'll be fine. And if you have any more questions post them on this forum and some one will be able to help you

Remember patience is the key

 

[ladyboo]

i let it run for 24 hours before i put the fish in and so far the tiger barb has yet to bite but who knows the tank has been up for like a week and a half i have lost one and think one more is dying the ph level is high and dont what test kit to buy they are all odd

 

[WILDER]

This is a good test kit to buy.
API Freshwater Master Liquid Test Kit
A Complete Kit for Testing Tap Water & Aquarium Water

Fast : Easy : Accurate : Over 700 Tests

The latest Kit now contains the following tests:

• : pH (6.0 to 7.6)
• : High Range pH (7.4 to 8.8)
• : Ammonia
• : Nitrite
• : Nitrate

(The hardness tests are no longer included : Nitrate having been added instead)

The Kit Contains :


Step by Step instruction booklet
Water resistant computer-calibrated colour charts
Four glass Test Tubes with snap-tight caps in holders
Test solution bottles for five different tests
The Test Bottles included in this kit are the same size bottles as are in the individual test kits

 

[fishlore]

Ladyboo, I am like you except I have had goldfish as a kid. I am always trying to understand the cycling of a tank. I have never done it and people say I have done it with fish as a fish cycle and that is why I might loose fish. Maybe I am lucky but I have never lost fish because of a fish cycle. Only time I lost fish was because soot from the wood stove was getting into the water. Okay so I am like you and let a tank (brand new) run for a day and I add fish. When I do compete water changes I clean and rinse out everything which is a big no no. My fish still stay healthy. I also bought hearty fish. Fish that people (I found out) use for cycling. Just wait it out. You are doing a "fishy cycle" and benifical bacteria is being developed. You can also use Aquasafe which is a conditioner for tap water and Cycle which controls the pH. I use Aquasafe in my tanks now and found that it really cuts back on the lime and the water isn't so hard on my fish. Good luck with it. (Ok now people can yell at me for how I clean my tank. I am ready.)