Clueless

[dodger]

Hi there! ..... and help!
I recently bought a tank and set it up carefully, following all the instructions I found on the net. Bought a few fish and thought all was well.
But, after 3 days, 2 of them have died and another 2 have turned out to be bullies that won't leave the other ones alone and, as I post this message, another one seems to be dying on me.
I did a nitrate test and it reads >0.5m mg/l
Could anyone give me any advice so I won't lose them all?
I suppose it would help if I gave you the type of fish I have but I haven't got a clue. I have to admit it was a "pick and mix" type of purchase but the pet shop owner assured me they would all get along and were ideal for beginners (tell that to the fish).
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[cryosi]

can u descirbe the fish for us!

 

[slt]

did you cycle the tank,

 

[cichlidmaster]

Hey dodger,

WELCOME to the fun house. We would be happy to give you all kinds of advice,

You are right however, we will need a few more details to help yoyu out.

Type of fish (try to describe them)
Ammonia levels
Nitrite levels
nitrate levels
Ph, hardness
Size of your tank
filtration type

Again welcome aboard and don't be a stranger....Oh ya before the Dragon asks...are ye from the Northeast os somewhere. Sorry dragon I forget where yer from

 

[dodger]

I'm going to sound really dumb, but here comes the number of fish and my naive description:
2 of what I would call "Angel fish" (sort of triangular body): they died
2 almost transparent one: they seem fine
10 "neon" type: the bullying victims
3 little orange ones: (2 of which are the bullies and the other one's hiding under a leaf and not looking too well)

 

[William]

how big are the little orange ones? Do they have stripes on them ?

The 10 ones are either neon tetras or cardinals.

 

[StiX]

The angel fish are Angel fish, and the see-thru ones could be x-ray tetras or glass catfish...do they have like 2 'whiskers' on their face?

 

[cryosi]

do the see through ones look like these

http/www.angelfire.com/az3/tropicalaquar...arium/glass.htm

 

[dodger]

I had no ide

 

[StiX]

hmmmm.....translation plz ??

 

[dodger]

I had no idea I'd get so many replies in such a short time. This place seems like fun
Thanks to you lot, I now know I've got 2 glass cutfish and 10 neon tetras (I remember the guy at the shop showing me both types, I couldn't see the difference myself).
The orange ones are just plain orange and twice the size of the neon tetras.
Oh yeah, I'm from Blackwater in Surrey but living in Brussels.

 

[cryosi]

glad u found ur glass catfish,

 

[StiX]

It could be a platy ? :

(but with red fins!)

 

[Great Lakes]

Welcome Dodger. I am gonna guess his orange fish may be mollies, the bullying would suggest that.

The glass cats and mollies,(if that is what they are), are pretty sturdy fish. The neons on the other hand typically like a more stable tank, so you could almost expect some losses there. You are in a holding pattern now, You will have to keep monitoring water quality, and see what happens.

 

[wetwetwet]

Hi dodger

how long the tank been set-up?