Help Me Please! My Fish Died :(

[MollyFresh]

I need advice on what to do, I just bought fish yesterday from the store and the day before yesterday I set up my tank so it was running a day before I got the fish and all was fine. I woke up this morning and the water was musty, that type of musty where you can't see the back of the tank. I put a background on the back of the tank and I can't see that either, that musty. I put Topfin Conditioning salt in there but I don't think that could make the water musty. My fish died, 2 of them. I don't know why though. The water has high alkaline but thats it, theres no other problems. Is there anything you can think of to why they died?? The ones that are alive are swimming at the surface, not swimming around the tank.. do they usually do that?? I need help, im so worried that the fish died because of my doing, Is the filter not working right? is that why its so musty?? please respond!!

I have Balloon mollies, the females are pregnant

 

[Esfa]

it sounds like you havnt cycled your tank.

read these two threads and see how to get going.

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/

http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

 

[MollyFresh]

Okay so I should Cycle the tank and then the Musty ness will go away and everything will be fine right? Should I take my fish back to the store?? I told my mom about the cycling and she said that i should just wait untill bacteria grow.. is that wrong??

I did keep the tank running 1 day before putting the fish in, does that help at all?

 

[kribensis12]

I would cycle the tank. I would take the fish back to the store. I would think the "musty-ness" would be a bacterial bloom. Also called " New-Tank Syndrome". You can cycle with fish in it, but the mollies wont make it, they are too sensitive. You would need something like Zebra Danio's, and you would need to do daily water changes so thos edanios arent killed aswell. Do you know anyone with a tank that has been set up for a long time? If so, ask them to cut you a pice out of their filter pads, and put it in your tank ( keep the pads in water until putting it int he tank, most bacteria can die of within three hours). Do you have a heater for the tank? Also, i would HIGHLY recommend getting a Liquid Freshwater Test Kit so you can see how much ammonia ( there should be NONE), nitrIte( there should be none), and NitrAte ( there should be between 0-40 ). If you have ammonia, it will burn your fish, causing them to die, if you have nitrite, it will suffocate your fish, and they will die ( probably why your fish are at the surface), and if you have alot of Nitrates, it will posion your fish, and they will die. To get rid of Nitrates, you need a Gravel Vac and clean the gravel once weekly with it. Letting the tank run for 1 day does not help. Waiting till the bacteria grow is right, but until it grows ( possibly a month and a half wait), your wish will be dead.

 

[MollyFresh]

Okay, So if I do have nitrite, how would I get rid of it? I bought Bacteria for my tank, It says it stabilizes aquatic Environment, and Adds beneficial bacteria, do you think this helps at all? I don't want to take my fish back to the store but if that is the best thing to do, I will do it. One of the females is Heavily pregnant, I don't want her to die but I want her to have her babies in my tank though. Thats why I am hesitant to take the fish back to the store.


Nitrate--0
Nitrite--0
Hardness--25=Very Soft
Chlorine=0
Alkalinity=180-300 Probably high
The pH is Alkaline

I don't have nitrite so, why would my fish be at the surface?

 

[MollyFresh]

Okay So my fish are still At the top of the tank, I put bacteria in the tank to help the cycling along, I don't want to take my fish back and I probably won't. The Fish are Pooping alot. I took a Tube and put one end in the tank and the other tank I blew air threw, and bubbles went in the tank, I guess that gives them air right? I Test strips I bought only test for Nitrate Nitrite Hardness Chlorine pH and Alkalinity. It doesent say it tests for ammonia. I am not really sure what ammonia is, define it please?? I really hope my fish don't die over night but I have a hunch they might. I really want to know why they are at the surface of the tank. There are 4 Mollies in the tank. They are about an Inch each so thats 4 inches total in a 10 gallon tank, Is that over population? I don't think so. There is Air in the tank, I put the conditioner in the tank, I put salt in the tank, I put a filter in the tank, I put a Heater in the tank, set to 72 degrees F. I put bacteria in there, I tested the water, there are plenty fake plants in there. It is only a 3 day old tank, I have a Breeder box for the pregnant fish but she is not in there because I read that it stresses the fish, the Box is still in the water though, just incase. I have:

________________
Conditioning Salt
Water Conditioner
Test Strips
bottle of bacteria
Freeze dried brine shrimp
Tropical flakes
Baby fish food
A Siphon
A Fish Net to catch fish with
A breeder box
Filter
Heater
Fake plants
Gravel
Decorations- Rocks, Ship, Treasure chest, etc...
Background
A Top for the tank with a light that I can turn on and off
____________________________________________________________


Is there anything else that I can do to the tank to help it? The Fish are not swimming lot and are at the top of the water. The Filter and Heater are working perfectly. The Water is Musty or as most call it "cloudy" It is a milky color. Is there anything that I can do to help the tank in any way? I think I covered everything. When I first put the decorations in the tank there were a hell of alot of bubbles on the plants and on the glass and such. They are not there anymore, could that be the reason for the Cloudyness?? If so, could the cloudyness be the reason for 2 of the original 6 fish I had in the tank to die off? They didnt look sick to me, but i really didnt observe them well, they were at the bottle of the tank when I found them. One was upside down. There are 2 males 2 females left. Pooping alot, umm there really isnt much more that I can describe my tank to you. Any Comments??? Please respond. Thx - Cass

 

[omega59]

your tank is not cycled based on what you described above. what type of testing kit do you have there? strip test kits are no good imo. also do a water change please a big one and replace with declorinated water.

i had the same problem when i first got my 3 platies 4 red eyes i never knew or was told. i droped them into the tank as usual the next day was a mess. a stench to high hell and a few fish suffered and died. tank was not cycled and that was the problem
what i did was removed the fish to bucket with heater, then did a huge water change. now i know people on this forum say cycle products do not work, but it did for me lol.
placed cycle in the filter placed fish back in (after 24hrs) during this process i waited another 24hrs and did another water change untill the levels were perfect!
just keep changing the water about 30-50% untill it cycles.

 

[ALEXF]

wow where to begin. 1) your tank is not cycled as stated by others, 2) ammonia is a chemical that the fish produce through their waste (bad for them) which will eventually kill them. 3) your tank will not cycle is just a few days, we are talking any where from a month to longer with fish it in. 4) your tank is not over populated for a cycled tank but for an uncycled tank it is. 5) your basically allowing your fish to living in toxic waste. 6) strip tests are in accurate and if your serious about keepig fish i highly reccommend a good liquid test kit, 7) the only wat to keep the rest of your fish alive is to do daily large water changes with declorinated water .... im not sure if i missed anything.... 8) if you think that they are going to die over night then why not take them back to the fish store and tryy to save them.9) yoiu need something to test for ammonia becuase with a new tank that is what starts the cycling... the ammonia breaks down into nitrites then into the nitrates (good bacteria) 10) but a hose and blowing bubbles isnt going to give you constant air into the water, if you want that take some water out and allow the filter to spash down into the water breaking the surface tension, it will be louder but it will keep oxygen in the tank) 11) bubbles on plants arent going to creat cloudyness but way over using the chemicals might. i think thats everything..... good luck.

 

[omega59]

well put

 

[ALEXF]

Thank You, I tried to nail everything, thou there was so much im sure i over looked something, Mollyfresh if you have any more questions i and the rest of the people here are more than willing to help so feel free to ask.

 

[MollyFresh]

Thank you So Very Much Omega59 and ALEXF!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! You helped me soo much thank you so much!! Thank you much muah!! <33 This is what I did, I took the Siphon I bought and Drained about 45% of the water into my empty plastic trashcan, then I took the water and dumped it out. Than I took about the same amount of water and made sure it was around 70 degrees and put it into the tank. When the new water was in the bucket, I put Topfin Water conditioner that constantly treats tap water in the water in the bucket. So now I guess its new perfectly safe water for my fishies. I noticed that my fish are moving around more and thats a good sign. One of my fish went all the way to the bottom of the tank for a while which is also a good sign. The water is still a little cloudy though, But I know that it has improved because I can finally see the back of the tank now!! Yay! <3 But I think the only bad thing besides the cloudy water is the fact that I am now seeing my fish at the top of the water. I don't know why they are doing that.

Ps: I let the filter break the surface of the water while I was doing my water change, Its back to filtering the water without breaking the surface since I added new water.
Is there anything else I can do to help keep my fish alive?? I plan on doing daily water changes at about 45% everyday until cycled and feed my fish. I also plan on buying a good liquid test kit that tests for ammonia. Other than that is there anything else that I can do?? thank yous <3 love - cassiee

 

[ALEXF]

everything sounds good. so long as you keep up with those large water changes there is nothing else you can really do. getting the liquid test kid will help alot because it will let you know how much ammonia is in the tank and give you a better idea or how much to change. I is best to have 0 ppm ammonia in the tank, but with it cycling that isnt likely to happen but try to keep it below at least .25 ppm. now what also are you feeding them? a little variety never hurt, but if you are over feeding then that also adds to the water quality as it breaks down it contaminates the water as well.

 

[MollyFresh]

Thank you again I am feeding them Tetra Color Tropical Flakes, TopFin Freeze Dried Brine Shrimp ( I read it was good for fishies) I also have Hikari First Bites for all newborn fish, just incase momma fish desides shes gonna have her babies, if she lives long enough to have them. I did feed them quite a bit just a couple minutes ago. they ate all of the food and the food they didnt eat I scooped up with my fish net. I might have fed them a bit to much but probably not alot over the limit. I'm not so worried about it though

 

[ALEXF]

ok well yea just monitor your water stats, keep up with the water changes, and hope for the best. Its really going to test your patience till you know that everything is ok. I just spent 2 weeks treating for ich, not sure which if any of my fish would make it... i probably would have gotten out of the hobby if my favorite fish had died, i did lose alot but i didnt lose my first, but everyday when i woke up first thing i checked was the condition of my fish, and at night when i came home from work it was the first thing i check, for 2 wks sitting on edge.... it was horrible and i really hope to never have to do it again. Just stay consistant and patient and you and the fishys should be fine.

 

[MollyFresh]

Okay Thank you so much. I really hope you never loose your favorite fishie. You do know that it won't live forever and when the time comes you need to be ready. I don't want you to loose your hobby because of the loss of your favorite fish. I would like to know if there is anything wrong with my fish being at the top of the water. I dont think there gasping for air but im not so sure. They are moving there mouths and moving around at the same time. The males are moving more then the females. I am just soooooooo happy and excited that my tank just keeps getting cleaner and cleaner and more not cloudy. It makes me happy xD Woo <3 ! Yay haha Wooooooo <333