New Here And All I Can Do Is Kill Fish...

[jaacka]

We have a 10 gallon tank that we've had for about 8 years. We had one ferocious goldfish in it that finally died at 6" in length in November. I changed the water a few weeks ago, rinsed it out well, including the rocks and filter, set it up again and let it run for 48 hours (this was with well water, non chlorinated, and we did add water conditioner).

My neighbor gave me some Neons ... and they died within about two hours.

A week later, we bought a pleco and shrimp. They did just fine. So another week later, we got two mollies and decided to upgrade to a bigger tank (28 gallons).

We set it up, let it run 48 hours with the well water and water conditioner, filter, etc, put the shrimp and pleco in and they did just fine, so we transferred the mollies. Within three days, one mollie died. The other mollie seemed to have developed Ich, I quarantined it back to the other tank on Saturday, turned up the temp as high as it would go and added aquarium salt (about a Tbsp) and this malachite green Ich treament stuff, removed the filter even.

this morning the mollie is dead, and now the pleco has the ich (I also turned the temp up in the 28 gallon tank and added a bit of salt to treat the water). There is also these balls of snot looking stuff in both tanks, stuck to the rocks and walls. This was NOT there yesterday.

Obviously we are doing something wrong! What is it???

At least my 25 cent shrimp seem totally unphased by all this. LOL

 

[ollyhtafc]

You're tank isn't cycled probably.

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

You can do a fish in cycle however. But you need to do one if you want your fish to survive for any period of time.

 

[jaacka]

Thank you. I wish they had told us this at the pet store or even in the directions with the aquarium (it was add water, wait 48 hours and add fish). We never did this with our first tank, though, and never had a single problem so this new tank surprised me. Good to know!

 

[onlinebug]

Goldfish are hardy, and dont really need to be cycled, but tropical fish are much more sensitive to changes in the water and ammonia and nitrites can really hurt a fish. Also, if your treating a tank take out any carbon and the shrimp needs to be removed as some medicines have copper in which is deadly to invertebrates.

 

[jaacka]

Goldfish are hardy, and dont really need to be cycled, but tropical fish are much more sensitive to changes in the water and ammonia and nitrites can really hurt a fish. Also, if your treating a tank take out any carbon and the shrimp needs to be removed as some medicines have copper in which is deadly to invertebrates.

So explain to me why I need to add ammonia if I'm not supposed to have any? I don't get that part.

And any ideas what these little mucus balls are?

 

[cryslea]

So explain to me why I need to add ammonia if I'm not supposed to have any? I don't get that part.

Basically, cycling is creating good bacteria. What happens is when fish poo, it is turned into ammonia. Ammonia is bad for the fish, so good bacteria eat the ammonia and turn it into nitrIte. Nitrite is also bad for the fish, so more good bacteria eat it and turn it into nitrAte. Nitrate is also bad, so you have to do water changes to get rid of it.

There are two ways to cycle a tank: with fish and without. Many people on this board prefer to cycle the tank without fish because they feel it is more humane to the fish. It's easier and results in less fish deaths. In a cycle without fish, you don't have fish poo, so you need to put ammonia into your tank to get the process started. Since you already have fish, you don't need to add ammonia (and shouldn't- it will kill the fish.) But you do need to add fish one or two at a time so your good bacteria can keep up. You should also get a liquid test kit to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You'll need to do water changes to keep ammonia under .5, nitrite under .5 (I think- I might be wrong on that number), and nitrate under 100, but preferably under 20-40 (this number seems to be debated a lot).

 

[jaacka]

Okay, my dh went to the pet store and got some test strips. pH was 7.8, hardness was high (does that even matter?), alkalinity 18.0, nitrates 0, nitrites 0, and ammonia 0. So I need some of the good without getting any of the bad. I got it.

They sent him home with two minnows. They said they would help build up the bacteria in the tank and would basically live through anything. So we'll see how it goes.

How often should I change the water at this point and how much do I change? And how often do I test it? When will I know it's ready for tropical fish? Thanks!

 

[Mikaila31]

You really want a liquid test kit. Strips are mainly worthless. It takes at least 6 weeks to do a fishless cycle w/o seeding the tank. It will take much longer using fish, that is why is suggest taking the new ones back and doing a fishless cycle. If you would rather not and do a fish-in cycle read this thread, just be prepared to do waterchanges every day.

 

[JimShorts]

I'd recommend taking whatever fish you do have back to the fish store and getting a credit for them. Then do a fishless cycle on your tank. When your tank is compeletly cycled, you can go back to the fish store and use your credit to some new fish. That's what would probably be best for the fish you have, the fish you will have, and yourself.

 

[groovitudedude]

Don't give up. Most of us can talk you through the steps it takes to maintain a healthy tank. Thing is, most pet stores don't know what they're selling you if they have a tiny oscar or tinfoil barbs. Keep up the good work.

 

[dzsigmond217]

Have you asked anyone at the petstore what the 'snot' like things could be? I have no clue. I had the same problem with my tank. The pet store told me 48 hours and enter fish. I think they do this so that your fish will die and you will keep buying new ones. Either that or they just plain don't know what their talking about! lol Right now I've had my tank running for around a little over a month. I had no idea what cycling was. First I got the test strips, and yes, they proved to be very inaccurate so I bought the liquid test kits. Because my nitrite level was extremely high it put stress on my fish and they got a fungus which I just treated with meds. Lost a few fish in the process. I think as long as you let the tank finish cycling and do frequent water changes hopefully levels will even out.

 

[Cooper2085]

You should try a shop that only sells fish. They seem to be alot more helpfull.