New Tank And Dead Fish..

[johnhugill]

Hi, I just got a 30-litre fish tank. My fish have died within a day - the place were I bought my tank from advised me to leave the water in for 2 days with the filter and heater running at 25 C then go buy some fish.

I then went to a different shop (the fish keeper) who advised me to buy a bottle of bacteria and to put 3/4 of the bottle in while the fish were in the bag in the tank (getting used to the water) then to put the remaining 1/4 in the day after and also to feed them the day after.

When I first put the fish in the tank they seemed shy and both fish would hide around the back of the tank. When I woke up the next day they were happily swimming around the front of the tank in full view. I decided to drop a small amount of food in and one of my Angelfish started eating the food. I though hmm, a bit odd! So I added the remaining 1/4 bottle of bacteria in the tank (as advised), the water went a muggy colour then the filtering system dissipated the muggy water to "clear" within two minutes approx.

I then notice the fish that didn't eat any of the food kept getting stuck amongst the artificial plants and started swimming upside down... then died. Then the other fish did the same and died...

Can someone give me some advice to where I went wrong...? I really want to get this right next time!

In the meantime I'm going to take all the water out, clean the stones and tank with tap water and leave the water in for a minimum of one week.

Maybe Angelfish were the wrong fish to get with such a new tank?

Thanks in advance

- John

 

[Robris]

I think the only thing that would of killed the fish that quick would be chlorine. Did you add any Water Ager in the water before the fish went in?

 

[stang1]

Unfortunately, your tank had not cycled and that is probably what killed your fish.
The tank works out at about 8 Gallons which is nowhere big enough for an Angelfish.
Have a look at this thread to get more idea on fishless cycling:

Cycling

It can take anywhere from about 10 days onwards for a tank to cycle properly and it is worth investing in a liquid test kit to check that your water is ok.
When it comes to adding fish, it'll be worth asking members on here to give you a better idea of what is suitable for that size tank.

 

[Robris]

Unfortunately, your tank had not cycled and that is probably what killed your fish.
The tank works out at about 8 Gallons which is nowhere big enough for an Angelfish.
Have a look at this thread to get more idea on fishless cycling:

Cycling

It can take anywhere from about 10 days onwards for a tank to cycle properly and it is worth investing in a liquid test kit to check that your water is ok.
When it comes to adding fish, it'll be worth asking members on here to give you a better idea of what is suitable for that size tank.

it would take more than a day to kill your fish if it was an uncycled tank imo

 

[Amunet]

Well first off.. Welcome!!
It sounds like your fish were probably just very stressed and possibly not very healthy to begin with.
I've never had angels before so I don't know how hardy they are.

Did you use any sort of tap water conditioner (dechlorinator) in the water? You'll want to find one that gets rid of chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals. From what I remember.. I THINK letting water sit out only gets rid of chlorine, but chloramines and heavy metals will still be present in the water so that could also have been a possibility in why your fish died.


Right now, I would read up on the Nitrogen Cycle and then Fishless cycling.
Here is a very good thread on fishless cycling http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

I know it's so tempting to go out right away and get fish, but if you don't want to keep going back every week or so to replace the fish that have died b/c of an uncycled tank, I would seriously consider doing a fishless cycle.
Just think, while the tank is cycling, you can do research on the fish you would like See if they're a good fit with your tank, etc etc.

 

[stang1]

Not necessarily. The Angels need to go in a tank that has matured, so putting it in an uncycled tank will not have helped it in any way.
Regardless of our differing opinion, the OP still needs to cycle the tank before adding any fish.

 

[johnhugill]

Thank you for all your quick responses!

It seems I've been given bad advise from a bad fish retailer, I'm going to go further a field for my next fish and most importantly do a lot more research!

Already this morning I've learnt more than I ever thought was needed to keep fish. I'm more determined now to keep trying. One step at a time though!

I've read the very detailed cycling post, thank you for highlighting that! I'm going to do more research and in the meantime I'll leave the fish for a week or two while the tank fully cycles.

Thank you!

 

[stang1]

No problem and good luck with cycling your tank.
Sadly, not all lfs give good advice as you've found out for yourself. Members on here are always willing to help so just ask if you are never sure on something.