New Tank Dying

[chris-giger]

WE HAVE A 6 WEEK OLD TANK ( FROM NEW ). WE FOLWED THE INSTRUCTIONS ON CLEANING AND PRERARING THE TANK ( SCRUBBED EVERY THING AND LEDT THE TANK RUNNING WITH NO FISH FOR THREE WEEKS ).
BUT NOW THEY SEEM TO HAVE WIGHT SPOT ( WE THINK THATS WHAT IT IS ) AND THAY ARE ALL DYING.
IS ARE FERST TANK AND WERE STUMPED.
PLEASE HELP

 

[onebto]

So running your tank for 3 weeks without anything in it means one thing! NOT CYCLED!

If you are new to keeping fish then I recommend this page lots of information: http/www.fishforum...esource-center/

If you have no idea what I am on about then read this: http/www.fishforum...howtopic=175355

you now have fish so read this if you did not cycle your tank and it sounds like you did not: http/www.fishforum...howtopic=224306

White spots? is it sand grains on the fish? or are they actually spots? if they are spots then your fish may have ich also known as white spot in that case read this the first post: http/www.fishforum...showtopic=10266 there are additional ways of treating ich

When requesting assistance on this forum we usually recommend posting in the Tropical fish emergency's section and if you read this it will give you the bare minimum information required to help you: http/www.fishforum...rgency-section/

So you need to fill these questions out so those good at diagnosing illness then giving you a good recourse to follow have something to go on.

Tank size:
Tank filtration (make and model):
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
Type of test kit used (note test strips are known to be very inaccurate)
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, colour, location, fish behaviour):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

Regards onebto.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi chris-giger

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you are joining us because you are having serious problems with your fish and aquarium but take heart. It's not an unusual situation. It's just the matter that there is more to keeping fish successfully than just setting up a tank and adding fish.

We have a number of experienced members who will be happy to help you get started with growing the bacteria needed in your filter to have what we call a "cycled" tank. They will walk you through doing the water tests needed and help you diagnose and treat the illness your fish seem to have.

In the meanwhile, please read the articles in the Beginners Resource Center. I like to recommend the first post in this one to start out with.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=271928&hl=

Good luck with your tank.

 

[Assaye]

These guys are spot on. You need to have a read of the topics linked which will explain all about why cycling is important and why your fish are suffering now.

Welcome to the forum and good luck!

 

[TheConstantGrower]

+1 onebto

 

[drobbyb]

Hi chris-geiger and welcome to TFF!

Ok, from what it looks like, your fish shop has given you the wrong information and hasn't given you the correct information to get your tank started. We see many cases of this every week, so we have it down to a science.

Read the links provided above, and they will explain what is actually going on in your tank (bet you thought fishkeeping was about fish and not about bacteria .) There are a few things you will need to be successful: a liquid reagent based test kit (we like and use the API Freshwater Master Test kit. They are around $20 on Ebay) and a gravel vacuum for cleaning your gravel and doing waterchanges. Those 2 items are essential in that the test kit lets you monitor your progress with your cycle, and the gravel vacuum lets you suck out any uneaten food and fish poop.

I'm sorry to hear that your fish are ill. May I ask what kind of fish you have? Whitespot is a parasite with a real long name, but usually referred to as ich or ick. Ich is treatable, but it has a few rules. While the spots (cysts) are still on the fish, the cysts cannot be treated. You have to catch it in it's larval stage so that they aren't protected by their hard shells. Luckily for us, there are many treatments out there. They range from a blue green chemical you add to the water, tablets that are dissolved in the water or they can be treated as simply as adding a measure of aquarium salt and turning your tank's heater up to 29C (84F.) Whichever treatment you choose, make sure you follow the instructions.


What size is your tank? What kind of filter do you have? These things will help us in assisting you further.

Hope that helps!

 

[chris-giger]

Thank you!!!!!!!!
MOST of you have been very helpfull...
sounds like i have been sereastly missinformd about the keeping of my ( 30 leter fluval edge ) tank
Unforchanatly we havent manage to save 4 of my 6 tetra but is looking good for my betta..