New Tank - Need Help, Everything Is Dying.

[AKH14]

We bought a new tank over the weekend, 10 gallons with a heater, light, and charcoal filter. We set everything up and let it run for 2 days keeping the temp around 78 degrees. We also used a water conditioner when we first set up the tank. Everything was rinsed - fake plants, gravel, thermometer, filter parts, heater - before putting in the tank. After 2 days we purchased 4 danios to help set up a cycle. They all 4 died within 6 hours. Today we went to the pet store with a sample of our water. It tested fine so we purchased a new type of water conditioner and 3 black skirt tetras (recommended by the shop). After only 3 hours they are all now dead. We put the fish in the bag in the water for 20 minutes and then used the net to put them into the tank. What are we doing wrong? Please help. My 4 and 7 year old boys are very heartbroken about the little fishies.

 

[Gilli]

Your tank is not cycled meaning the bacteria which live in the filter and break down all the toxins in the water making it safe for your fish have not grown yet! Read up on how to cycle a tank on the link below

How to cycle a tank

You need to buy a liquid test kit to test your water every day sometimes a few times a day and make large water changes to dilute the toxins while it is cycling so dont rely on your fish shop telling you your water is ok - because it wont be and thats why your fish have died.

 

[notg2009]

We bought a new tank over the weekend, 10 gallons with a heater, light, and charcoal filter. We set everything up and let it run for 2 days keeping the temp around 78 degrees. We also used a water conditioner when we first set up the tank. Everything was rinsed - fake plants, gravel, thermometer, filter parts, heater - before putting in the tank. After 2 days we purchased 4 danios to help set up a cycle. They all 4 died within 6 hours. Today we went to the pet store with a sample of our water. It tested fine so we purchased a new type of water conditioner and 3 black skirt tetras (recommended by the shop). After only 3 hours they are all now dead. We put the fish in the bag in the water for 20 minutes and then used the net to put them into the tank. What are we doing wrong? Please help. My 4 and 7 year old boys are very heartbroken about the little fishies.

Your tank is not cycled meaning the bacteria which live in the filter and break down all the toxins in the water making it safe for your fish have not grown yet! Read up on how to cycle a tank on the link below

How to cycle a tank

You need to buy a liquid test kit to test your water every day sometimes a few times a day and make large water changes to dilute the toxins while it is cycling so dont rely on your fish shop telling you your water is ok - because it wont be and thats why your fish have died.

The tank is not cycled, but I think the fish can survive more than 4-6 hours if some basic parameters are ok, which was the case with my first tank. I guess something other than ammonia killed the fish. You might want to test your tap water first; it might contain heavy metals, or very high ammonia content. I use "Amquel Plus - Ammonia Detoxifier" to detoxify nitrogen containing compounds, while keeps these compounds still available to the bacteria. Also get API Mater Test Kit (liquid), if you plan on keeping fish for a long time and test the water regularly.

If you want to keep your biys happy without going through the headaches of complicated fish keeping, why not get a 5 gallon tank with 2 bettas and a divider to keep them separated. My brother has a 2.5 gallon tank with 2 bettas (separated) and does minimum maintenance and his bettas have survived for more than a year. Just a thought...

 

[AKH14]

Thank you for your replies. I talked to the shop again and have replaced all the water, we are starting again. We will wait a few days and then test the water again. They tested the ammonia at the shop and it was fine. I talked to them about trying fishless cycling and using a product to create the right kind of bacteria but they warned that can be very tough to do with a 10 gallon tank and that usually only works for a larger tank. What kind of fish do you recommend to use to be the hardiest for cycling a tank?

 

[Lolly123]

You need to have a read on how to cycle a tank, please don't purchase anymore fish at this point in time. What the fish stores dont tell you is that you cant just buy a tank and put fish in after two days and expect them to live. Unfortunately, the majority of people are introduced to the hobby this way because most staff in fish stores are just damnright lazy and ignorant and all they care about is you spending your cash by feeding you awful info.

As stated in a previous post, your filter needs to be given the time to build up the good bacteria that will break down the waste your fish produce. Normally a fishless cycle takes about 4-6 weeks by adding bottled ammonia from somewhere like boots, if you are in the u.s then i'm not entirely sure which store you can pick it up from. I would not recommend a fish-in cycle, if your ammonia levels rise, which they will if you add fish, and you leave the tank be, then the toxins will poison the fish, unless you employ constant water changes to keep the levels at an 'acceptable' level during cycling. This is why fish in cycling is harder work than fishless, daily water changes will have to be done and sometimes daily multiple water changes if your levels rise. You will have to buy a liquid test kit anyway regardless of which method you choose. Testing is extremely important.

Lastly, danios are not suitable for a 10gallon, they are extremely active fish which actually require a fair amount of space and I would also not recommend black skirt tetras either, most tetras require groups of 6 or more as they are generally shoaling fish and I think 10 gallons is just pushing it for them. You should aim for the smaller tetras when your tank is suitably ready to add fish.

10 gallons is not a lot of space and you will certainly be limited to the type of fish, and how many you can have, so when you do plan to stock i'd advise researching before you buy, otherwise you may end up in a mess.

Edit - Just as a note in regards to the post above. Fish keeping doesn't have to be a headache, not if a few simple rules are applied and some patience is put in to place. The main reason why it is a headache when starting out is because of human error/impatience and bad advice, but you'll be fine if you do your research and take on board the info on this forum.

//Lolly

 

[AKH14]

I will go buy a test kit tomorrow and try the fishless cycling, we can't handle any more dead fish! I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks!

 

[Lolly123]

I will go buy a test kit tomorrow and try the fishless cycling, we can't handle any more dead fish! I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks!

You will get all the help that you need on here. I know it may seem like a bombardment of info right now, but you will get guidance and there are loads of people on here that are willing to help.

Please do update, you can even start a fishless cycling log and record your results so you can post results to others and get advice or questions answered if you need to.

Good luck.

 

[LoachLover]

You need to have a read on how to cycle a tank, please don't purchase anymore fish at this point in time. What the fish stores dont tell you is that you cant just buy a tank and put fish in after two days and expect them to live. Unfortunately, the majority of people are introduced to the hobby this way because most staff in fish stores are just damnright lazy and ignorant and all they care about is you spending your cash by feeding you awful info.

More like they're too tired of watching people ignore their advice, and they reach the point they just stop trying to introduce people to a fishless cycle. 98% who come in to start a new fish tank, don't want to hear that they need to wait several weeks to add any fish...so even if you do tell them, they'll just ignore you anyway and buy the fish...then come back upset when their fish die. Trust me, though I have met very ignorant people working in retail stores, there are a large number who do actually have a pretty good idea of what they're talking about. However they've gotten into the habit of just telling people what they want to hear, so they don't have to deal with it. People think that fish are the easiest pet to take care of, but they don't realized they're actually more involved than any reptile, bird, or small animal in my experience.

 

[Lolly123]

You need to have a read on how to cycle a tank, please don't purchase anymore fish at this point in time. What the fish stores dont tell you is that you cant just buy a tank and put fish in after two days and expect them to live. Unfortunately, the majority of people are introduced to the hobby this way because most staff in fish stores are just damnright lazy and ignorant and all they care about is you spending your cash by feeding you awful info.

More like they're too tired of watching people ignore their advice, and they reach the point they just stop trying to introduce people to a fishless cycle. 98% who come in to start a new fish tank, don't want to hear that they need to wait several weeks to add any fish...so even if you do tell them, they'll just ignore you anyway and buy the fish...then come back upset when their fish die. Trust me, though I have met very ignorant people working in retail stores, there are a large number who do actually have a pretty good idea of what they're talking about. However they've gotten into the habit of just telling people what they want to hear, so they don't have to deal with it. People think that fish are the easiest pet to take care of, but they don't realized they're actually more involved than any reptile, bird, or small animal in my experience.

To be honest, i've met around 3 people who work in fish stores that don't fob me off with bad advice, the reason for that is because they know that i'll know that they are lying so they are just honest with me. I completely agree that working in a fish store is probably not a very pleasant experience at times, and as a rule, most people do have a level of ignorance in one way or another, whether it is intentional or not. I still do not think it excuses the fact that they put up signs in stores telling them to come back in three days and purchase fish, without telling them what they will then have to do to keep their stock alive. At the end of the day, the more experienced fish keepers know not to trust most LFS until they have proven otherwise, and unfortunately most stores live up to their reputation of being cr*p advice givers.

At the end of the day just because some one gets tired of doing their 'job' doesn't mean they shouldn't do it properly, and generally they don't, it's not only exploitation of the trade but of people too and that is why so many fish are put through hell and killed because they cannot be bothered to explain. In some cases and with some people, I definitely agree, explaining until your blue in the face will make no difference and they'll go ahead and purchase anyway. No one is going to break the cycle, because after all it is a trade and they want your money, they dont have to see what the fish goes through when they leave the store, it is utterly disgusting and wrong, but in my opinion it will always stay that way. I get tired too of seeing the same old posts about newbies if I am being completely honest and it really does dishearten me as I can only imagine what the poor fish have to go through, but just because I am tired and upset by the lack of knowledge it doesn't stop me from taking time out of my day to offer some correct advice, I don't even get paid for it and I don't mind, so it shouldn't be that hard.

 

[Harlequins]

Sorry to hear you lost your fish,unfortunately we hear about this a fair bit due to poor advice from lfs and peeps not reading up on how to start an aquarium.

Anyhows the good thing is you've found this forum which will help you through the process,hopefully you have read up about cycling etc,but if you're unsure on owt please ask

One thing that wasn't mentioned was acclimatising your fish,this will if not done properly will shock the new fish when added to the tank,possibly causing an early demise,has i wouldn't have thought after being in the tank for 6 hours the ammonia would have built up enough to kill them.

You say you put the bag into the water for 20 mins then netted them out...
Did you add any tank water to the bag during this time? - if not its more than likely the fish died through possible ph shock etc.
Everyone has different methods,i personally put the bag in the water for 5 mins unopened,then open the bag and roll down the top,in theory it should float on the surface,wait another 5 mins,then gradually add a little tank water to the bag,continue doing this every 5-10 mins for around 45-60 mins ,this slowly acclimmatises the fish to your tank water and they are less likely to die through shock.some leave it longer but after an hour net the fish out into the tank and dispose of the lfs water.

Good luck with your new tank

 

[waterdrop]

Wow, what a classic case of LFS DTF (### the fish, lol.) It's great that you have stumbled across a real hobbyist site! I always know that I would recognize a TFFer in an LFS because they would be the one with tight lips!

Time for a complete start-over with the great members here as your advisors!

Welcome to TFF!
~~waterdrop~~