Please Help All My Fish Died!

[scalixte91]

Please help. We just bought this tank and fish yesterday and they seemed ok yesterday but this morning I wake up and theyre dead. Im really new to owning fish. My son is almost 5 and wanted a pet, so we went to the store and picked out some fish together. I figured it would be easy, he could feed them and watch them and the owners of the house we live in wouldnt get upset about fish.

So we bought a starter kit with a 10 gallon tank and a filter. We also got a heater and a thermometer for the tank, some blue gravel and a pineapple decoration. We got three little tiger barbs I think. I put everything in the tank, the gravel, the pineapple, the thermometer, filter, heater. I rinsed the white thing inside the filter like it said to. I put conditioner in the water. And then inlet the bag of fish float in the water for a while so they could get use to it. Then I put them in the water. Like.I said, they seemed fine yesterday. We fed them the smallest itty bitty pinch of flakey food. But this morning I wake up and all three of the fish are by the filter tube all limp and dead. I don't think its that the filter is too strong or something and sucked them in and killed them. Because they were swimming fine near it yesterday. Please help, I'd like to go buy more fish for my son but im afraid they'll die again. Ive gotta figure out what killed them. Im sorry this is long, any help is appreciated!

 

[Chad]

Unfortunately, the idea that keeping fish is quick and easy is a myth we in the hobby work hard to dispel. 
 
A good place to start is to learn about the nitrogen cycle, something essential for life in the aquarium. You'll find details of it here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/.

 

[Munroco]

I'm sorry you had such a bad start to the hobby. Please don't be discouraged. Read the link above and plan ahead, I know its frustrating that you won't be able to buy fish straight away but it WILL be worth it in the end.
 
I'd also look into using a different source for your fish. Any LFS that will sell a newcomer a tank and fish at the same time isn't one that I would use again.

 

[Byron]

I agree with both members.  The cycling is most likely the cause here, that will be explained in the linked article.  
 
When you are ready for fish, research the species before you buy it.  Tiger Barb are not going to work in a 10g; they need a much larger group (8+) and that means no less than a 30g tank.  They have aggressive tendancies that must be dealt with by the larger group and tank.  There are suitable fish, but not this species.
 
Good luck with the hobby.
 
Byron.