manjil

help!!!

I am a rookie fishkeeper,
just a week ago i started it with little consult with the local fish shop. i ended killing 5 in 1 week time.

they just told me to keep water in the aquarium and put the medicine named GARON. and after some 4 hours it will be no problem to keep the fishes..

I didn't bought heater and thermometer as they said it is not necessary because the temperature here is 31(room) in the day and 20-23 in the night. which will be okay.(as said by them).

i kept 15 different fishes within the spawn of 1 week. there was no problem for first week but i started losing 1 or two fishes daily. Now i have only one pair of angel one pair of coin and other one pair of tetra(i guesseed). one algee eater and one betta. after 6th day one of my fancy gold fish died and they(LFS) told me to add a little salt to the tank so did i but after adding salt there was white precipitation in the upper layer. the problem was not solved again they gave me a capsule which contained some medicine inside it... to put in the tank i did the same.

There is still the layer of white precipitation which only appears when i turn on the air pump. again they told me to change the water little by little daily which i am doing till now. I am adding the tap water directly to the tank a bucket daily.

I didn't know where i made mistakes. I didn't do any research before and now(through your web site ) i know some of my mistakes.

I have read all the articles in your site and have gained a lot of information. But because of the lack of testing kits i am unable to follow most of the procedures as said by you. frankly speaking all the local fish shop here in nepal doesn't know much about fishes(i suppose) they even don't have water testing kit neither pH testing machine with them. So there is no chances that i will have those as i have to get from them.

I need your help!! to save these small creatures and to add a few more.
firstly i will explain what i have got.

aquarium
1.91*1 feet Or
23*12 inch

one air pump with pipe to throw air bubble in water.
bought a few packet's of grabbles.

A filter i suppose it is sponge filter.

that's it.

please tell me from the very begining what should i do to save all these fish and other as well( i am planning to get a new bigger aquarium) soon.

It will be so kind of you!!

Callum The Cat

ok have u read about the nitrogen cycle?

i would of left the water in and let it cycle for about 3-4 weeks

what kind of fsih did u keep?. u may have been over stcoked or not have the right mix of fish. could the coin be a silver dollar? it looks simaliar to a piranha. bettas should not be with those fish espeacilly the angels because any one with bigger fins they see as competition and will try to kill them same as the fancy goldfish there grow a minimuim of 8" and produce about 7 times the about of poo as any tropical fish

if the fish shop doesn't no much u should definetley check in here first before u buy anything at all

there is an aquarium calclator on the main page and thats all

Peace Out Callum!

manjil

Yes i think that is silver dollar. I am not having any problem with betta and angel though but i will try to change them soon.

I read the nitrogen cycle but couldn't get much.
Will it be ok if i just leave the tank for four weeks and keep fish without testing ?? As i don't have any testing kit.

Chief_waterchanger

23 inches by 12 inches. That is like a 15-20 gallon tank? I suck at math though.

Okay you listed:

1 pair angelfish
1 betta
1 pair tetra
1 pair coin
1 algae eater

Here is the problems:

The pair of angelfish need something no smaller than a 30 gallon tank. If the angelfish decided to breed they would probably kill anything they could in the tank in order to clear a breeding ground. In the wild they'd have a lot more room, but in captivity it is hard to provide them enough room to breed and not harm other fish in anything under a 55g, really.

As mentioned above, the betta shouldn't be kept with fish that have flashy or long or fancy fins

Tetras 99.9% of the time should be kept in schools of 6 or more in order to stay happy and stress-free.

I don't know what you are referring to by the pair of coins. Perhaps you could elaborate?

The algae eater... If it is a common plecostomus it will get to 12-18 inches in length and need something no smaller than a 55g, I would keep it in a 75g or larger at full size so that it could turn around more easily.

The fancy goldfish: Goldfish are temperate water fish and need water temperatures colder than that of tropical fish. For that reason they should never be kept in the same tank as tropical fish.

Your tank is severely overstocked with the angelfish, tetras, betta, algae eater, whatever the coin fish is, and fancy goldfish.

Chief_waterchanger

That many fish would probably die of ammonia poisoning from the amount of bioload (fecal matter and urea.... poo and pee) in 4 weeks without waterchanges. I would suggest heavily against that. Get a filter going on the tank and that will build bacteria while the fish are in there. Do 30-50% waterchanges twice a week. The goldfish is your heaviest bioload producer, and should be in another tank. Even then though the angelfish will not do well as they grow in a tank that shallow.

Best of luck.

manjil

Yes i have a filter running.

Will it be okay to change the water directly from the tap!!

Callum The Cat

no u need to remove the chlorine u have to use some conditioner

Peace Out Callum!

manjil

Ok, i have a medicine named GARON. Which says removes chlorine neutralizes chloramine bufferes ph.
Will it be ok ??

manjil

Which fish would you guys suggest for me to keep.
And now what should i do with my current fish in the aquarium.

Callum The Cat

take fish back to the fish shop then let the tank cycle and after that i think that u should keep a beginner fish such as guppys and other live bearers

Peace Out Callum!

Chief_waterchanger

I would agree. It is easier to learn on livebearers such as guppies, mollies, or platies, in my opinion. Perhaps the store would give you credit that you could use at a later time, after your tank is cycling for example.

The only time you can use water for fishtanks straight from the tap is if you are in the same situation as Dino and me. We are on well-water. Well-water doesn't run through the water-treatment facilities, which means no chlorine is added.

manjil

Thanks chief_waterchanger, i am also using well water for my household.

I'll use well water from today onwards directly to tank.
Any more suggestion ?

COBettaCouple

i'm not familiar with Garon.. what country are you in? we might have other members in your country who can give you advice on local fish supplies.

One thing that may help is if you can get a liquid testing kit to test your water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

manjil

I am from nepal.

I will try to get the testing kit from local chemist shop.

COBettaCouple

you may be our first member in Nepal, but I believe we have members in quite a few countries around you. You may want to post a question in the general discussion area to find out if any members can help you with online sources or regional sources for fish supplies.

Chief_waterchanger

I think COBettacouple pretty much has this covered.

Well-water is so much easier to use, no chemicals to add saves a bunch of money.

Good luck with your fishkeeping.

manjil

That's ok now.

I am planning to give my fishes to the lfs. Till my tank gets cycled.

But my main problem is i couldn'd find water testing kits here in kathmandu. I searched all the chemist shop i could just find nitrite testing kit. Which also is too expensive.

How much does it cost in your country??

Is anybody from india and china ? So that i can get more near price.

manjil

cobettacouple n chief_waterchanger.

how much does it(testing kits) cost in ur country.

jsalemi

In the US, testing kits run about $30 from the stores, but they can be found for almost 1/2 that price on the internet.

manjil

Ok, after buying once how much time does we can use it..

jsalemi

If used right, you can do about 150-200 tests with it. Which is just about right, since the chemicals in the kit degrade over time, and should be changed regularly anyway (at least once a year).

fishbum

OMG....Read about the nitrogin cycle and tank paramiters for fish!!!!!!!!
these can be broken.......but OMG at least try them to start....

manjil

I've read nitrogen cycle n already started it.

As i don't have testing kit i'll assume it is safe to keep fish after 4 wks.

What is this OMG??

manjil

I've started the nitrogen cycle without fish.

As i don't have water testing kits.
Will it be okay to assume safe to keep fish after 4 wks ??

And what is the meaning of OMG ??

TiffanyLuv

That's something I had wanted to ask about. I've always told folks that I've given old tanks to for them to start a world of their own (Told them don't put goldfish w/tropical fish,,,one or the other) Also about siamese fighting fish (is it bettas u refer to them by?) I think people keep them in regular tanks. I've thought about it but upon reading find they like small areas (live in little mud holes) and fear 140gal would be way too much space for him...let me know. I feel bad he's in a little bowl all by himself

TiffanyLuv

It's Oh MY God....OMG or

COBettaCouple

yea, siamese fighting fish is an old name from when that part of asia was called siam by europeans and the fish were commonly used only to fight each other to feed the cruelty of observers.

the idea that they live in little mud holes is a complete lie. in the wild, they live in VAST rice paddy fields and rather extensive water systems. under really dry conditions, some will get stranded in puddles and possibly survive until the rains come. but they're miserable in small, tight conditions - they like to have room to swim and explore.

TiffanyLuv

It's amazing how you can got to one site and get info then go to another and get completely different info...Confusing So,do you think I should but my betta in with the other fish (140gal) ? Would he be happy there? He isn't making bubble nests anymore and I am wondering if he's UnHappy? (re old name...just goes to show how old school I am...LOL gotta keep up on what's going on,,hence the reason I'm here..Thank you all for the great chats and awesome info) It is appreciated by myself and Im sure all who have found help and friendship in this forum.

manjil

Pls consider my question ?
I am waiting for answer.

lilsoccakid

it could take longer then 4 weeks