Debsy70

Hi there, can anyone help me ?? Yesterday morning we got up to find out danio having problems swimming and we thought the tank was unusually dirty with bits of food? floating, also our red nosed rummies had lost their redness. We decided to do a full water change and clean the gravel properly so we took out ALL the fish, 1 x loach, 3 rummies and the danio. We had to go to work so we left them all in the small tank with the heater on but no air filter and put some bladder liquid in, in the hope it would help the danio. Last night when we got home they were all ok but not much change in the danio. We give the big tank a thorough clean and left the tank overnight to settle. We got up this morning and to our horror they were ALL dead. I feel terrible and cant stop crying. I feel we have killed them accidently but this is our first time having fish as we rescued them. Please can anyone tell us what we did to our poor little fish ?

aquarist48

Good morning Debsy and Welcome to Fish Lore. So sorry to hear about your fish loss. The best place to start is learning about the nitrogen cycle. It's crucial to fish keeping. Chances are your fish died of ammonia poisoning. Check out the link below. By all means if you have questions ask. We're all here to help.
Ken
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Debsy70

Thanks, I did put clean water in the new tank with some tap safe in, wouldn't that have been enough ??

aquarist48

Adding the tap safe (I assume it is to remove chlorine) was a good idea. However, that doesn't cycle your tank. Until your tank cycles, fish are at risk for ammonia poisoning. Depending on how you cycle, the cycle can take a month or more. There are several different ways to cycle your tank in the link that I gave you concerning the nitrogen cycle.
By cycling this means there is good bacteria in your tank and filter that will feed from fish and food waste. Until that bacteria develops, it's 'very' difficult to keep fish alive.
Ken

Debsy70

well I have had them since Sept last year but we only cleaned the tank with a gravel cleaner and took half the water out, we have never done a full clean. I have now rescued 5 ornamental cold water fish which I will now put in their tank. I really hope these are easier to look after. I wont get anymore tropical fish now. i feel so terrible and responsible for their death. I have only had the cold water fish for about a month and up to now they seem fine. Mind you so did my others till yesterday o(

aquarist48

I see...If you would be so kind as to fill out your aquarium information in your profile it will be a great help for others to help you more

Chances are (since it's been set up since Sept of last year) you may have cleaned too much at the same time destroying the good bacteria the tank needs in order for the fish to survive. Did you clean out the filter and media as well? The more you can tell us the more we'll be able to help.
Ken

Debsy70

I cant fill out all the info coz I dont know what all the levels were, sorry. Well as it stands now, the tank and filter and completely clean and we have added tap safe and filter aid however at this moment there are NO fish in there till tonight when we will transfer the cold water fish in there. My poor little fish that died never got to go back into the big tank coz we left it overnight to settle so they died in the small tank we only use to hold the fish while we clean, usually only a couple of hours. I just read that the swim bladder stuff taked oxygen out of the water and as we didnt put the filter in that also moves the water, I think that maybe why. Now I feel worse thinking they suffocated (

aquarist48

Debsy...do not add any fish to the other tank right now. It has to cycle first.
Since you cleaned the filter and I assume you threw out everything inside of it, all of the bacteria needed to sustain life is gone and has to be started over. Am I correct that you threw everything out of the filter?

How many tanks do you have and how long have they been stocked and running.

Debsy70

I only cleaned the filter under the tap but didn't throw it away. I clean the filter under the tap every two days or so anyway. I have one more tank with the cold water fish in and just the little plastic tank I put the cold water in whilst cleaning their tank. I have only had the cold water ones a month but they are doing fine. How can I cycle it with no fish in it please ??

aquarist48

Debs first you should read the information in the link below:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
This will explain everything you need to know about cycling a tank. Please read it. Then ask all the questions you need to ask.
Ken

Debsy70

ok, thanks for your help Ken

aquarist48

Glad to help anytime. There are several different ways to cycle your tank listed in the link that I posted. Since you have another aquarium...scroll down to Option #4 "seeding" the tank. I think it will suit your needs best Keep us posted.
Ken

Debsy70

oh one more thing, the bog wood that was in there had a bluey green like mould on the edge of it, wonder what that was ??

aquarist48

It sounds like a type of algae. Here is a link that will help you with types of algae. Too, if you can share pictures we love them around here
http://www.aquaticscape.com/articles/algae.htm
Ken

Debsy70

I am using my work pc at mo so cant put photo's on here but will try later at home, tho I'm not very good at stuff like that

aquarist48

We'll be glad to help you through that as well If you'll look on the top right hand side of this screen...you'll see a search. You can type there and find all kinds of helpful information

Debsy70

goodness me, I wish I had known about you years ago ha ha

ATKINSON

Sorry to hear about your fish loss, Debsy70

aquarist48

Many of us have been where you are Debsy so don't feel bad at all. We all learn new aquarium techniques every day. This really is a wonderful site with so many friendly members.

Debs this will help you too:
http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm
Ken

Debsy70

Thanks, I'm gutted

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!! I am also sorry for your losses its so heartbreaking.....and yes many of us have been there

Im with ken that the tank needs to be tested to make sure its still cycled before adding any fish..reading that link ken gave you will save you a ton of heartache for the rest of your fish keeping days.....getting an API liquid master kit will help allot and it has everything you need to do 100's of test.....I would test soon especially from rinsing the filter under "tap" water...tap water that isnt treated with conditioner will kill your bacteria if it contains chlorine/chlorimines ..thats why we use conditioners when refilling tanks....if your filter is needing to be rinsed that often, you are over feeding .....they can go a couple months before rinsing usually...some do it once a month...I wish you well with your new setup and babies coming !

zowie717

Debsy, Hi, welcome! the only thing I would add to what Aquarist has said is 2 things. Do not clean your filter under tap water, when it needs cleaning you can swoosh it around in tank water ( the old tank water you are taking out) running it under tap water adds chorlaine and whatever other chemicals are in your tap water.

2nd, you do not need to remove fish to clean a tank. that is added stress to your fish. they must be acclimated to the water first ( meaning put in baggies and let the water in the bag get to the tempurature in the tank) plus the stress of catching them and transferring and then re-acclimating them back to the main tank... if you are cleaning using a gravel vac? the fish dont mind it. I leave all my fish in when cleaning. i do a light cleaning about once a week with a 20 percent water change with tetra safe with removes all harmful chemicals from the tap water before i put it in the tank. and the water from the tap should be the same tempurature as the tank before you put it in. or really close, and a deep clean about one a month......that is when i remove or move around the decorations in the tank and change out about half of the water...

you want to learn about the nitrogen cycle first and foremost and get your tank cycled first.....without fish and you will have alot less problems guarenteed.

this is a great place to get information.......i started last december and lost all my fish too when i started. everyone helped me.......but now i am rocking and rolling!!!!!

good luck!

Debsy70

thanks zowie, your fish look amazing !! The thing is they have been fine till Monday, we go a gravel clean every two weeks and thats been ok, we also took a third of the water out at the same time. To be honest I'm not ever keeping tropical fish again, I wouldn't wish myself on the poor things. I have 5 cold water fish which I will just keep now. Thanks tho

aquarist48

Debsy? I just wanted to make sure that you are aware that the cold water fish will also require a cycled tank in order to survive for any length of time. Do you know what kind of cold water fish?

Aldric

Hi Debsy im very sorry to hear about ur fish lose also, one thing i would say is that you never wash your filter under a tap, always swish the filter sponges/media in water taken from the tank as that helps to keep the helpfull bacteria in the filter

Debsy70

Hi Ken, I they are ornamental fish some with fan tails. They are very fancy but I think I have learnt a lot already from you guy's so thanks.

Hi Aldric, yeah a few of you have told me that but I have to say we have washed it under the tap for the last 9 months or so and they have been fine, however I wont be doing it that way again. You lot no a lot more than me and I will be doing it your way in future. Thanks

Debsy70

Ken, one more question, I feed my fish twice a day (as per the container) but my friend said I am feeding them too much, they seem happy though. What is the correct amount please. Thanks

zowie717

suppose to feed whatever they can consume in about 2 minutes. each fish is different. you dont want to load it in there, but put a little bit in and see how much they eat in 2 minutes, if there is left over food, then its too much... I feed mine twice a day...morning and night..... but they consume all there food. and its not much. certain fish will act like you never feed them........example........my cichlids...think they are starved .......LOL.....; ) .

Debsy70

ha ha thanks Zowie, mine are the same, there is NEVER any left after 2 mins infact it doesn't even get chance to sink to the bottom lol

Debsy70

I have just been to buy some testing strips for the new fish. I normally take a sample of the water to Pets at Home who test it for me but I want to test it more regularly now. I cant risk these fish aswell. Anyway I bought the 6 in 1 testing strips. are they ok I should I just invest in the big one where you sample them all seperately ? I just want to know if the strips are ok. Thanks again,