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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Just setup tank and fish dying
Hi we just setup a small tank ( got a large tank now just havnt setup yet )
when we put fish in tank we had a golden bristlenose who died the next day i thought it was coz pH was high (7.7+) but we got it down and i just noticed one of our zebra danios is hanging round the bottom on his side what can i do i dont want more to die? any help would be greatly appreciated
can skype me ryan.laura2
Last edited by newbee; November 11th, 2009 at 07:52 PM.
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| I've kept bristlenose in waters with an 8.1 pH with no problems, so you likely have another culprit than high pH. To get a better idea of what went wrong, we're probably going to need more information, such as...
How were the fish acclimated to the tank?
What did you treat the water with prior to adding the fist?
Also, your aquarium info section says you don't understand the Nitrogen Cycle. If that's true, you should read that link ASAP. Getting a test kit and keeping an eye on your ammonia/nitrites/nitrates while the tank cycles will be crucial. | |
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Well the lady at the pet shop told us to set up and add water conditioner and turn on filter and leave running for a week b4 adding fish so we did that and then when we put fish in we floated them in their bags for about 20 min then added sum aquarium water to bags and floated for another half an hour then let fish into the tank. should i take out the food that the bristlenose didnt eat to? we live in rural area so cant really just pop down the road to get test kit only have ph test kit
We will definatly go thru that cycle before putting fish in the newbig tank though. | |
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Keeper
| Quote:
Originally Posted by newbee  Well the lady at the pet shop told us to set up and add water conditioner and turn on filter and leave running for a week b4 adding fish so we did that | Pet stores at good at telling people inaccurate information, either through ignorance or a desire to sell you fish sooner. Your plan to cycle the bigger tank properly is a good one 
What water conditioner did you use? Quote:
Originally Posted by newbee should i take out the food that the bristlenose didnt eat to? | Yes. Decaying food will contribute to ammonia/ nitrite spikes, which will be dangerous or even fatal for the other fish in the tank. | |
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| its splish and splash water conditioner ohk and should i take the dying fish out and get rid of it aswell or is it possible for him to get better? Are my other fish going to die too?
theres also some bubbles round the water surface if that helps... Quote:
Originally Posted by speed0factory | yeah thanks i just looked at that. petshop said it would be alot easier.. we are meant to be getting some guppies this weekend also...
Last edited by Lucy; November 11th, 2009 at 10:13 PM.
Reason: merged posts, you can use the edit button to add to a post :) | |
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hello,
I wouldn't get anymore fish until you know what is going on with your tank......readings for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrate. You need to get a test kit, no test strips as they are not as accurate as a liquid test kit. A cycled tank is ammonia 0, nitrIte 0 and 20 or less for nitrAtes.
I suggest you do a 50% water change to see if that helps your Danio along with a gravel vac to pickup uneatten food and fish waste. Make sure the new water is as close to the same temp as the tank as not to shock them, and get that test kit as soon as you can and pickup a bottle of prime or amquel plus for a water conditioner. They are the best to have when cycling a tank with fish, not your fault.
Last edited by AlyeskaGirl; November 11th, 2009 at 10:30 PM.
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Quote:
Originally Posted by AlyeskaGirl Hello,
I wouldn't get anymore fish until you know what is going on with your tank......readings for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. You need to get a test kit, no test strips as they are not as accurate as a liquid test kit. A cycled tank is ammonia 0, nitrIte 0 and 20 or less for nitrAtes.
I suggest you do a 50% water change to see if that helps your Danio along with a gravel vac to pickup uneatten food and fish waste. Make sure the new water is as close to the same temp as the tank as not to shock them, and get that test kit as soon as you can and pickup a bottle of prime or amquel plus for a water conditioner. They are the best to have when cycling a tank with fish, not your fault. | Thanks, i will get my partner to do it when he home i cant get that suction thing to work after trying for ages. my danio died unfortunatly, im just hoping the others will live now  ohwell fingers crossed il get that test thingy in the weekend along with one of those better water conditioners. my poor fish.. i should of researched more before getting them i guess | |
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November 11th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hi Newbee. Warmest welcomes to the forum. 
Please don't beat yourself up. So many of us came to this forum exactly as you are now. We thought we were doing things properly and with "help" from others who seemed knowledgeable, only to start to lose our new fish. What matters is that you're here and looking for help to make your fish happy - and we're all here to help out!
For now, frequent partial water changes with a water conditioner is the best thing to do and will hopefully prevent further deaths; I'm not sure if they sell Prime or Amquel Plus where you live, but we highly recommend those water conditioners because they neutralize the ammonia that is killing the fishies. With a liquid test kit, you can keep a more careful eye on things as you cycle. Glad to hear you're gonna fish-less cycle the big tank. It'll be loads quicker and easier that way. 
Last edited by iloveengl; November 12th, 2009 at 12:00 AM.
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November 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Lore Newbie
| Thanks everyone for all your help oviously the pet shop people have no idea as i was never told any of this stuff. Everyone here so far has been friendly and MUCH more helpfull than petshop. THANKS ALL  | |
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November 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hi Newbee and WELCOME TO FISHLORE! 
Great advice and info above. Don't worry about it, some of us have gone through the same thing and have been given some wrong info from some of our pet shops too. So it's better to read up on info first than to seek for personal advice from pet shops because they just want to make a sale. Hope you enjoy your stay here on Fishlore. Feel free to just start a thread and ask us any questions. Good luck!  | |
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November 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Bum
| LFS suck at advice..
Fish lore was the best site for information and helpful members..
I'm an awesome 55g tank because of this site!! | |
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November 12th, 2009
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| | Fish Addict
| I'm so sorry you lost some of your fish due to some bad LFS advice Iv'e been there myself, thought they were telling me all i needed to know (god knows i asked loads of questions!). Thanks to fishlore my fish are so much happier ^^
I hope you don't get too disheartened by it all, because it gets less confusing with time, and then becomes second nature!
And like everyone else i really recommend the liquid test kits, they are a litle more expensive but more than worth thier money! | |
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November 13th, 2009
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| | Fish Mentor
| Hi Newbee,
I hope all is well with you and your fish.
I just wanted to say a few more things.....there is alot of info in this thread for you, just take your time, read, research and don't hesitate to ask any questions. It gets easier as you go...once the tank is cycled and you maintain the water quality with a 15-25% water change every 7-10 days with a gravel vac and rinsing you filter media out in a bucket of tank water when gunky...things should just sail along smoothly. It has for me for quit awhile. | |
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