New to fish and need some advice, help.

Hello there. Let me start by saying, recently my aunt got some Cichlids and started getting into fish, which in turn led me to start getting into fish. I really like the Tiger Barbs and Green Tiger Barbs, and when I got some from the pet store within a week they were all dying. The Tiger Barbs I bought died, along with them, my Pictus Catfish, Bala Sharks, and Red Tailed Shark. The catfish and Sharks were all doing fine until I put them in with the first batch of Tiger Barbs I brought home. I also bought a Pleco to go with the Tiger Barbs, who to this day, is still alive.
I right now have some long tailed Barbs that are still alive. I really would like to get some more Tiger Barbs but am afraid I did something wrong, or if they were just sick when I brought them home. So my aunt suggested that I find a breeder and see what I could find.
They were all in a 29 gallon tank, then moved to a 30. So is there any advice anyone can give me on finding a breeder for them or giving me advice on maybe what I did wrong? We are treating the tank that the Tiger Barbs were in.

Thanks in advance for any help and/or advice.

 

OK. First thing you must do is read up on the nitrogen cycle and cycling your tank. Actually, I know of a helpful video I will post. Get yourself a good reliable liquid test kit (the API Master test kit is recommended). I also know of a video on proper tank maintenance. What are you treating with? It could cause more harm than good, and I suspect ammonia or nitrite is what killed your fish, something medicines won't treat. Since you already have fish, I would do 50% water changes daily until your ammonia is down to about a .25 reading on your test kit (because yu're unlikely to get to 0) and then put in some Tetra Safe Start, after shaking the heck out of the bottle. Once it's in, do nothing but lightly feed for 2 weeks.
When adding new water, it needs an appropriate conditioner. I recommend Seachem Prime. Wait 24 hours after adding any conditioner to the water before putting in the SafeStart. Do not do any water changes for 2 weeks after the TSS is in - again, do nothing but lightly feed.
Now for the videos

Once your tank reads 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and more than 0 nitrates you're cycled and ready to add new fish.

 

We did check the ammonia level in the tank, especially after the first one died. The ammonia level in the tank turned out to be okay. What is nitrite exactly? Does that have anything to do with the PH level? We checked that too and it turned out to good as well.
We were treating them with Quick Cure, fast relief for Ick and protozoan parasites. Where would I be find an API Master test kit?

 

By 'good' what do you mean? Anything over 0 is harmful to fish. Go ahead and watch the video about the nitrogen cycle; it should clear up your questions on what nitrite and nitrate are.

You could get the test kit about half-price on amazon but I don't think you have time to wait. Petco and Petsmart both have it, I believe. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate so you may not even be getting true readings on what your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels really are.

Did your fish have ich? What did they do and/or look like before they passed?

 

No they did not have Ich. My aunt knows what Ich looks like. The levels were not over 0. We have a tester that sticks to the side of the tank and tells us. The sharks started swimming weird. They would swim up and then just float. Same with the Tiger Barbs. And some of them didnt even do that. Most of them swam normal and then the next morning, they were dead. The Catfish swam up to the top and then sideways and fell to the bottom. I recognized that as not right from watching them from before.
But it was really odd, cause some of them just all of a sudden died over night. I had a really small Tiger Barb from the first batch I got, that lived until last Sunday. I got the first group late last month I believe.

 

Those testers are also usually inaccurate from what I've heard.
Without knowing for sure if your tank is cycled, it's hard to figure what might be wrong. It does occur to me that if they're sitting at the top you might not have sufficient oxygenation. Adding an airstone might help. Maybe they do have parasites, but it's difficult to know. Were they getting skinny? Did the poo look normal or whitish?

 

I never really got a chance to notice them poo to be honest. After I got them home, they swam around, the next day it seemed they started dying. They didnt appear skinny from what I could tell. They looked to be about the same size, height, length, and weight as the other Barbs at the pet store.
The air thing, my aunt thought of that too. So we put one of the air bubble wands in there. But that didnt seem to help them.

 

Hmmm. Sounds like you might have gotten some bad stock...or the testing equipment you have isn't reading right...because ammonia could do that...It could be a parasite, but let's rule some stuff out. Was there anything visible about them that was odd, such as missing scales, redness or any fuzziness?

 

Not that I recall. My aunt and I thought maybe the fish had gotten sick, and then when I got new fish, they just infected those as well. But they looked normal to me, all the same.

 

Very odd. Hopefully someone will show up with more experience.

 

Have you watched the video or researched the nitrogen cycle yet? Assuming it was a newly set up tank with a new filter cartridge and you didn't add any bacteria additives, I can say with quite a bit of certainty that there was an ammonia spike and your fish died of ammonia posioning.

I also believe that your tank is not large enough for the sharks, but you may want to verify that since I've never kept any.

 

I agree with jdhef. This tank was severely overstocked when you started. Plus, the tank was not cycled.

You must read up on the nitrogen cycle. This is what will save your fish. I mean no disrespect to your aunt, but it's possible that she doesn't have the correct information either, so it could be that you're going by what she says and your tank is dying.

You can get the API master kit (liquid) on-line at kensfish.com for less than $18. This kit will last you for hundreds of reliable tests.

What fish do you have left? We need to determine what you can keep and what you need to rehome.

We can get your tank up and running but you'll have to help us by doing the research and having the proper equipment and the proper stocking for your tank.

Whatever you do, do not purchase any more fish yet. Let's get your situation fixed first.

Welcome to the forum! Sorry it's not on better terms.

 

Thank you all! I really appreciate this. Right now all I have left are a couple of long tailed Barbs. Not sure what their scientific name is, it was what Petsmart called them. I guess what I should have done was left the Sharks and Catfish in with my aunts Oscars. What fish can go in with Barbs? I read that other Barbs can be with them, that they will kind of be a school together?
jdhef I do know the tank was not big enough. The plan was to watch them grow a little bit, then move them into a bigger tank. I read that they call for a 125 tank.
Yes it was a new tank, did have a semI used filter on it with a new cartridge. So, by doing that it didnt get any bacteria it needed right?

Oh, sorry and the Pleco. He is still around too.

 

What species of pleco is it? Some reach 18 inches in length.

It's always a good idea to purchase fish knowing they will fit into your existing tank at their adult size. Seems foolish, I'm sure, but it's best for the fish. You cannot see stunted growth happening but if the sharks had stayed, chances are quite high that you would've not moved them to a larger tank prior to their suffering.

Tiger barbs are aggressive and so need to be kept with like fish. The larger school of tigers, the less their aggression will be spread towards other species. You could keep a pair of kribensis cichlids with them, and a bristlenose pleco. Maybe a gourami.

You probably carried over some beneficial bacteria on that filter, so long as the media was kept wet and then provided with a source of ammonia right away to survive. What do you mean "semi-used"?

 

The filter was washed out before we used it. But previous to us having it, it was used so not new. I am not sure what kind of Pleco it is. I did this backwards to be honest, didnt start reading up on fish until after I got them. It is a Pleco from Petsmart as well though, so I can probably go back and look to see if they have a name for it.
Before I moved the sharks they were in a 55. Guess I should have left them there.
So is it okay to put the Green Tiger Barbs, Long finned Barbs, and Tiger Barbs together or is that not advised? Those are like fish right?

 

So, you are using a previously used filter housing (the equipment), but all new filter media (stuff inside filter), right?

If the pleco is from PetsMart, I can almost guarantee that it's a common pleco. You need to rehome that pretty soon.

Green tiger barbs are still considered tiger barbs, so those are okay together. The tiger barbs would probably not be polite to a long finned barb variety. They're nasty little fish anyway, why tempt them with long finnage.

 

Okay. How big does the common Pleco get? I was reading, after I got the long finned Barbs, that the Tiger Barbs have a nasty habit of biting others fins.
Yes. All new filter media, the filter housing is used.
That is good to know, cause I really like the Green Tiger Barbs. Are there any other kind of Barbs that would do okay with the Tiger Barbs? I kinda want those to be my main fish.

 

The common pleco can reach two feet long.

The tigers, both green and regular, will nip less in an appropriately large school (8-10 individuals). If your greens school with your normals you might be able to combine your count of them into one school but I don't know if they do.

Are your long-finned barbs silver and green and/or reddish and green? They could be long-finned Rosy Barbs. Like these two but with long fins:

(from )

Fast-moving, short-finned fish are your best bets with Tigers. Those of the Danio family in particular...the short-finned versions of the Rosy Barbs may be ok....it's difficult to know. Depends on how well your school size works to reduce aggression. You'll have to get a feel for it and watch any new tank mates for about a week in case the tiger start to damage them. Avoid slow or long-finned fish. They may or may not chew up a pleco.

 

The long finned Barbs are more silver, with a black dot at the back fin. They don't really seem to have any other color than those.
Also, my Pleco just died today. He was in the tank this morning sucking on the side, his tail wagging like normal. Just a minute ago I moved a decoration from the tank and he just fell to the bottom. He was the part of the first Tiger Barbs that I got. And he just now died! I am seriously not understanding this at all. He was normal, is there any idea of why they are dropping like this? I thought they were doing fine, so I ended up putting a Gourami in with them, now I am worried that the long finned Barbs and the Pink Kissing Gourami are going to die. What can I do? How can I help them to make sure these don't die? Any ideas?

 

Dreamage - I don't have a ton of experience, but have enough to know the basics of starting a tank, and regular maintenance. In my experience and with a lot of research about fish and what they require, etc, it is best to not add any new fish to the tank you are trying to maintain (keep from more dying, getting sick, and having what I think is an ammonia spike like no tomorrow. When I first set up my tank, I had about 6-8 fish total, and they all died because I did not even know about cycling a tank in the least. Once I finally did a lot of reading and researching about fish, tank maintenance, and all the things that go along those lines, I first correctly cycled the tank and waited till all readings were normal on a test and then added fish once that was successful. Most of these fish are a big job to maintain and keep healthy, especially the water situation. I am sorry, though, you have lost all of those fish and nearly have to start over, but seriously watch the videos as others have stated. Btw, I used to have Bala Sharks but found out they need to be in a minimum school of 5 and they can reach up to 10-15 inches in length. With that being said, it would take you at least a 120 gallon or more to house those fellows happily and healthy wise. They need a lot of room to swim their "laps". Very active fish indeed. As far as Barbs, those are semi-aggressive fish, so I'd be careful what you put with those. Hope this helps.

 

Yes I have done reading on the Barbs. My aunt is the one who helped me set the tank up. I actually have been doing a lot of reading on the fish that I once had. I was so sure that Pleco was going to make it, they all seemed to be fine. Adding the Kissing fish was not such a smart idea, and I am going to feel bad if it dies. But I also did reading on the Bala, and we were in the process of getting a bigger tank for them. My aunt learned a lot about the cycling and everything that needed to be done, before we got these Barbs. So now I am waiting to see if these last ones die too or not. hopefully not.

 

I cannot emphasize this enough - GET A LIQUID TEST KIT. The stick-ons and strips are not reliable. Hey, it occurs to me - what water conditioner are you using? Sometimes city supplies switch from chlorine to chloramine and not all conditioners work on chloramine.