New to the Hobby

[TeachersPet]

Hello! I decided to get a classroom tank this past summer. I started out with around 30-40 guppies and a bristle nose plecostomus from another teach who was breaking down her tank. Everything went really smooth for the first 3 months! Then one day all of my fish started dying throughout the day! By the end of my last period, I was down to my pleco and 4 guppies. ( I think a student put something in the tank.) After this I relocated the survivors and cleaned and scrubbed everything with hot water. After a couple of weeks I reintroduced the pleco, mainly because he was stressed out in my partners tank (her pleco was very territorial). I gave it another couple of weeks before I decided to go buy some guppies, another pleco, and three shrimp. They all did well the first month, so I decided to get a couple more to help increase my guppy population. Unfortunately, one of the new guppies was sick. I didn't catch it in time and all the guppies and my adult pleco perished! This is when I had an epiphany. I am destined to have a shrimp tank! It is just meant to be since those three survived. Flash forward to now. I currently have a shrimp colony of about 30-50 ( its hard to count the littles). I recently added two baby plecos (about three weeks ago)! The main reason I decided to join was to answer some of my questions that I still have with being new to the hobby.

 

[Salem]

You likely had a cycle crash after the first fish died and released a bunch of ammonia. Read up on the nitrogen cycle if you haven't already.

 

[TeachersPet]

You likely had a cycle crash after the first fish died and released a bunch of ammonia. Read up on the nitrogen cycle if you haven't already.

I have read up on it a few times to try and grasp everything a little better. Some of it I get but some of it still goes over my head. I will read this one to see if it makes more sense! Thank you!

 

[KnownSyntax]

Sounds like a cycled crashed for sure, did got clean any filters or change them out at all right before they started to die off? Also how big was the tank by chance?

At least the shrimps are all working out for you, so that is good news!

If you haven’t, here is a good guide on the nitrogen cycle in case you haven’t cycled the tank or knew how to cycle it;

 

[Oak77]

Welcome, I am fairly new also. A lot of very helpful people here with a lot of knowledge. Good luck with your endeavor.

 

[TeachersPet]

Sounds like a cycled crashed for sure, did got clean any filters or change them out at all right before they started to die off? Also how big was the tank by chance?

At least the shrimps are all working out for you, so that is good news!

If you haven’t, here is a good guide on the nitrogen cycle in case you haven’t cycled the tank or knew how to cycle it;

I added some treated water to top off the tank because the water level had dropped a little. It was weird when it started happening. A student pointed it out! The fish would be swimming and just stop and float to the bottom. The tank went from clear to brown.

 

[TeachersPet]

Sounds like a cycled crashed for sure, did got clean any filters or change them out at all right before they started to die off? Also how big was the tank by chance?

At least the shrimps are all working out for you, so that is good news!

If you haven’t, here is a good guide on the nitrogen cycle in case you haven’t cycled the tank or knew how to cycle it;

Here are some of my rcs and one of the plecos!

 

[Dawn Michele]

Welcome to Fishlore!!!

 

[hydrogen]

I'm new as well, I have so many fears right now