Hello everyone
I'm John and just started my first aquarium and have many problems. I bought my 20 gallon tank at ACE Hardware along with my fish. My water never got clear and my fish started to die. I bought ten at first with two crayfish and lost the little catfish first. Than another fish died and four days later, my two sharks. My grommy got attacked by two other fish and lost one eye and it's tail. Every time I go back to ACE I get different people with very different advice. I now want a 70 gallon tank but must figure out the 20 gallon problems first. Anyone with good advise that doesn't work at ACE would be appriciated.
stemlof
I'm John and just started my first aquarium and have many problems. I bought my 20 gallon tank at ACE Hardware along with my fish. My water never got clear and my fish started to die. I bought ten at first with two crayfish and lost the little catfish first. Than another fish died and four days later, my two sharks. My grommy got attacked by two other fish and lost one eye and it's tail. Every time I go back to ACE I get different people with very different advice. I now want a 70 gallon tank but must figure out the 20 gallon problems first. Anyone with good advise that doesn't work at ACE would be appriciated.
stemlof
Check out API liquid test kit and determine your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH. When did you start your tank? Read rbishop's sticky thread on cycling. You'll really need to cycle the tank first before proceeding to get the fish. You have New Tank Syndrome at the moment. To explain this, you are adding too many fish in a tank that has not established itself yet. The ammonia and nitrites are on the rise and both are toxic to the fish. In the end, you will want zero on both. 
