Help needed

N

NCalien

AC Members
Jun 7, 2009
49
0
0
Greensboro, NC
I recently just have gotten in fish and i recently acquired a 10 gal fish tank. In the tank I had a water filter with a 30 gal capacity and i thought that would make up for the the number of fish it was going to hold. In the tank i had

3 Rosies
3 Tiger barbs
1 minnow
3 Goldfish

At the time i didnt know Goldfish made so much Ammonia and a few of my fish began to get very sick especially ther goldfish. I later then aquired a 55 gal tank and moved everything over to that tank. All my fish died except for my minnows and rosies. My next issue is i have done some extensive reading and now I want to create a whole new setup for my 55 where do i start

Thanks for the help
 
NCalien said:
I recently just have gotten in fish and i recently acquired a 10 gal fish tank. In the tank I had a water filter with a 30 gal capacity and i thought that would make up for the the number of fish it was going to hold. In the tank i had

3 Rosies
3 Tiger barbs
1 minnow
3 Goldfish

At the time i didnt know Goldfish made so much Ammonia and a few of my fish began to get very sick especially ther goldfish. I later then aquired a 55 gal tank and moved everything over to that tank. All my fish died except for my minnows and rosies. My next issue is i have done some extensive reading and now I want to create a whole new setup for my 55 where do i start

Thanks for the help
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I would start by posting this in the Freshwater newbie forum instead of this sticky as you will get much better response. and same for your post about the figurines.

By the way welcome to AC and hope you get the help you need.
 
Last edited:
NCalien said:
I recently just have gotten in fish and i recently acquired a 10 gal fish tank. In the tank I had a water filter with a 30 gal capacity and i thought that would make up for the the number of fish it was going to hold. In the tank i had

3 Rosies
3 Tiger barbs
1 minnow
3 Goldfish

At the time i didnt know Goldfish made so much Ammonia and a few of my fish began to get very sick especially ther goldfish. I later then aquired a 55 gal tank and moved everything over to that tank. All my fish died except for my minnows and rosies. My next issue is i have done some extensive reading and now I want to create a whole new setup for my 55 where do i start

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...
:welcome: to AC!

I am sorry to hear about your losses. First of all, I just wanted to comment about the recent mixes so you will learn from the mistakes. Don't worry about this. You'll get there later on. Each one of us here has been around there before and we learn from our mistakes later on. As always, research is extremely important and I commend you for trying to ask help this time. You chose the right forum where you will get proper advice.:thumbsup:

Tiger barbs in general are extremely nippy fish. They are best kept with tankmates that are much more able to defend themselves when the tiger barbs attempt to harass them. You must avoid mixing them with long finned and slow moving varieties. Angelfish and goldfish fall under this category. They are very likely to have their fins trimmed badly that they eventually suffer from swimming imbalance, finrot and other infections. Also, tiger barbs are tropical species although they have a tolerance for temperature ranging from 74 degrees Fahrenheit up to 82 degrees.

What species is your minnow? Is it white cloud mountain minnow I assume? You can consider a coldwater setup if you would like. Are you really fascinated in a coldwater setup? Do you really like goldfish? With goldfish, there are a lot of strains to consider. As a guideline, I would consider one fancy goldfish per 15g. If you want comets, shubunkins or common goldfish, consider 20g per fish. Adding to the 20g guideline are the wakins, jikins and watonais. For a 55g though, I would suggest sticking to fancy goldfish which will fit better than the feistier ones. The likes of orandas, ryukins, celestials and black moors can be considered. Let us know which strain you want. Not all strains will certainly mix well as they have various temperament and degree of feisty nature. Ryukins for instance, tend to be a little more aggressive when they rush to their share of food so if you are mixing them with celestials, bubble eyes and demekins, chances are the latter strains are outcompeted greatly.

If you plan to buy any more fish, it would be extremely important that you start setting up a quarantine tank. A 10g is ideal in this case to safeguard your current stocks from possible health issues particularly ich and columnaris, a common bacterial infection. All it takes shall be sponge filter, heater and a few broken pieces of pots, plastic plants or pipes for refuge. No need to add substrate for hygienic reasons. It is best the quarantine tank must remain barebottom.

As far as water parameters are concerned, could you please tell us first what your water parameters are? This would include ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. All four of which are basic variables. What filter do you run? What filter media do you use? For instance, filter floss, ceramic rings, bioballs and carbon are all filter media. Please let us know the fish you are most fascinated in and we'll adjust a few things from there once we know what you plan to keep.

Do you have any pictures of your current setup? Do you plan to have plants? What substrate (gravel or sand) do you have? Do you have any decorations in there already? If you want me to share my goldfish tank setup right now, the tank simply has some smooth rocks, none too abrasive. Abrasive ones such as lava rocks are best avoided as most fish are prone to injuring themselves as they swim around especially when their finnage shape and body shape hinders their ability to swim in a right position. For substrate, sand is generally much more preferable as it is easier to clean but that's up to you whichever you like. The wastes just do not go down beneath the sand and can be vacuumed with ease as they float above the sand.

Plants help a lot with water quality, be it floating, clinging or rooted plants. If you want to start with easy to grow ones, go with hornworts, Egeria densa, Java ferns, Java moss, anubias, vallisnerias, cryptocorynes, duckweeds, Pistia stratiotes and Nymphaea lotus. The Pistia stratiotes are best kept in open topped tanks as they do not like too much condensation forming on their leaves or they will rot quickly. Think twice before you want to attempt duckweeds as duckweeds proliferate rather quickly and are known to clog filters but some fish will readily eat them. Java moss, Java ferns and anubias are best attached to rocks or driftwoods. You can use strings or fishing lines to tie them in place. Crypts, vals, Egeria densa and Nymphaea lotus are all rooted plants although the Egeria densa can be left floating. The hornworts are best left floating as they will never grow roots even when you attempt to plant them. It doesn't work that way and certainly needs replanting on several occasions as the bottom part rots.

If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask further.

Cluunox said:
I would start by posting this in the Freshwater newbie forum instead of this sticky as you will get much better response. and same for your post about the figurines.
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Post has been split out of the sticky thread.
 
PS--When you moved everything over to the "new" 55, did you cycle?? If not, then that is probably what killed the fish.
 
Lupin pretty much covered it all.. you should be able to get everything worked out here! Just keep posting your questions and you'll be on your way.
 
Oh wow that was an amazing response thanks for all of the feedback well i will just post an update of everything i have read in the past day of being a member on this forum. From my reading here are some of my newbie

Mistake #1 I think i had to many fish in that single tank seeing as they produce a lot of ammonia. I saw alot of setups that only recommended a few per tank of my size

Mistake # 2 As you stated the fish that I had required alot of different water needs ie. Temperature, pH

Mistake # 3 I didnt have any kind of Biofilter

Mistake # 4 The water in the 55 gal tank wasn't cycled anywhere long enough and the fish were rapidly introduced to the new tank

As well as the specs on the water the temp was kept at 72 and to be honest i cant remember the latest reading for Ammonia which i have figured out was my largest downfall

Well fortunately i knew that starting an aquarium is rather intricate so I decided to stick to very cheap fish in the case that they died. So my total loss was <$7 worth of fish. Currently there are only my Rosies and Minnows remaining. Im waiting to get a water heater and my Large pump fixed. My plan for my next setup is on consisting of tropical fish. I visited Petco yesterday and some of the fish i like for my next setup were

Electric Yellow African Cichlid
Gold Barb
Bloodfin tetra
Tiger Barb
Serpae tetra
Misc African Cichlid

Can anyone guide me on what all i need so i can start formulating a blueprint for my next setup

Thus far im waiting for my 55 gal filter to get fixed
Water Heater
Bubbler stone
Bacterial Sand
Lava rocks
Some kind of plant
 
May I ask what is this "bacterial sand" all about? If you are using sand as a substrate, please be sure to rake it with either fork or chopstick to avoid dead pockets caused by it compacting and tightening in some areas. Dead pockets can form anaerobic bacteria which when disturbed will rleease hydrogen sulfide that can potentially harm you as the owner and your fish. You could hire the Malaysian trumpet snails to burrow around the substrate for you. They do quite a neat job hence they are regarded as "earthworms of the aquatic gardens". They tend to overpopulate so you have to control your feeding rations if you want to avoid an unsightly large number of trumpet snails clinging around the glass during the dark.

If you want to instantly cycle your filters and tank, ask a friend who keeps an established tank setup for some of his filter media. Make sure the tank in question is free from possible parasites such as flukes, ich, etc. You can then either place the filter media in your filter or simply squeeze the "dirt" into your tank. The beneficial bacteria in the filter media is extremely important. Once you have done this process, you can add fish almost immediately in your tank Do you have a test kit right now? Use the API liquid brand since test strips are grossly inaccurate. Monitor the water parameters and make sure your ammonia and nitrite do not take a steep climb which can potentially kill all your fish. Make sure your nitrate does not exceed 40.

Do you know which plants you like? I might warn you lava rocks are too abrasive so be careful with the fish you pick. Some are prone to injuries. If possible, stick to smooth round rocks. I use those myself especially slates.

If your filter already makes turbulence on the surface area, then a bubbler/airpump setup is totally unnecessary. Invest in an airpump and a sponge filter however for quarantine purposes. If possible, invest a battery operated airpump for power outages and other types of emergencies. Heaters are very important so this is no longer an issue. If possible, stick to Eheim, Sera or Visitherm Stealth.

Regarding the planned stocks, I would avoid Rift Valley cichlids such as the electric yellows. These are not generally community fish due to their outward aggression towards other fish. If you want cichlids, stick to Bolivian rams, kribensis or keyholes.

Serpae tetras and tiger barbs are both notorious fin nippers so be very careful with what you mix with these two. If possible, avoid them and try searching other species you are fascinated in.
 
When choosing tankmates I make sure to do a ton of research and then if I'm not sure I ask people (like on this forum). If you keep the rosies and minnows try and get tankmates compatible with them. If your really into the african cichlids, trade in your fish and start new. Also I've had bad luck at petco and other such places so I'd try and find a good lfs (local fish store). As for formulating a plan choose decide what kind of fish you like and follow Lupin's advice
 
OKay thanks yea well the guy at the LFS was kinda pushing the sand to me saying that it already had some bacteria in it and was the easiest to clean so that seemed like the best option to me

Oh okay so basically i do have a friend with a setup tank i could just put the filter media directly into the water or do i place that into the filter ???

Thanks for the advice no the lava rocks. Now my next question is can I just have sand on the bottom or would i still need rocks.

Now the snail you recommended is that the only species I should choose or are there some other options in case it isnt carried at the LFS

Well if I only went with the Cichlids, Barbs and Tetras would all of those fish get along ?
 
NCalien said:
OKay thanks yea well the guy at the LFS was kinda pushing the sand to me saying that it already had some bacteria in it and was the easiest to clean so that seemed like the best option to me
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Is this from a freshwater tank? If so, just make sure the inhabitants of that particular tank are in good health condition.

Oh okay so basically i do have a friend with a setup tank i could just put the filter media directly into the water or do i place that into the filter ???
Click to expand...
Either option is fine. I prefer personally putting it in the filter though.

Thanks for the advice no the lava rocks. Now my next question is can I just have sand on the bottom or would i still need rocks.
Click to expand...
Rocks are not necessary. That's up to you.

Now the snail you recommended is that the only species I should choose or are there some other options in case it isnt carried at the LFS
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Some stores carry various species that they sell but trumpets (MTS) should be free of charge as basically, some people consider them pests due to their ability to proliferate quickly but you can always smash them with a hammer and give them to your fish for extra protein load.:) Don't use your fingernails when you crush the trumpets. Their shells are very hard and you don't want to damage your nails.

Well if I only went with the Cichlids, Barbs and Tetras would all of those fish get along ?
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Which species of the three are you looking for? I did tell you earlier African rift lake species such as electric yellows are out of the question for community setups.
 
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