New 10 Gallon But Fish Already Dying? Help!

[NewFisherGal]

ok so i went to the petshop today the local one here and got myself a new 10 gallon tank. its my first tank ever so i wanted to start small

the man there told me it would be fine to keep the fish in the bag until i got home and put water in the tank and then to dump the fish in the tank but already before i put the fish in the tank 2 died so i took them out and i put the rest in the tank. now it looks like 3 of them are just floating near the top and the rest are sorta swimming around

i got two angelfish and a fighting fish in there and had 8 guppies but 2 are now dead. i also got 10 neon tetras cuz i like those and and another type but i dont know the type . an african something

what could be wrong with my tank is it my water or something please help!

fishergal

[petfairy]

ok so i went to the petshop today the local one here and got myself a new 10 gallon tank. its my first tank ever so i wanted to start small

the man there told me it would be fine to keep the fish in the bag until i got home and put water in the tank and then to dump the fish in the tank but already before i put the fish in the tank 2 died so i took them out and i put the rest in the tank. now it looks like 3 of them are just floating near the top and the rest are sorta swimming around

i got two angelfish and a fighting fish in there and had 8 guppies but 2 are now dead. i also got 10 neon tetras cuz i like those and and another type but i dont know the type . an african something

what could be wrong with my tank is it my water or something please help!

fishergal


Well, the first thing I noticed is that for a ten gallon tank..... you are severely overstocked. The second, is .... did you add a dechlorinater to your tap water? And... the third, is that if two of the fish died in the bag before you put them in the tank... then there was something wrong either at the lfs, or on the way home from the lfs. They could have been sick at the store and looked fine.
And... the big thing that i noticed is that the tank is not cycled.

What i would suggest, is that you call the lfs and tell them that your two fish died before you got them in the tank, and see what their policy is for returning fish. Take back most of the fish you have. The angel will need a minumum tank size of 30 gallons ( i believe), The tetra and would be ok if you kept only 6 of them in the tank. the guppies... i believe you would be ok with 4, could be more or less on that, im not possitive on the guppies. And the fighting fish.. i assume its a betta, if you want to keep him.. you can take a couple fish off the #'s i gave you and keep him.
Also, those are all tropical fish and will need a temperature of about 75 to 78 degrees F. So you will need to get a heater if you dont have one. Another thing, is that betta dont like a lot of current, so check to see if the filter you have is producing too much for him.

Other than that, i cant think of anything else right now. Someone else might be able to add to this, change this, or even disagree. Do a search in the forums for the fish and maybe you will find care sheets, i havent been in the forum for a while, so i dont know where anything is anymore.

Good luck..

Janell

[petfairy]

Sorry, more details....

When i said 6 tetra or 4 guppy, i meant those alone.. not together

So, you have a tank

4 guppy
OR
6 tetra

and thats it.. sorry..lol

[Wishful]

I take it the guy at the fish store didn't tell you about dechlorinating your water, floating the fish in the bag in the water to equalize the temperature, give you any advice about cycling your tank so you'll have the natural bacteria needed to break down the chemical consquences of fish and food waste or tell you that you bought too many fish too fast for too small a tank?

[fishcatch22]

well, let me start by saying:EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR TANK!!!!!!!!!!!
didn't you even read any books!?!?!?! 1.you have to cycle the tank. you can do this by letting your tank sit around, fully furnished, and run for a few days WITHOUT FISH and then add ONE OR TWO AT A TIME!!!!! until you tank's biomass limit is maxed out.2. GET LESS FISH!! I suggest returing a few to the store and starting over. 3. READ LOTS OF BOOKS!!!!!!!!!! :read: :read: :read:4.DECHLORINATE YOUR WATER!!!!!!!5. LET THE FISH"S BAG FLOAT IN THE WATER FOR TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!6. FIND A NEW DEALER!!!!!! SHEEEESHH!!!! :mad2: :mad:

[gordons]

First of all, congrads on the new tank. When you bring the fish home leave in bag and float the bag for about 10 minutes so the fish will adjust to the temp of your tank. Open the bag and pour a little of the water in your tank into the bag. After 5 more minutes release them into your tank. You should always float the bag for about 15 minutes. You don't have to pour water into the bag. I like to do this but it would be good practice. Was all your specs in your tank OK? If its a new tank with well water you should you some water cond. to get rid of clorine and such. Also a ten gallon tank should really only hold about 4-7 fish depending on the size. It sounds like you introduce to many fish to your tank. You should make sure the tank has cycle properly and do frequent water changes. Sounds like a lot but it well worth it.

[fishcatch22]

Sorry, more details....

When i said 6 tetra or 4 guppy, i meant those alone.. not together

So, you have a tank

4 guppy
OR
6 tetra

and thats it.. sorry..lolshe can add much more than that!! 6 tetras AND
4 guppies, AND even a gourami!!

[Chuck_T]

man im on my first tank the only thing i really screwed up on was the color of my gravel i lost one fish due to it jumpin into the lid the **** bag the fish come in have instructions on them learn to read

[Roan Art]

well, let me start by saying:EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR TANK!!!!!!!!!!!
didn't you even read any books!?!?!?! 1.you have to cycle the tank. you can do this by letting your tank sit around, fully furnished, and run for a few days WITHOUT FISH and then add ONE OR TWO AT A TIME!!!!! until you tank's biomass limit is maxed out. . .I can't see how you can get off yelling (all caps) at this person or asking them if they have read any books when the advice you are giving here is totally out to lunch.

Your tank will not cycle if you let "it sit around, fully furnished, and run for a few days WITHOUT FISH" [sic]. That will do absolutely nothing to cycle the tank.

In order for the tank to cycle, you need to have a source of ammonia to build up the first part of the nitrogen cycle. That means decaying matter, ammonia, or fish.

I suggest you read this article:

Cycling a Freshwater Tank (http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/Cycling_a_Freshwater_Tank)

Roan

[Roan Art]

she can add much more than that!! 6 tetras AND
4 guppies, AND even a gourami!!Again, please hold on the bad advice. Not only will that overstock the tank but cycling a tank with a full bioload is just asking for trouble.

Roan

[daikim]

Oh dear. I agree with many of the posts here, the tank should be cycled first and a dechlorinator like AquaPlus is also a wonderful thing to have, also the temperature of the water needs to be correct so a thermometer is also a must have (tropical fish need temperatures around 70 to 80 degrees usually). I hope you have a good filter as well, something like Aqua Clear would be good to begin with. Also, a fighting fish is not really a community fish usually and you mentioned an african something you weren't sure of, if it is an african cichlid a 10 gallon may not be suitable for this fish and usually they are more aggressive and harder to take care of for a beginner. And if your fish died on the the transport home, that is a usually a bad sign on the part of the pet store (who gave you bad advice to begin with) either with sickness or if the travel back home was long the fish may not have gotten enough oxygen. For now since you have the fish and don't have an extra tank I would get something like Cycle to help the fish a bit and maybe return the african cichlid if that is what it is. You'll need to get other things eventually such as a heater when it gets colder and a gravel cleaner. There's a lot of information on the internet as well as many books at your library or book store available to you and it does help a lot =) Let us know how the tank is doing :D!

[Roan Art]

. . .For now since you have the fish and don't have an extra tank I would get something like Cycle to help the fish a bit . . .Unfortunately, Cycle is pretty much snake oil. It does not contain the proper bacteria that live in FW aquaria and any bacteria that it may have are most likely dead. The bacteria need to be refridgerated in order to slow their life cycle down to a stop. They cannot live in a bottle -- they are live organisms that need food and oxygenation.

Cycle is known to cause massive nitrite spikes in some tanks.

I would avoid it like the plague.

Roan

[newtosnails]

I am very new here too, but I had and kept up a 10gal in the past for about 2-3 years.

I did keep a Beta in my tank successfully. He was healthy and did not attack the other fish at all. All I had in my tank otherwise were: 3-4 Platies, 2-3 Mollies, 1 little shark fish (after the Mollies passed on), and 1 plecostomas (sp??). So at most, I only had 8 fish in my tank at one time.

Even as a somewhat beginner, I recognized you have too many fish for the tank. Make sure you treat the water, and read all the suggested info they gave you here - it is very good. I read through it all myself, and I learned alot!

Good luck with everything!

[icecubez189]

I can't see how you can get off yelling (all caps) at this person or asking them if they have read any books when the advice you are giving here is totally out to lunch.

Your tank will not cycle if you let "it sit around, fully furnished, and run for a few days WITHOUT FISH" [sic]. That will do absolutely nothing to cycle the tank.

In order for the tank to cycle, you need to have a source of ammonia to build up the first part of the nitrogen cycle. That means decaying matter, ammonia, or fish.

I suggest you read this article:

Cycling a Freshwater Tank (http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/Cycling_a_Freshwater_Tank)

Roan

would adding some fish food to an empty tank start up that fishless cycle (fish food falls to bottom, stats to decay, then etc etc) or would using the ammonia be the most accurate sure fire thing?

[polocrosseplyer]

NewFisherGal - how is everything going? any new problems with the tank you need help with? it can be overwhelming, but dont worry you'll get it and once you do, it will be a lot of fun.

[Roan Art]

would adding some fish food to an empty tank start up that fishless cycle (fish food falls to bottom, stats to decay, then etc etc) or would using the ammonia be the most accurate sure fire thing?
Yes on both counts. Fish food works, but ammonia is more accurate.

Roan

[fishcatch22]

Again, please hold on the bad advice. Not only will that overstock the tank but cycling a tank with a full bioload is just asking for trouble.

Roan(ahem) i'm sorry for my temper:o, I didn't fully explain the cycling process or good stocking polices. I don't think clearly when i'm angry.(does anybody?) I hate it when my temper flares out of control like that! i'm normally a calm man. also, pet fairy already explained she should add them one at a time, after it was cycling was completed so I saw it unecessary to reiterate it.