help whats wrng

It sounds like you worked hard to give your fish the best water and a clean tank.
It also sounds like you made some mistakes that almost everyone makes at first!
It is good that you came here with questions. If you keep answerring what people ask and asking what you need to know, I think you will learn a lot and have WAY better results.

I agree it sounds like the fish had ich and finrot. Believe it or not, it can be Harder to keep fish healthy in drinking water than in tap water!

one way to keep the tank clean even with a good filter is to use a "gravel vacuum" this takes out gunk from the gravel and some of the water at the same time. then you replace the water. That, and correctly rinsing the filter each week, hsould be enough to keep the tank clean AFTER the bacteria have developped to take care of the ammonia and such as Puma mentioned.
before that happens though, you have to take out some water and add new water VERY often because the ammonia and nitrates kill the fish. ( or weaken them until they get sick and die) It is also important NOT to wash the tank or wash the filter or throw away all the stuff from the filter while it is "cycling" ( i mean while it is 'growing the bacteria it needs)

when you said that you maybe cycle the water? what did you mean? if you buy that stuff in a bottle, called cycle, I am sorry to tell you that it doesnt work.
like i said, keep asking and answerring and you can keep getting good advise here. good luck!
 
i havent cycled the water i think that may b the problem..and mab its to cold i dont have a heater i add in the dirnkng water thn put some hot water
 
A heater will also help then. If tropical fish are kept in water much below 72F they often fall ill because their bodies aren't functioning properly. Get a heater and keep the water in the 75-80F range and I think you will see some improvement in your fish as well.
 
good thinking. I agree that both of those things would explain the fish deaths.
Also, when you add hot water, if it is from your sink, do you de-chlorinate it?
Chlorine also makes fish sick.
The way that you are heating the tank makes the water temperature change all the time, that can make fish get sick also.

I don't really know how you can treat the sick fish and cycle the tank at the same time without a heater... or maybe there are no fish left, im not sure.

If you empty the tank and rinse everything with just water, and let it dry, or dry it with just a clean towel, then start over, I will tell you one fish that I think you can have without a heater. Other people will disagree with me, but In My oppinion, you could have white cloud minnows in there. they are very cool fish.
You would have to cycle the tank ! and you need to vaccuum the gravel! and you need to have a filter that is the right size for the tank.

if you do all these things, then your fish will have a better chance to live.
If you can afford a heater, thats better of course.
good luck whatever you decide to do.
 
thanks i wi start cycling now and then buy fish later and i wil get a heater as well wha kind of fish do u think i should put in that are really cool
 
Well, what kind of fish are you interested in? Personality and social behavior?

One man's cool fish is another one's boring fish ;).
 
Its a 60 gallon tank? You have alot of options :clap: !! Spend some time researching fish while you cycle the tank, that way you don't end up like before with fish (the balas) that get way to big for your tank. What I always suggest is go to the place where you will buy your fish, make a list of what you like, then research them or even post on here and you'll get lots of feedback as to what will and won't work, if they're schooling fish, etc.

So I take it you lost all the fish :o ... Sorry to hear that, but soon you'll have your tank up and running and won't run into those same problems again :p:
 
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