I might give up on fish caring...

I think I messed up my cycling... but I don't want to cycle again!

(current) water stats:
Ammonia - 0ppm (i think it can't be more than that because then my black neons, surviving ever since I first got them, are still alive)
Nitrite - 0ppm (same reason above)
Nitrate - less than 5 ppm (20% water changes weekly. I have 20 gal. 4 gallon water change every week)

Now for why I think I messed up my cycling:
1)I cycled with a goldfish. Moreso, I started with 9 goldfish. Removed 8 after a few weeks.
2)Didn't do water changes (I didn't know!)

Do I have to replace my carbon thingy in my EHEIM filter? It's been in there for 2 months now. And is bio-wheel better or EHEIM? I just felt like trying a bio-wheel (if it's better, I'm going to use EHEIM for quarentine tank.. or should I use both? But will that be too much? See topic:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85762)
And Bio-wheel seems fun (that wheel.... spinning and spinning... *drools*)

another question (boy, I have too many questions :p: ):
When I was done cycling, I saw hairy green stuff on my carbon strip thing in my filter. Then afterwards, they disappeared! Could it be green algae? I hope so because I heard green algae=healthy tank=good water conditions!
Now, the carbon strip thing has slight white stuff on it.

*EDIT*I don't know why I keep asking, but how long should I wait to put in my first 5~6 neon tetras (are you sure that 5~6 won't make my tank crash?!), since all fish with ick died (:() but the others seem healthy (including the pleco. He had sunken belly but it got full again! I don't know why but it's a miracle!)... I know that ick is still there, just how long should I wait?

and I don't think I mixed the salt properly..
 
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fishkeeping will be an expensive hobby, but knowing the right equipment to buy will make all the difference between spending hundreds of dollars on useless junk that will break or taking the time to research and buy quality equipment that will more than do the job.

i know what you mean, back when i was a little kid, i used to keep beautiful goldfish in a bowl only to see them die in weeks or months. just last year i decided to jump into the hobby again, with a basic 10G starter kit from Petlands. My fish? 2 red and white sarasa comets and 2 dojo loaches. even years later, i make the same mistake. They were beautiful goldfish, sad to see them not be able to thrive in a giant tank or a pond. sadly, they all died 6 months later to a disease i've yet to identify. But i saw this as a opprotunity to start over again, with tropical fish. So i salvaged everything that could be washed (except for plants) and cleaned real well with bleach diluted water. it was a ton of work, but worthwhile after everything was dried and clean. After using Bio-Spira (1oz packet, $15! well worth it though, cycle completed in 3 days and fish were added the second the BS was) my tank quickly established. So far after 5 months of setting up my tank, my fish, snails and shrimp are thriving, and im planning to change my 20G a little more, and i have a 10G split compartment betta tank project coming up.

i hope you stay in the hobby, because after eveything said and done, it can be quite rewarding to sit down and watch them.
 
icecubez189 said:
darn ghost_knife, your located under the sea!
Click to expand...

LOL, I was thinking the same thing. A 30 gal. tank? I'll take it! Where is he??? Oh darn... I wonder which sea?

Seriously, don't give up so quickly. Anything worth having is worth working for. With most new things, I find slow and steady works for me, don't change too much at once, just go step by step with help from those here.
 
nobody's answering this one question I have lol

How long do I have to wait until I can add 5~6 (is this a good amount?) neons every week(right time?)?


And to get live plants... 2.5~4 inch gravel? I only have 2 cm...

I put in half an algae disk and my pleco won't eat it! But my tetras are nibbling on it lol.
 
I'm a super noob, but I would wait until you're fairly certain that you're ick free. I'm also one to trust my instincts, and yours are telling you there's something not quite right, but you just can't put your finger on it. I assume since your filter thingy is two months old, that's when you set up your tank. So it's still fairly new. It may be cycled, but it's probably still fragile. Could you take a sample of water and have it double checked at your LFS? That could make you more sure of you parameters.

As far as tetras, I've read somewhere that they're not as hardy as they used to be. Same with guppies. Don't know. Wish I could be more help.
 
how long did you cycle your tank?

and what size is the tank? the deaths COULD be contributed to overstocking

as for your ich problems

ich is, IMHO the easiest parasite to treat, either do so with meds (aquarium pharmaceuticals "super ich cure") or heat

set the temps slowly to 85-88 and keep it at that for a few days, after the ich on the fish is gone you should still keep it up for a few more days, just to be sure.

you can also add aquarium salt along with the heat treatment

i've been keeping fish since i was about 5, lol..but i've really been into it since i was 11, im 19 now and i've dealt with ich many times, each time it was treated, even as i type thism my big female oscar is being treated for ich

as for live plants, if your a newbie and have little knowledge of planted aquaria, i would take the time to research a ton

its pretty easy once you get the hang of it, but the CO2, fertilizers, special substrates, lighting...it can be a hassel

forgive me if any of the above was alreadt stated, i didnt really read EVERY post here :x
 
Hmm, check the temperature? What kind of water heater are you using? Maybe you have a bad heater that's causing temperature spikes and killing the fish.

Do you have any plastic plants? Sometimes cheaply made plastic plants will leach resins and what not into the water. That's a bad thing.

You said 4 a day? You should only add 4 fish max a week.

What type of water conditioner are you using?

Finally, it might not be your fault. Try switching to a different livestock source. When I was stocking my tank after cycling it, I was getting my fish from Petco. I think out of like 11 or 12 fish from Petco, all but 1 or 2 died. They kept their tanks clean, but the fish quality was bad or somethimg. After switching to Petsmart, my death rate has gone down by a lot. I've 8/8 on fish from Petsmart after three weeks.
 
Phrag said:
Hmm, check the temperature? What kind of water heater are you using? Maybe you have a bad heater that's causing temperature spikes and killing the fish.

Do you have any plastic plants? Sometimes cheaply made plastic plants will leach resins and what not into the water. That's a bad thing.

You said 4 a day? You should only add 4 fish max a week.

What type of water conditioner are you using?

Finally, it might not be your fault. Try switching to a different livestock source. When I was stocking my tank after cycling it, I was getting my fish from Petco. I think out of like 11 or 12 fish from Petco, all but 1 or 2 died. They kept their tanks clean, but the fish quality was bad or somethimg. After switching to Petsmart, my death rate has gone down by a lot. I've 8/8 on fish from Petsmart after three weeks.
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Yes I do have plastic plants in my tank... And it seems like on of them is slightly turning clear....?
The heat is 78~84, depending on the outside conditions.

and I said 4 neons a week -.-
But if they need 6 at least to NOT get stressed, then what should I do?

@KingOfTheDeep
I don't see why it's overcrowded. 4 tetras in 20 gallons??
none of my fish have ick now...
I used tablesalt.
 
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