We purchased a 36 gallon aquarium last night. We followed all set up instructions given at the pet store. We used API Quick Start for the water. We put in a few mollies, some guppies, and an angel fish. All were dead within 3 hours. I took a water sample to the store today to be tested and everything was in the good range. It did register that the water was hard. Thinking back on all the goldfish I had as a kid I thought maybe we couldn't go wrong with them. So, we bought a black moor and two orandas. Within two hours the black moor was dead and the bronze oranda. The other larger oranda is still alive. The water tested ok, the water temp is around 76. I have no clue what to do next. Any help is appreciated.
Need Advice!
- Thread starter garollins
- Start date
Welcome and I urge you to read up aquarium cycling before you add any more fish to this tank. Your new tank will have zero means to process the ammonia that fish give off and adding food to the tank gives off.
You'll want something like the API master test kit and an easy means to change water. Hopefully you are aware most tanks require something along the lines of a 50% weekly water change, so you'll want to place your tank where changing 18gal per week (or more) is an easy task.
It's unlikely ammonia poisoning is what's happening here. Either the stock you are getting from that store is weak and diseased before you bought it, or there is a drastic pH difference between the store's water and your tap water. That sounds like a likely culprit to me.
You want to gear your tanks pH to be what your tap water reads after you let a sample rest over night.
You'll want something like the API master test kit and an easy means to change water. Hopefully you are aware most tanks require something along the lines of a 50% weekly water change, so you'll want to place your tank where changing 18gal per week (or more) is an easy task.
It's unlikely ammonia poisoning is what's happening here. Either the stock you are getting from that store is weak and diseased before you bought it, or there is a drastic pH difference between the store's water and your tap water. That sounds like a likely culprit to me.
You want to gear your tanks pH to be what your tap water reads after you let a sample rest over night.
Thank you for the response. I just bought a syphon and drained the tank and will start over. I do plan on buying a test kit. It just seems strange to me that when they tested the sample everything was in limits. I did have a thought though about the water we put in the tank. It was tap water and we used hot and cold to come to the temperature we thought it should be. Around 75 degrees. Our water heater is getting pretty old and I wonder if using hot water brought out some contamination from the water heater. I'm going to refill the tank, add more API water conditioner and just let the tank run until I have a better understanding of cycling. Thanks again for the advice.
Also before you get more fish, especially goldfish, read this:
injaf.org
Do not use a heater for goldfish, and don't mix them with tropical fish.
What Size Tank for Goldfish? - INJAF
What size tank for goldfish is a question that often arises on fishkeeping forums and usually results in a wide variety of opinions and suggestions
injaf.org
Do not use a heater for goldfish, and don't mix them with tropical fish.
