Need Help- Do not know what I'm doing

jamiejam I understand your frustration with the situation. Please dont take the advice given the wrong way. You have to understand that this isnt a forum for people per say, its a forum for fish and generally fish will always be put first over misconceptions and false information.

We all had to start somewhere and we all started in the same shoes you are in. Generally speaking, overstocked with too small of a tank or even a glass bowl. My advice is to take small steps into the hobby.

First off, the cycle you speak of generally takes between 4-8 weeks to establish. Its a complete cycle you see. Ammonia is converted into nitrites which are then converted to nitrates via "beneficial bacteria" nitrosomas. It takes time for these bacterial colonies to establish themselves in enough numbers to deal with all the byproducts of your fish.

Second, the 75 gallon is essential for the fish you have currently. I would be willing to bet that within a week you will start to experience fish loss from ammonia poisoning and aggression issues leading to stress related deaths.

My advice to you, if you can afford it, get the 75 gallon now and look into getting some filter squeezings from a local hobbiest.(will help jump start your cycle) If the 75 gallon isnt in the cards you might want to look into craigslist or something on a few used 55 gallons. They can be found really cheap usually.

Hope this helps you in a constructive way.
 
hi with your problem with your fish being aggresive is with the pink kissing gourami's when they kiss it is not a male and femail kissing in passion it is actually two male testine each others strength and if one is bigger than the other it might not be long till the smaller one has been killed and with the rainbow sharks they will usually fight but they might not kill each other if you want them less aggressve then you should either have one or more than three and with the new tank i aggree that the filter from the 10 gallon tank would defo help to cycle the tank but you could always add a new filter and then take 50 percent of the water from the 10 gallon tank every time you do a water change and put that in the tank hope this helps
 
Thank you for the help. I obvioulsy want to keep the fish otherwise I would not be here asking for help. I actually have already done a 50% water change of the tank done on Sunday. I do have a test kit and have been testing it every other day for the PH levels, nitrate and Nitrite and Ammonia levels. I posted AD's last week for a 75 gallon tank on the interent in my area, however no responses yet. I have found a 55 gallon tank kit at Walmart that is pretty inexpensive. I am waiting to see if anyone responds to my AD but plan to buy the 55 gallon tank this week.

I know this is torture for the fishes now. However, I don't know crap about them and the stupid kid at Petsmart ALLOWED me to buy all of this when he KNOWS the tank size I have As he is the person who sold it to me.

So I don't need anyones crap when this is NOT my fault. If I didn't care about these fish I would have taken them back. However as my post says I LOVE THESE FISH (they all have names for godsake) and I have done my research on them on how to care and provide for them.

I don't need to hear TAKE THEM BACK when I asked QUESTIONS on how to help them. Taking them back is not an opition at this point, I have already spent over $150 just for the supplies I have now plus I have gotten to know them & Puff the first kissing gourami (who lived for 1 month in a BOWL) is obviously a survivor lol and all the fishes know who their Mom is now.

Thank for everyone with good suggestions and information, it has helped me out a lot.

Just to thik this would of never happened if my sister's bf didn't buy her a fish!!!!
 
First let me applaud you for searching for better information than the kid at the store gave you.

Unfortunately you've entered the hobby the tough way. Many of us have done the same. First off the odds are very high that several if not all of the fish will die during your learning process. It happened to me and tones of others. I started keeping fish before the internet had been created so all I had was the kid at the store. I killed way too many fish learning what I was doing.

The basic fact of the matter is your fish are incompatible. So now you are looking at one large tank or two smaller ones. Although not attractive Rubbermaid containers are cheap short-term emergency tanks. I highly suggest you go out and find two large sturdy ones. When you get them fill them up and measure the height/width/length of the water inside. Use the conversions link at the top of the page to calculate how many gallons it is.

Next you'll need heaters. These are expensive but unless your homes room temperature is around 80 you'll need them. Find some rated for the amount of gallons the tanks/rubbermaid containers are.

Next you'll need to make sure you have filters rated for the size of your "tanks". You can also rig up a DIY filter for less if you can't afford them.

Finally you'll have to test and 70-80% of the water DAILY!!! You will do this until you no longer detect any ammonia or nitrite in the water. This can take over a month to accomplish.

Now you've got to start saving money for some larger tanks.

You are not in a very good situation right now. The work and cost are going to be excessive. Hence Bob's brutal but rational advice to take the fish back.

10 gallon tanks properly stocked are a lot of fun and not that hard to take care of. I've got 2 of them right now.
 
Welcome to the hobby.

It sounds like once you get a few issues resolved you will be a great fishkeeper.

There is info on cycling here: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157163&highlight=cycle

You would do best to test for ammonia and nitrIte at least twice a day, and do not let them get to the first increment on the test chart. If either one is detectable, you should be doing a water change. This will not slow the cycle, because any detectable ammo or nitrite is more than the bacteria can consume at their current level. They will continue to multiply at a constant rate, no matter how high those levels are. When there are enough bacteria, the levels will become undetectable on their own. At that point, nitrAtes become a sort of "water change indicator". There is debate as to weather nitrAtes are actually harmfull to fish in large enough quantities, but they are definately a good measure of other, untestable water quality issues. You will want to keep your nitrAtes detectable if you have live plants, but less than 40ppm.

If you have any questions on cycling, stocking, or any questions at all, please ask them. We will be glad to help you take care of your new pets.
 
Good luck with your fish...I agree with what everybody has said here, and if you need a website that will help you estimate fish stocking and tank sizes, etc. aqadvisor.com is wonderful.
 
If sometimes members of this site seem mean, judgemental, or annoyed, it is because most of us care very much about our fish, and fish in general, and have seen way too many people that don't want to properly care for their fish. Most of the people in the world view fish as "disposable" pets, and this can at times be heartbreaking for those of us that know what wonderful creatures they truly are. We don't mean anything against you, and will honestly attempt to answer all your questions in the way that will be best for your fish. Most people wouldn't have the dedication and funding neccessary to make your current situation end well, and that is why some of us have assumed that you wouldn't either. I hope by now you realize that we want what is best for your fish, and know that this is a good place to get honest answers to your questions.
 
You've done a great thing by trying to find out more. I had a poor convict cichlid in a 2 gal. mini bow for over a year with a horrid water change schedual. When it started to look dirty I cleaned it. Sometimes a month in between. No wonder she's still trying to plot my death. Then I found this site and the people here are truely great for the info. Have you looked at www.craigslist.com for your area. This is where I got my first big tank. A beautiful 72g bowfront with light, stand, gravel, and glass top for $225. This may be a great resource for you.

As they grow out perhaps you can find room for a pair of large tanks if you end up with agression issues. Or make sure you have a couple of large items (castle, driftwood, etc.) to block lines of sight and give them a place to run and hide. I did a fish-in cycle with my tank and started out with very light stocking with no losses. This wont be an option for you so perhaps if you have a friend with an established aquarium you can ask for a filter pad, a handful of gravel from the bottom of their tank or borrow a large decoration. All these things will hold some of the bacteria you need to get that cycle going. Worse case you could go to a pet shop and ask for some of their used filter media but you never know what kind of diseases their tanks may have so maybe try all other routes first. Dont let it the media go for too long without the fish though, the bacteria will start to die off if they don't have food. If the bacteria come into contact with the chlorene in your water (no dechlorinator for instance) they will die. So never rince your filter stuff off in the tap water. Put some of the old tank water into a bucket and clean your filter junk, decor with. Definately let that new tank set for a couple of days to let the temps level out then add fish and be ready to do a water change every day or every other day depending on your ammonia levels. Prime is a great dechlorinator, I wouldn't add any other chems. to the tank unless absolutely needed. Perhaps feed lightly, once a day to cut back on any excess waste in the tank from uneaten food. Keep temps on the cool side of safe to lower metabolism slightly? I would think the slower they're moving, the less they're eating, the less they're pooping, the less amonia they're producing. Just a thought, could be dead wrong on that one. Some live plants could help with the excess waste, no eliminate it but help. Something disposable like guppy grass that grows fast and sucks up nutrients in the water and floats so no need to plant it. Just some brain storming hope it helps.
 
There really is no need to be so hostile. Sometimes if you really care for something it is best to give it up so it can have a better life. That's what a lot of people's intentions were when suggesting you take the fish back.
What kind of test kit are you using? what are the levels? This will help us figure out where you are in the cycle and what action should be taken to help the fish get through it. Someone mentioned earlier that you should reduce feeding. This is great advice, the more fish eat the more they poop therefore causing ammonia to rise. I would cut back to feeding only once a day and even skipping a day during the week.
Also as mentioned before some live plants should help. Hornwort is a great nutrient absorber and will help with the ammonia and nitrites.
 
It may be better to go for the 75 gallon and not take the 55. The differemce between the two tanks is not very much at all. It only comes out 6 inches further from the wall than the 55 and only a fraction taller and wider and is so much more worth it. I would really try to make sure the 75 gallon is the way you go. As far as the fish, I am not familiar with the others but I do know the sharks will wind up killing each other if you don't provide plenty of cave type spaces for them, even them though, it is a gamble.

I wish you the best with your new hobby.
 
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