New Tank, in cycling process, fish dead on day 2, what next?

Question

I'm new to owning fish and I have no idea what I'm doing! We bought a 5 gallon tank a few days ago. We rinsed it out, wiped it down, filled it with already rinsed gravel and decorations and about 4.5 gallons of distilled water with a dose of stress coat. Then, yesterday, which was 24 hours after setting up tank, we added one freshwater plant and two glowlight tetras. I did exactly what the fish store guy told me to do and I planted first, and then put the plastic bag with the fish in the tank for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing. After researching online I did note that I made one error in that I dumped the bag into the tank after the 20 minutes instead of netting my fish out of the bag so I did get fish store water into my tank. But, with that said, the test strip still says it's at ideal condition this morning but one of the fish has died. Is this just part of the cycling process or a stressed fish? What's my next step? I only have one fish in this tank with a plant. Do I add more?

P.S. I do have a filter - the tank came as a kit with the bios wheel filtration. The fish store guy said this would be fine. And, I also have a heater that is working fine. I tested water this morning at it's at 79 degrees so it's working.

Answer 1

your tank sounds like it is set up fine. the fish you chose to add right away probably were not the best choice because they are a very sensitive type of fish, also acclimation (puting the fish into the tank) wasn't done how it should be. a lot of people overlook the step of slowly adding your tank water into the bag that is floating in the water with the fish in it. when you are acclimating you are not only slowly adjusting the temp you are also slowly adjusting the ph and all of the other water conditions of your tank. acclimating wrong will kill fish, its too much of a shock for them to go from one type of water into another without time to adjust.
Acclimation steps:
Dump about half of the water from the fish store into the sink (do this over a strainer to make sure the fish don't come out too)
Float the bag in the tank and add about 1/4 cup of your tank water into the bag.
Add 1/4 cup of tank water to the bag every 5 to 10 minutes for 30 minutes.
Dump the water from the bag down the sink and just add the fish to the tank.
you already have a fish in there so i would just leave the tank and him for about a week and then you can add another fish. this will give the tank time to cycle and start building up that good bacteria that breaks down fish waste and keeps ammonia from spiking and killing your fish. also always remember to add fish SLOWLY. your bacteria needs to catch up with how many fish you have and if you add too many at the same time it won't be able to break down waste fast enough.
Also if you can use tap water use it and a water conditioner . your tap water comes from the same place all the time, it never changes, bottled comes from different places so your fish will be adjusting constantly. if you have to use bottled us spring water, its a little better than using distilled. good luck!

Answer 2

Starting a new aquarium 101

Purchase an aquarium of appropriate size ( 5 gallons is very small)

set up the aquarium with all filtration and set the heater (glowlites are tropical fish that require a temperature of 78 degrees

add a water conditioner

plant any live plants (you will need fluorescent lighting to have success)

run the aquarium for 3-5 days to make sure that everything is working correctly

Purchase some hardy fish (not glowlights) and introduce them exactly how you did during your previous attempt (even add the water as it will contain beneficial bacteria to help cycle the tank)

feed the fish very little for the first week. if all goes well then you can add additional fish's (one - one inch fish per gallon, that is why a 5 gallon is not the best choice)

change 25% of the water every 3-4 weeks using a gravel vacuum.

you can add a bacterial culture when adding the first fish and this can help increase your chances of success

Answer 3

You can't use distilled water unless you add back the minerals and some buffers. I'd bet that's why they died.

Freshwater fish need those minerals to control their fluid balance. Some fish like harder water and some like softer water.

I don't like stress coat. It contains plant sap that can coat the gills.

I'd suggest doing a total water change with tap water dechlorinated with Prime.

I'd also suggest doing a fishless cycle. You use ammonia to get the biofilter bacteria up to speed that keep your water from getting toxic. It's much easier than trying to cycle with fish in the tank. Here are a couple of articles.

here's one on what happens the first month or so in a new tank and how to keep the water from getting toxic.
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html

Here's another article on fishless cycling
http://thegab.org/Articles/FishlessCycling.html

Answer 4

First off that was way too soon to put the fish in. the cycle needs to go a lot longer.
Go to the pet store and ask for some of their gravel from one of their tanks. sprinkle some in to your tank. this will help jump start the good bacteria. drop a small amount of fish food into the tank (a pinch, very smal pinch)
Also buy a water testing kit so you can check the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. ask somebody else at the pet store how to do all of this.
Also try about.com on their freshwater aquarium forum.

Answer 5

You have gotten alot of great advice and encouragement. I dont see anything you did wrong. Just go get more fish. The hardiest ones make it. Stick with the least expensive beginner fishies add some live plants to help with the bacteria and O2 exchange.

I favor a couple bottom feeders those happy little cory cats and then maybe some platies for color. I use StressZyme to build and maintain my bacteria balance. Hope this helps some. Good Luck! Bobbye

Answer 6

i would put the whole bag in this way the fish have some of it's "regular water" to help get it accustomed to tank. as for why one died? it probably was just stressed cuz of new conditions, nothing you did wrong. if you google the type of fish you can find dedicated websites with folks who will help with questions. i have an Oscar and there is a great site that has a lot of helpful folks on it with great advice.

Answer 7

I would have to agree with Robin except the bacteria adding I would let the bacteria come on its own also I would change about 10-20% of the water every other day after a week ang gravel vac as mentioned.

Answer 8

To be safe wait at least another week before adding more fish. The tank has not fully cycled and thats probably why the fish died.

Answer 9

Tell ya what - I know you are new (and my first tank was a fishy cycle too), but I am going to give to you what I didn't have during my first tank setup.

It's an article on fishless cycling. Read it and if you have any questions - hit me up in email and I will be more than happy to share any other info you with about it.

Fishless Cycling
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

Best of luck to you in the hobby!

Answer 10

i had exactly same problem with neon tetra. i set up a tank and after 24 hrs i added neon tetras and they died. problem was that i didn't add water conditioner in it. water some times are high in amonia and fish die cuz of that. so have something to eliminate ammonia and make sure you add water conditioner