Newbie Fish Troubles...?

Question

We started out with 2 x-ray somethings, 1 orange guy, and 2 fancy guppies. One guppie died in short order, so we bought two other fish, which also died in short order. Then a few days later, another guppie. Now one of the x-ray guys died. The 4 remaining fish don't seem very active at the moment either.

After each fish died I've taken a water sample into the pet store to have it checked and they say everything is perfect.

This is in a 10 gallon tank, we do have two small algae eaters, and two small dwarf frogs, but those 4 seem to be doing fine.

We've been feeding them twice a day. They have a nice bio-wheel filter system, heater keeps the water pretty solid 78-80 degrees. We have an air pump in there too.

I can't figure out why these fish keep dieing?

I guess if the rest die, maybe I'll try my luck at the Zebra Dinos which is what everyone seems recommend for beginners?

What am I doing wrong, how do you mess up with fish, they eat and swim right

Answer 1

you forgot the poop

use your nose to test your water. ammonia smells like ammonia.
if your new aquarium is smelling anything less than flowery then change the water. anytime something dies you should change the bulk of your water cause it makes the bacteria go crazy and have frat parties.

algae eaters will grow up to be killers. they dont eat algae past puberty. pet stores make fortunes off the myth of the algae eater. they also make fortunes off your death tank.

i would take everything apart and wash it off and start over again. get a beneficial bacteria like cycle or stress zyme that is designed to help new tanks and start over again. all water that goes into my tanks has the dechlorinator/slime protector stuff, some beneficial bacteria stuff and melefix. its like antibacterial wash for your fish and tank.

you have all the right equipment -- you just have the wrong water. just leave the frogs and little killers by themselves in the tank for a while and they will help cycle the tank too. mark on the calander a fish shopping day a couple weeks from now and do research on what you really want in your tank. if its a cool little fish like a dario or killifish you will do just about anything to keep it alive. if its a minnow you won't have that much attachment to it. when you know every scale on your fish it is easier to figure out what is wrong with it.

what are you feeding them? extra food can collect in the bottom and turn deadly in a couple weeks in a 10 gallon tank no matter how good your filters are. i recommend pellet feeding so you can count pellets and toss them in. count how many they can snag in 1 or 2 minutes and that is how many pellets you feed. watch for little fat fish bellies -- another sign you are feeding too much.

Answer 2

It could be a variety of causes unfortunately. Obviously it's something undetectable by water testing, unless the store just isn't up to par when it comes to that. Have any chemicals been sprayed on or around the tank? Is there to much food at the bottom? Someone sneaking the fish a midnight snack? When you clean do you drain all the water or clean the rocks? That could be a big problem there. Go to the pet store an ask them flat out if they are having an problems with specific stock. Check over their tanks very well and make sure the fish you are getting are quality. Check your own fish closely for any signes of disease such as torn fins, red streaks, discolorations, parasites, cloudy eyes, erratic behavior and the like. Also check your thermometer and make sure it is correct. It might help to add a little rock salt and maybe some stress zyme to get a good slime coating on them and reduce some of the stress. All else fails..reset the darn thing. I feel for you. I've lost a few tanks to the mysterious ways of the aquatic world

Answer 3

the frogs may be eating all the food. they are big eaters . you probably got sick fish to begin with and its going thru the tank.algie eaters also need an algie pellet or to dropped in the tank after u turn the lites out. dont add any more fish till u get rid of the sickness and it could be bacterial. never buy fish from a tank that has sick or dead fish in it. keep preventative meds on hand to treat the tank if needed with new arrivals when doing your quarter water change each 3 weeks make sure water you add is same temp as wwhat you remove. feed the fish less often once a day is good. watch the frogs dont eat all the food. as they grow they eat more and more

Answer 4

What did the store check for? I would recheck water parameters mainly ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. Read up on the nitrogen cycle if you haven't done so already. Your tank sounds like it could be overstocked with the amount of fish you have. Usually one inch of fish per gallon for freshwater. Where did you get the fish? Was it a legitimate pet shop or a department store. The deparment stores may not put in the effort to take care of their stock. Also, the X-ray fish may be painted glass fish...those fish are injected with dye by humans and therefore won't be very hardy.

Answer 5

Well, if your water parameters are ok then there must be a pathogen present in the water.To cure this, you will need to strip down the tank & sterilise everything.Also, your water temperature at 78 - 80d is too high for most fish. Try to set the heaterstat at no more than 75 - 77d.