We're having trouble keeping fish alive in our new Aquarium .. . . Please help?

Question

We have well-water and were told to add Aqua Plus . We did, but they keep dying . What can we do ? We're also adding Cylce . Thank you .

We allowed 5 days before adding fish . Fresh water fish . And some are saying the 'cloudy stage' is normal . Is that right ? We only put 4 small fish in . We have the right size aerator . And the temp is at 78 . We bought the fish and got our advice from Pets Supplies Plus . We've had the tank running for about a total of 2 weeks . We do let the fish acclimate to the temp before putting them directly in the water . The 'cloudiness' that some refer to has been present for the last 5 days .

We have 2 kinds of fish so far . One is called 'sailfish' and the other is LePleco .

We do not have a water softener .

Answer 1

Your well water is probably OK. Do you know how to properly cycle a tank? Just adding bacteria cultures will not do the task,the bacteria are almost always present in the air and most certainly in untreated water any where. The problem is that they can't do the ammonia removal tasks that they so reliably do until they have become attached to solid objects in the water column,(highly porous materials are desirable for this). The time period for this colonization to take place is approximately 5 weeks. Your problems are the classic symptoms of "new tank syndrome" and will probably continue for some weeks. Don't add any more fish. See that the water is well oxygenated, and perhaps do daily 10% water changes until the situation stabilizes. Don't add a lot of chemicals,they usually kill more fish than they save. With well water you have a great opportunity to keep your fish in great condition with ease. Since the water is untreated and probably quite stable you can do frequent water changes by merely matching the water temperature and refilling the tanks after siphoning out the detritus. Test the well water for pH and hardness and match your choices in fish to the kind of water you have.This is much easier than trying to modify the water to suit fishes that will never be quite as well off as they could be.-----Good luck,and you are welcome.----PeeTee

Answer 2

okay first thing is first. how long did you wait before putting fish in the tank. that can do it. if you let your tank sit through a cloudy stage you would be better off, but if not how many did you add. if you only added a few that wouldn't be the cause but if you added a whole bunch all at once then that could be your problem. if that isn't it, are you checking the hardness of your water? Or the ammonia levels? those could be elevated and kill your fish. Also your pH levels could be too high or too low. This also can kill your fish. if you can, try not to use too many chemicals. they help but are usually a temporary fix. your tank should go through a cloudy stage when you first get it set up. Has this happened? also your temerature in your tank can effect your fish. If they are tropical they need warmer water. As you didn't give a lot of information on the actual fish i am attempting to give you any and alll information i can. If they are goldfish or the like they like cool room temp water. a heater will inevitably kill them. I have seen a few reare cases of them surviving in warmer tanks but not often. also do you have an oxygen source...such as a filter that pushes water back in that helps airate the water. or a bubbler? these can help. i hope i was of some help.

Answer 3

What size tank and how many fish did you add? Did you get the fish from walmart or big chain petstore?
Is your well water hooked up to a water softener?
Did you acclimate the fish before putting them in the tank?
Did you use any chemicals or detergents to clean the tank out before setting it up?

Letting the tank run 2 weeks without fish like people said is dumb. Inorder to cycle a tank there needs to be a source of ammonia in it. Now i am all for fishless cycling. Letting the tank run 3-6 weeks without fish but with some fish food or a piece of cocktail shrimp or some pure ammonia bought at a store or even some urine to get the cycling going. The tank is cycled when the ammonia tests out to be zero ppm, nitrites zero ppm, and nitrates are under 30ppm.
We need to know more information before we can help you but if i were to guess im thinking its a small tank and your adding too many fish all at once.

Also, fish ADAPT to a certain ph, you do not want to go changing the ph with chemicals because its gonna stress the fish out.

What kind of fish did you buy?

Answer 4

New aquariums should set and cycle for at least 10 days before introducing fish into the tank. Different fish take different Ph factors in water, different temperatures, and other factors. Not trying to make this sound really dumb, but are you trying to have saltwater fish in a freshwater tank?
There are kits to check the Ph factor of the water, as well as tablets that can help adjust the Ph. Starting slow will also help, just get a couple of fish at a time. Tank size, aeration, filtration, temperature are all important to a thriving tank, so read up a little and get advice from a good pet supply store. Sadly, just asking the folks at WalMart or Kmart for advice on raising fish is usually going to get you wrong information.
Good luck.

Answer 5

The product called CYCLE is no good. The beneficial bacteria need to be oxygenated, fed, and refridgerated to stay alive. The bottles on the shelf are full of useless dead bacteria. Biospira is the only product that works as it is refridgerated and is sold with expiration dates so you know which is still good, the bacteria only lives a few weeks.
PH is also something you should never mess with. Your pleco and sailfin molly prefer a ph up to 9. An unstable ph with big swings will kill the fish.

Answer 6

;it takes about 6 week for the filter to do what is called a complete cycle. before this happens the water will be going through the changes that it has to go through in order for it to complete this cycle. in the meantime, do not put alot of fish in the tank until this cycle is complete because the food and waste that turns into ammonia during this cycle will be too overwelming for the fish. you can purchase a bottle of bacteria from the pet store to help the cycle complete sooner. this will keep your fish happier.

Answer 7

i do no longer spend the whole day every day doing tank maintenance. purely another day. haha purely kidding. i won't lie, the pastime can get high priced in case you do no longer understand what you're entering into. it may additionally take extra attempt than some people think of. My tip for you would be to analyze your funds heavily, and initiate small with newbie fish in the previous entering into the fish you actual prefer just to get adventure. as quickly as you realize which you're truly looking after water (no longer fish), then you will understand you're stable to circulate. stable success. in case you get extremely some means outages the place you reside, it would desire to no longer be the final pastime.

Answer 8

Seems like you have two major problems !0Well water is probably very alkaline and two your aquarium temp is set much too high. First temp. should be about 68 degrees or room temp then ph should be ideally about 7.0. You need to check PH and drive down to 7.0 and then use bottled water for your aquarium because your well water is too alkaline. Good luck.

Answer 9

Try filling the tank with bottle water, then add the Aqua plus, or check that your filtering system is big enough to keep a good supply of oxygen in the water for the fish.

Answer 10

Take a sample of your water to your local pet store they can test it for you. There are all different kinds of additives that you can put in your water to counteract whatever may be killing your fish. Also if any of the dead fish were in the water for more than a few hours the water may be contaminated and you may need to completely change it and clean everything with hot water. Good luck!