I got 13 fish in ahuge tank.They are 12 goldfish and 1 sucker fish(tank cleaner)Three fish died and one is bad

Question

This is the third day for them in my tank.

Answer 1

Did you cycle the tank? In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, it is vital to cycle your tank. It's a little late now, but you can lessen the impact of the ammonia on your fish by doing small (15%) daily water changes to dillute the ammonia, for the next 3-4 weeks. You should also invest in a master testing kit. It'll cost you 30$ and you'll be able to see your exact ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. When your ammonia and nitrites are at ZERO, the tank is safe and you can just do weekly 30% changes.

Now, you say your tank is huge - how big is "huge"? Goldfish are BIG fish. Even small goldfish like fancy goldfish need 15-20 gallons of water per fish - so you'd need a minimum of 200 gallons for your fish. If you have other types of goldfish like commons, comets or koi, those are pond fish and they need much more water.

Answer 2

Your tank is definitely cycling if you have only had the fish in your tank for three days. Your ammonia is probably sky-high, and your fish are dying from ammonia poisining. Take all but one back to the store, and buy a water testing kit to constantly monitor your water parameters. Do water changes of about 25% every three days to keep the fish you have in there comfortable. During the cycle, you should see an ammonia spike, a nitrIte spike, and then your nitrAtes will rise slightly. When your water tests ammonia-0, nitrIte-0, nitrAte-less than 20, you are ready to go back to the store and get another fish. Add the rest of the fish one at a time until you are fully stocked. Remember, though, each goldfish you get needs 20 gallons for itself. So if its a 40 gallon tank, you can only get 2 goldfish. If it's a 55 gallon, you might be able to get away with 3, and so on. Also, depending on the type of "sucker fish" you have, it is probably a tropical fish and has different temperature requirements than a goldfish, so it's not a good idea to have them together. You really don't need an algae eater to keep your tank clean, they add just as much dirt (with their waste) as they take away. Once the tank is cycled, you just need to remember to do a 50% water change once a week to keep the tank water clean. You could get an algae magnet to remove algae from the glass if that bothers you. No need for a sucker fish!

Answer 3

How huge is this tank? It would have to be enormous to be able to handle the amount of ammonia in the tank that is being produced by 12 goldfish. How long has the tank been exsisting for? You cant start up a tank with 13 fish all at the same time, you need to condition the water by slowly adding fish. You need to do some research about the nitrogen cycle and what happens to the water as it becomes safe for the fish.

Answer 4

I personally use RO Water and it is definately the best way to go. You need to purchase a product that will increase your water hardness to about 200ppm for general tropical fish. There is a great mineral supplement out there called Geo Liquid available at www.discountedsuperstore.com Your pH should be around 6.8 - 7.2. Check ammonia levels (you should have none) Nitrites can also kill your fish. You really need to get a test kit for each. If this is a new tank, you added fish too quickly. Should only add about 5 small fish at a time in a huge tank. I have a 125 gallon tank and always use Geo Liquid in it. I have not had any problems with my fish since. Maybe look into getting some of that stuff. I put the link below

Answer 5

as others have said, your tank is cycling.

just i wanted to add that a "sucker" fish is not a cleaner fish, they'll just eat algae, which isn't going to exist in a new tank. and if your "sucker" fish is a chinese algae eater or a plec, they'll eat your goldfishes slime coats too (suck on the side of the fish). which can potentially kill your goldfish. not to mention 99% of sucker fish available in pet stores are tropical fish and shouldn't be kept with goldfish. the only 2 exceptions are the sub-tropical (but not coldwater) weather/dojo loach and the borneo sucker/hillstream loach. the rule still stands that they shouldn't be kept with goldfish.

Answer 6

there could be a number of reasons for this. Goldfish are usually hardy . just take care you dont expose them to sudden temperature changes. no fish can tolerate this.

Answer 7

Are you putting tap water in the tank. The colrine in the water could kill the fish.

Answer 8

They are either in shock or something is killing them like a fishy disease (ick) I had the same problem... i first bought some fish from petsmart and then about 2 weeks later i got some more from petco and the ones from petco had ick on them which killed my other fish... There is stuff you can buy at the petstore for ick (if thats whats wrong with your fishy) but you have to act quickly cuz it can kill your other fish FAST!

Answer 9

Exactly how large is this tank to house 12 gold fish and how big are the fish?

Even at an inch each you would need 12 sq. feet of surface water to house these fish.

Chances are your tank has not yet cycled. Call it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, or the nitrogen cycle. No matter what name you use, every newly set up aquarium goes through a process of establishing beneficial bacterial colonies. Older aquariums also go through periods during which the bacterial colonies fluctuate. Failure to understand this process is the largest contributing factor to the loss of fish. Learning what it is, and how to deal with critical periods during the nitrogen cycle, will greatly increase your chances of successful fish keeping.

The Waste Problem
Unlike nature, an aquarium is a closed environment. All the wastes excreted from the fish, uneaten food, and decaying plants, stay inside the tank. If nothing eliminated those wastes, your beautiful aquarium would turn into a cesspool in no time at all.

Actually, for a short period of time, a new aquarium does become a toxic cesspoolThe water may look clear, but don't be fooled, it's loaded with toxins. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Fortunately bacteria that are capable of converting wastes to safer by-products, begin growing in the tank as soon as fish are added. Unfortunately there aren't enough bacteria to eliminate all the toxins immediately, so for a period of several weeks to a month or more, your fish are at risk.

However, you need not lose them. Armed with an understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works and knowing the proper steps to take, you can sail through the break-in cycle with very few problems.

Stages of the Nitrogen Cycle
There are three stages of the nitrogen cycle, each of which presents different challenges.

Initial stage: The cycle begins when fish are introduced to the aquarium. Their feces, urine, as well as any uneaten food, are quickly broken down into either ionized or unionized ammonia. The ionized form, Ammonium (NH4), is present if the pH is below 7, and is not toxic to fish. The unionized form, Ammonia (NH3), is is present if the pH is 7 or above, and is highly toxic to fish. Any amount of unionized Ammonia (NH3) is dangerous, however once the levels reach 3 ppm, the fish are in grave danger. Ammonia usually begins rising by the third day after introducing fish.

Second stage: During this stage Nitrosomonas bacteria oxidize the ammonia, thus eliminating it. However, the by-product of ammonia oxidation is nitrite, which is also highly toxic to fish. Nitrites levels as low as low as 1 mg/l can be lethal to some fish. Nitrite usually begins rising by the end of the first week after introducing fish.

Third stage: In the last stage of the cycle, Nitrobacter bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not highly toxic to fish in low to moderate levels. Routine partial water changes will keep the nitrate levels within the safe range. Established tanks should be tested for nitrates every few months to ensure that levels are not becoming extremely high.

Now that you know what is happening, what should you do? Simple steps such as testing and changing the water will help you manage the nitrogen cycle without losing your fishThe key for success is testing the water for ammonia and nitrites, and taking action quickly when problems occur. To aid in tracking the status of your aquarium, links to charts for logging your tests can be found under the charts section of this page. Each chart shows the danger zones and offers steps to reduce toxins before they result in loss of your fish.

Test for ammonia: Begin testing on day three after adding the fish, and continue every day until the ammonia begins to drop. After it begins to fall, continue testing every other day until the ammonia reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the ammonia levels. Should ammonia reach the danger zone, take steps as shown on the chart. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing (gilling), clamped fins, erratic swimming, or hanging at the surface for air, take immediate action to lower the ammonia levelChemicals such as Ammo-Lock will quickly neutralize toxic ammonia.

Test for nitrites: Begin testing one week after adding the fish. Continue testing every second or third day, until it reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the nitrite levels and take steps as shown on the chart if nitrite reaches the danger zone. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing or hanging near the surface seemingly gasping for air, test for nitrite. If levels are elevated perform an immediate 25-50% water change and test daily until levels drop.

What Not To Do


Don't add more fish - wait until the cycle is completed.


Don't change the filter media - the beneficial bacteria are growing there. Don't disturb them until they have become well established.


Don't overfeed the fish - when in doubt underfeed your fish. Remember that anything going into the tank will produce wastes one way or another.

Don't try to alter the pH - the beneficial bacteria can be affected by changes in pH. Unless there is a serious problem with the pH, leave it alone during the startup cycle process.

Since you have fish in your tank now, you may have to do a water change 20% every day until your water quality becomes stable. This will help keep the ammonia in check.

I just wanted to add, your fish require high quantities of Dissolved Oxygen. Air stones and bubbles do nothing to provide Dissolved oxygen to the water. You may want to consider a power head or lower the tank water about an inch allowing the filter to POUR into the tank. This will work immediately to add DO2 to your tank.