tropical fish please help?

Question

after nearly 20 years passing since we had a tropical tank me and mum decided to invest in a new one and start up again..we had the tank at 28 degrees ( Its a 2 foot tank ) and decided to just start off with guppies and neons...so we bought 6 yesterday and all of them have gone to the great big fish tank in the sky already...Can any fish enthusiasts advise on what could of happened ie stress of the move from tank to tank etc...and the correct temp that we should have the tank at ? thanx in advance xxx

we floated the fish for half an hour and had the tank set up for two days before adding fish xx

Answer 1

There are three things that could have likely been wrong with your water:

1. You set up the tank but did not use dechlorinator - fish died of chlorine poisoning
2. You set up the tank but did not run it overnight to allow the water to aerate - fish suffocated
3. Some other toxin got into the water and poisoned them

Cycling is important and might have been part of the problem, but I doubt you would have lost them all so quickly even if this was the case. Likewise, ph differences will rarely cause quick death in this way.

The temperature should be at about 24-25°. Fish should be floated in their bags for fifteen minutes to equalize temperature, but again, even if you didn't do this it wouldn't kill the fish like that.

So-called de-stressing products and such are not really necessary - the fish would have died regardless. All the water really needs is conditioner, anything else is just complicating things by introducing more junk into the water, which means more can go wrong.

I highly recommend just starting off with the guppies, that way there are less fish exposed to the cycle and the neons, which are more delicate, can be introduced later to a more mature tank.

I also highly recommend getting some used filter media for your filter - from a friend or the fish store. This will introduce living bacteria into the system and speed up the cycle by a good margin.

Answer 2

A two foot tank? So about a 20 gallon set up?

Temperature may have been a problem, I keep my tank (also a 20 gallon) at 25-26. Also remember to float the bags in your tank for about 20 minutes, so the water in the bag can get to the same temperature. Guppies usually aren't too bad as far as that's concerned, but neons are quite sensitive to sudden changes like that.

Also, I would probably recommend starting with 3 fish instead of 6. I doubt that this is what caused your problem, but for future reference it's a good idea. It's best to gradually add fish to your tank- especially a new set up- as to avoid problems with ammonia. New tanks have very little beneficial bacteria in them, so it's easy to overload them suddenly. I would get 3 fish a week at least for the first 2 weeks. You can also get small bottles of beneficial bacteria to speed up the process.

Also, how long was your tank running before you put fish in? 24hrs is usually the minimum, but if you can have it running for a few days to a week first, that helps.

Answer 3

i have a 2foot tank with both these breeds in and i have my tank at roughly 26 dgrees as this is an average for all the different breeds i have. Neons can cope with 24-28 degrees so you are at the highest point. I would reccomend lowering the temp and also adding stress zyme (liquid) which should be used in any time when stressing out the fish , it contains aloe vera to to coat the fish and releives stress. I use this everytime i introduce new fish, clean them out etc. You can get this from any large pet store and is a must have for an aquarium owner.

Answer 4

Your tank is a bit warm, lower your temperature 1-2 degrees and that will help.

As to what happened to the fish, fir them to die that quickly indicates a water quality problem. Did you use something to remove the chlorine froim the water? Take a sample of your water to the shop and ask them to check your pH, it may be quite different from theirs which could also be the problem. Those would be the 2 most likely answers to the problem. I would also suggest that you read a bit about cycling a tank before you get more fish. That will help you understand the changes the tank will go through in the first few weeks and how to care for your fish during that time.

Here's a few links that you will find most helpful:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/a/newtankmistakes.htm
http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/fishcyclefw.shtml
http://www.fishlore.com/Articles/BasicGuideToFreshwater.htm

Hope this helps

MM

Answer 5

This is most likely what happend. you added your fish just like everyone who buys a new fish tank would without taking all the propper steps which you needed to do a week before.
1-preheat the water
2-dechlorinate the water
3-make sure enough nitrifieng bacteria is present
4-buy gravel and a filter

and when you put your fish in they went nutty and floated to the great big fish bowl that is in your bathroom

Answer 6

Leave the tank to settle for about 3 weeks,then try one fish,if you think you got the tank ok,like a neon or a white cloud,if that is ok ,guppies or platys ,one at a time ,let the tank settle and get acid and PH levels ok,then if all ok,gradually bring in more,slowly.Obviously let them aclimatise easy,15 with bag in tank,15 mins with tank water in bag ,then release,rush and you loose em!

Answer 7

higher the tank temp. to 78 degrees and put some stress coat product in too

Answer 8

did you float them in the bags for a half hour for them to get used to temp of the water?

did you use dechlorinator in the water?

the tank wasnt cycled, and you should not have added that many in an uncycled tank.

Answer 9

you added too many fish too fast. you should only add about 4 at a time. and the temperature is at 82 which is a bit high. put it to about 78. and besides, guppies like salt in the water, and won't do aswell without it, and neons can't handle salt. always ask at the pet store!!!! jeez