my fish tank is always messy,and when clean it my fish die?

Question

die of the stress of being taken out of the tank I have snails and shrimp but nothing works and it still messy

Answer 1

Your problem is that you are allowing it to get too messy and then cleaning too much. THat streesed the fish. Try cleaning this way:

Once a week use a gravel siphon to remove about 25% of the water while cleaning the bottom. Replace the water with freshwater that has been declorinated and is about the same temperature as your tank.

That's it, nothing more to it. That will keep your tank nice and clean.

MM

Answer 2

You need bacteria to make a healthy tank, and if you over clean, or clean too much at one time you are taking away hte "good" bacteria!
Never remove fish to clean a tank, and only do 20% water changes once a week..make sure your water temp is the same (what you put in matches what you take out).
Do not clean the inside f the tank, let the snails do that!
I assume your shrimps clean the bottom as they are scavengers, but you still need to take the water from the bottom of the tank..use a siphon for this, stir up the gravel a bit and suck the old water from the bottom... make sure your tank is NOT in direct sunlight, as this causes algae build up, if it is leave the lights off more..
I am sure that you are using a stress coat/or de-chlorinater when you change the water as well..if not start now!! Chlorine will kill the fish, and fluoride is also added to most water supplies!
If you ave well water, use a bottled water instead of your well water for better results.. Personally I have 3 aquariums and only use figi water, and NO chemicals in my tanks.
Most "yucky" tanks are in full sunlight, you may need to re-locate your tank!

Answer 3

Do you have the Algae eaters, available at any pet store. Snails are fine but the eaters add to the efficiency. Also, do you take the fish out keeping them in some of the water from the tank until it's been cleaned, then letting the clean water sit for about 1 hr (after you've added the Chlorine Remover). Place the fish in a large enough container that there is sufficient (old) water in with them...then when the tank has acclimatized somewhat, add 1/2 cup at a time of the clean water gradually to the old water until the (old) water is almost clear again...this allows the fish to adjust gradually to the change in temperature. The small amount of algae that is left in the old/new mixed water will continue to encourage the Algae eaters to 'feast' but it isn't enough to return the tank to a dirty or cloudy state. You might want to use a small thermometer to determine at what temp the old water is at and attempt to adjust the new water as close to that temp as possible. If you already have a thermometer in the tank at all times...purchase a second one which is used specifically for monitoring the new water, and while it's taking the reading, sanitize the one you normally have in the tank. Washing it in a bit of white vinegar and then rinsing well will clean it quite efficiently. Also ensure that you aren't using soap of any kind on the tank itself, the residue from this WILL kill the fish.

Ensure you always change the filter at every cleaning, monitor the new water and when it lowers a bit in the tank simply add new fresh, de-chlorinated water to the tank...this allows the tank to go longer in between cleanings. When the filter is scheduled to be changed the tank can be cleaned then and if your filter system is doing it's job, the Algae eaters theirs along with the snails...you should be able to go at least a month to 6 weeks with this method.

If you happen to be using a plastic tank rather than a glass one (don't know how large your tank is or whether they are cold water or warm water fish) you may consider getting a glass one. Plastic breaks down over time and lets off chemicals which infiltrate the water...no matter how careful you are with these types of tanks, some of them (the cheaper ones at least) are toxic to the fish...they never stay clean and the fish die frequently. If you have one of these, see if there are bubbles forming around the edges of the water, if so...your tank is toxic and should be replaced otherwise you'll never be able to keep fish for very long.

Hope this all helps a bit...good luck

Answer 4

Where is your fish tank positioned? If it is in direct sunlight then the algae will grow a lot quicker. It should be in a bright place but not sun. Do you have a filter? This can help. Also, make sure you have 'oxygenating' plants. These help process the algae and keep the water fresh.

Instead of changing the water completely (you're right, this can stress and kill them) try just changing a small amount every few days. This should help keep it clean and not stress the fish.

Also make sure all your utensils for cleaning are clean themselves; no soap or chemicals of any kind at all. Even the slightest thing can kill them.

The snails are definately good to have. I don't know about shrimp though, thats new to me.

Hope this helps and your fish start to live longer!

Answer 5

Hi, I am a long time fish keeper and breeder and i think you have gotten some bad info about fish keeping.


1. when you get a new tank your fish will create waste and bacteria forms that converts it as follows.
ammonia > nitrite> nitrate.
that is also the order of which is most harmful to fish ammonia being the worst.The only way to get rid of nitrate is weekly water changes. the more fish the more nitrates.

2. Leave your fish in the tank when you clean it

3. you can change as much water as you want provided you put in enough dechlorinator and keep the temperature similar to what it was. Water contains very little of the beneficial bacteria that keeps your water healthy.

4. Never clean your filter in tap water, this kills the bacteria that keeps your fish happy and healthy. Your filter and gravel contain most of your tanks healthy bacteria. Clean it in a bucket of water from your tank. It can be the water that you have taken out during the change. you should use a gravel vac to clean your gravel and syphon water out, don't take the gravel out of your tank to clean it. As already mentioned pythons are very good.

5. A bottom feeder isn't essential. if you have food floating to the bottom and staying there feed them less. If you have algae bristle nose catfish is the best and common in most pet stores. they can be kept in tanks ranging from 18 to 30 degrees.

6. salt as mentioned above will build up a fresh water fishes' protective slime coat and make them more resistant to what you throw at them while you are still learning. salt is not essential though.

6. No vinegar!

Bit long winded but i signed up to yahoo because of some of the horrible answers i saw above! I really hope you have more success from now on.

Answer 6

well youre not supposed to relocate fish and change the complete water. after a month of fish living in a tank their will be the perfect living conditions for the fish, the first month tho is very stressful!! all you are doing is taking out the good water and adding "bad" water in. go to the store and buy a gravel cleaner/water pump. they are inexpensive and in this case worth your while. with this handy dandy piece, every week, (it must be every 7 days) attach this hose to your sink and it will suck down water or refill, so you can take this hose to your tank, clean the gravel and take out ONLY 25% of the water, then you can refill the tank with 25% new water that is the same temperature. this way you dont have to take all the fish out. how about going to a local petstore and getting a care sheet on how to cycle, and maintence a tank..

ps. adding stress zyme to the water is always a plus, but only add it for the amount you added in
pps. when adding fish to your tank, soak them in their bag on top of the water for 15-20 minutes...then add the fish to the tank...not the water it came in.
ppps. adding 1 teaspoon of seasalt per gallon is a great natural stress relief that stunts bacteria "messy" stuff

Answer 7

some issues are evoked. confirm your conditioner will manage for the two chlorine and chloramines, not all do yet maximum will. verify your freshwater is on the right temperature. interior 5 stages of the tank is powerful. verify the pH of the two your tank water and faucet water. in the event that they're extra advantageous than 0.3-0.4 off then that ought to correctly be the issue. If that the case you will ought to make certain what's inflicting your tank to alter so straight away and the thank you to ward off it. digital mail me and that i'll be happy to help with that. in case you're changing the water with an extremely solid gravel cleansing and changing the filter out media on a similar time ammonia must be to blame. in case you have been doing this alteration the water without cleansing the filter out and see if that facilitates. MM

Answer 8

Do you have a filter? Maybe you're overfeeding. A few minutes after feeding, strain out all the food the fish didn't eat. When you clean a tank, you are always supposed to leave about 1/3 of the original water because there is good 'stuff' in it that protects the fish. When I clean mine, I use a styrofoam cooler and place that 1/3 of water in it along with the fish. After cleaning the tank and adding the chemicals ( I hope you're not using straight tap water without conditioners-that'll definitely kill 'em), wait a few minutes and check the temp to make sure that both sets of water aren't more than a degree or two apart and just add back the water and fish. Good Luck. P.S.- If mine's really dirty, I find you have to take out the gravel, not just vacuum it, and give it a good rinse.

Answer 9

try once every twoo weeks replace 1/4 of the water. when you clean your tank never break it all the way down. leave the fish in it. just get a fish tank cleaner it cleans the gravel and takes out some water then you replace the water. when you break it all the way down you get ride of the chemicals the fish have put into the tank. this is why they are dieing.

Answer 10

To keep it cleaner-
1.) keep out of direct sunlight
2.) feed sparingly
3.) only leave the light on for feedings
4.) get an algae eater or snail
5.) try having live plants to keep the water more oxygenated

To clean it-
1.) remove the fish
2.) take out all the ornaments, and clean them with hot water
3.) drain the rest of the water, and rinse gravel carefully
4.) rinse off plants etc.
5.) rinse glass with water, and wipe away visible algae
6.) when adding water, make sure it is the correct temperature and pH BEFORE you put your fish back

NEVER USE SOAP OR CHEMICALS TO CLEAN THE TANK