fish keep dying?

Question

i received a 5 gallon fish tank last christmas and soon after bought some fish and they died i was told htey died becasue i have too many in there (there were 5), i then proceded to buy more fish (only one at a time) and within hours they die. please help i don't want to keep killing fish!

Answer 1

First, a tank needs to be cycled so the "good" bacteria will keep the nitrite and ammonia (which the fish make in their excrements) level low--nitrites and ammonia will kill fish fast and 5 fish in a 5 gal. tank will contribute an amazing amount of those two products. Your tank will also go through what is known as "new tank syndrome"--developing brown or blackish algae spots, sometimes having the water chemistry spike and then drop. You should buy test kits for ammonia, nitrite at a minimum--get the ones using reagent, not the test strips (the older test strips get, the more off their results and you can't tell how old the kits are sitting on the shelf) and test your water. You'll need a dechlorinator unless you're using bottle spring water (and then you'll need to always use the same brand since not all spring waters are the same). Research your fish to make sure they are appropriate for your tank--all need to live in the same temperature (get a good submersible heater you can adjust). It's easier if they all eat the same thing. They have to get along. Some fish only do well in schools, others are super territorial and won't get along with any of their own kind (some won't get along with any other fish). Get a good filter. Before adding fish, make sure everything is working propertly (heater is maintaining the set temperature, filter is filtering) and the tank is set up as you wish it to be (trying to do changes later can disturb the ecological balance in the tank sending your tank into another dreaded cycling). If you are going to cycle using fish (which can be hard on the fish), pick hardy fish that don't cost a fortune in case they die, test your tank water at least twice daily (more if possible) and do water changes if the levels are above the recommended (kits come with levels or normalcy for you to compare your water to). If you're doing fishless cycling, do a search for how to do that using ammonia and/or fish food (the beneficial bacteria "eat" ammonia, decomposing fish food creates ammonia). You might be able to get a product called "Bio-Spira" by Marineland (small pouch which is enough for a 5g tank costs about $10 and needs to be kept cool) which eliminates the need to cycle your tank--when you're tank is all set up and ready for fish, just open and dump the pouch contents into your tank (I usually dump it into the filter to make sure the bacteria starts going in there) and then put in your fish; continue to test the water twice daily to make sure things nitrites/ammonia levels are staying close to zero.

Also, make sure the fish you buy are healthy--look at each closely (and the other fish in the tank since many fish ailments are highly contagious) to make sure there aren't little white dots on them, no fuzzy places, no parasites, that the fish look healthy and undamages and are active.

The link below is barely minimal for setting up a new tank. If your local fish store is a good one--that is, if the clerks there are fishmaniacs--they should be able to answer all your questions and even help you with testing, give you advice, kind of mentor you through the process.

Answer 2

A 5 gallon tank is only suitable for a small school of very small fish. Alternatively, a single betta would be OK in a 5 gallon tank.
Is this tank heated? Do you have a filter? Did you dechlorinate the water? Have you ever read any books about fish keeping? It is not as simple as "just add water and fish".
http://www.hagen.com/pdf/aquatic/bag.pdf
http://www2.tetra.de/tet_internet_import/import_data/The%20fascination%20of%20aquariums_GB_2006_T062048.pdf
Here two good free books to get you started the right way.

Answer 3

Several things could be causing this.

Is the water aerated? Aeration will increase the amount of fish you can have in the bowl.

Water must be aged for at least 24 hours before fish are added.

Fish must be acclimatized to the water. Float thier bag in the water for half an hour so that the water temperatures will equalize.

Your fish may also be stressed. Is the drive from the pet shop to your home long? Did you shake the bag? Where they exposed to loud noises? All these will stress your fish and may kill them.

Hope I was helpful

Answer 4

was the tank cycled. When you say the water is right what did you measure (nitrite, nitrate, ammonia) Nitrite and ammonia should be 0 while nitrate should be around 30 or less. To cycle the tank start with a few hearty fish like danios that can take the harsh changes of the water as it undergoes the process. you have not provided details as to salt or freshwater, how long you had tank, water parameters and temp to accurately give advice but I am assuming it was not cycled properly

Answer 5

1) did you buy your fish at walmart? they have a life expectancy of about 72 hours!
2) did you remove the chlorine from the water using a product like stress coat?
3) Do you have well water? sometimes it has heavy metals in it that are NOT good for you or your fish. Do you live in the country or in a place where there are farms or septic tanks? Agriculture runoff contains loads of pesticides and herbicides, which you may be drinking! If people use septic tanks in your area a leaking one may have contaminated your well. If you do have well water and can not find ANY reason for dead fish i highly recommend that you get your water tested for your own safety!
4) did you let the fish float when you brought them home? if you did not you may have shocked them.
5) do you have a heater? temperature shock may have done them in.
good luck!

Answer 6

Can you give us a bit more information? What kind of fish are you buying? Do you have a filter and a heater? What's the temperature? Are you dechlorinating your water? Do you check your ammonia and stuff, or have the fish store test your water?

Answer 7

Did you add any dechlorinator to the tank? Did you get fish that were suitable for your tank? Did you do any research at all? Don't buy any more fish until you know what you are doing. Start your research with the link in my profile.

Nosoop4u

Answer 8

Well, if you don't want to keep killing fish, listen to the advice that you were given and stop buying them. Yes, they are dying because you have too many fish in your tank. For such a teeny, tiny tank, you can only have one betta or a pair of bettas, or a school of maybe three tetras or other equally small fish. You may also be having problems because you don't understand water cycling and proper water changes and tank cleaning and maintenance. You should also be knowledgeable about diseases and how to identify them and treat them. Once you understand proper tank maintenance and limit your fish to water ratio, I think you will see your fish becoming much more happy and healthy and far less death. Good luck!

Answer 9

you have to make sure you prepare the tank before you put the fish in, use either salt water or fresh water, depending on the type of fish, make sure you're using a good kind of food, and make sure the filter is working.

Answer 10

ok you need to start over. If you have got fish in your tank at the moment transfer them to a bowl of water you have left over night.

Cleaning time!

You need to take everything out of the tank and scrub um down (dont use any cleaning product)

Clean the tank.

Before you put the fish back in the tak chek they dont have any white dots on their fins or anything like that.

If you descover anything like that on any fish keep them seperate from trhe healthy ones.

Find out what disease this is and go to your local pet shop where you can buy the medicine for it. It usually doesnt cost much and alls you do is put it in the tank.

Hope ive helpped and i hope ur fishes are ok!