i bought

[angeleyes88_88]

two neons and they both died of the same thing they turn over on their backs and sorta float their then i turn then the right way and they cant seem to swim the right way, am i doing something wrong or is there something wrong with my fish guy?

 

[Menagerie]

Neons are hard to keep in a new tank, or they may be ill to start with. What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?

 

[angeleyes88_88]

i dont test my water.. should i? all the pet store said was to get a temp sticker and use cycle,easybalance and aquasafe. if im suppost to test the water any thing you suggest?

 

[tsaraber]

Yes it's a good idea to test the water. I can say from experience that Cycle doesn't work.. Never used EasyBalance so can't advise on that but Aquasafe is a good idea as it removes the chlorine from your tap water so definately keep using that.

If you are just starting out with a new tank you are going to need to be testing for ammonia, and then nitrites and nitrates. It's probably a good idea to test the ph of your water as well so you know what types of fish will be happiest living with you.

And like Menagerie said, Neons are hard to keep, especially in a new tank. If you really must start out your new tank with fish I can recommend zebra danios. Very much fun and they seem to be able to handle the stress of cycling.

Also, I apologize in advance but I gotta ask.. You have an official tank right? With a heater and filter of some sort? Not just a goldfish bowl sorta thing?

 

[angeleyes88_88]

ya i have an official tank... i spent $300 on it so ya its official, i think i got ripped off but whatever :| ... i have 2 zebra danios, one green swordtail, a frog, a scum eater, 2 tetra fish, and 11 mollie babies. i have the whisper power filter 20, and 100w heater. the tank is 20 gallons and its rectangle.
any testing kits that you know are good? since the pet store people know nothing...... :|

 

[tsaraber]

You got off cheap, we're working on $1100 and counting (this includes everything though, tank, stand, lights, decorations etc...)

Stay away from the test strips - they're tempting since they check nearly everything in one easy step but they're not real accurate. The tests we use are by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals - they're most likely what you're going to find in your typical pet store. They come with a test beaker, a bottle of solution and a color chart. Each kit tests something different. I've also seen master test kits that might work for you. We have just about every test kit the store sells but that's probably overkill. Your main concerns with a new tank are going to be ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. I'm ashamed to say that we never really did much with the nitrate kit - as long as you do regular water changes I would imagine nitrates wouldn't be a problem.

And like I mentioned, you might want to get a test for your ph - it's easier to keep fish if you opt for fish that will thrive in your natural ph. Trying to change the ph of your water can be quite a nightmare.

 

[angeleyes88_88]

well its more like $500 plus for everything in the tank and for it plus im sure ill need more stuff soon... does buying stuff ever stop? lol i bought 4 fish and got 15 mollie babies the next day but some died so now i have 11 im going to the pet store now to buy the kits. do you know what the numbers should be for a good tank?

 

[tsaraber]

Nope, it never stops. Once you're done buying everything for this tank you'll end up starting over with a new tank because you love your fishies and want more.

Neutral PH is 7.0 - but depending on what kind of fish you're keeping, most can adapt as long as you acclimate them properly.

In the end ammonia and nitrites should be at 0 but while your tank is new you're going to see a spike in these, ammonia first and then nitrites. As the nitrites are coming down you'll start to see an increase in nitrates. (The whole process is called cycling and there are tons of threads here pertaining to it so if you're interrested you can just take a peek around for a better explanation.) Not sure about nitrates.

The test kits come with an instruction pamphlet that should give you an idea of where most of the numbers should be.

 

[angeleyes88_88]

well i have 0 ammonia and my ph is 7.6 i have to wait till the guy gets the other two kits.... i bought 5 fish today....i think im addicted already

 

[tsaraber]

You need to be careful how many fish you put in a tank. The general rule is one inch of fish per gallon of water. You need to take into account their adult size when you're figuring this....

Also - when starting a new tank it isn't a good idea to add so many fish all at once. It's going to cause a really rough cycle for your fish and you may end up losing some.

 

[angeleyes88_88]

okay thanks ill watch that more better im thinking about getting a bigger tank for down stairs anyways after i learn more about this fish tank cycle stuff.

 

[tsaraber]

Hehe - see? Told ya you were going to get another tank..

For your next tank, give fishless cycling a try. We're doing it right now with our third tank - again, lots of threads around here about it.

 

[angeleyes88_88]

i think im going to need another tank for all the babies..... the guy i buy fish from is nice but he had two pregnant guppies and he was going to let the fish eat the babies because he doesnt have the time to care for them... so i bought them and put them in the nursery i bought.... im going to raise the babies till they are the right size for tank life and then pick the ones i want and sell the rest to the pet store guy... cus i dont know what i would do with a ton of guppies :| i dont think my parents would like me to have 50 fish tanks even though im the one that does everything