New tank

[username]

7 days ago we bought our 1st tank the pet shop told us 3 days was long enough b4 we added fish to the tank. so 3 days later we bought 3 fish 12 hours later they had all died. not happy about this we returned to the pet shop and asked why they looked at the water sample we took and told us the water was fine it must have been stress that killed them? we then bought 6 mollys and took them home and added them to the tank they wer all fine at 1st but about 24 hours late 2 of them started acting strange. i say strange because they would swimm round the tank just fine like the other fish but when they stoped unlike the other 4 who would just float in the 1 spot only moving slightly theese 2 would swim on the spot like a human joggs on the spot. at 1st we didnt think anything of it but the next day the 2 fish that had been acting like this had died. now a 3rd fish has started doing the same thing wer as b4 he was fine wich makes me think somthing has to be wrong. he looks indistress. we are animal lovers in this house so as you can imagine kille 5 out of 9 fish is not going down well. i hope what ive put makes sence we realy want to keep fish but at this rate ill have no money lol. id just like to know are we just been unlucky or have the pet shop givin us bad advice?

 

[Deep Seven]

First step you want to do is get a liquid freshwater test kit (strips are inacurate) so you can see whats happening yourself, on a daily basis if needed.

You'll want to do a lot of water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite under 0.25ppm. If you're using Prime water conditioner, you can dose up to 5x regular amount to help detoxifiy tank in an emergency.

This link is an article about recovering a new tank with sick fish
New Tank Syndrome

 

[akkitten]

I too am new to this and having just killed several fish myself, the pet shop gave you bad advise. Research fishless cycle on here and do water changes every day to bring down the ammonia and nitrite. With fish it will take several weeks of this and you will probably loose a few more fish on the way. I just cycled a 10 gallon tank with fish and it was tough. I am currently cycling a 20 gallon tank without fish, takes longer, but nobody dies in the process. This link will explain what is going on in your tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-for-dummies-103339.html

 

[BigJim]

Read the links in my signature on cycling. They will explain what's going on in your tank.

The pet shop is giving you bad advice. Don't buy any more fish until your tank has completed the cycle. The fish are being poisoned with their own waste, so adding more fish will only increase the problem.

Get the test kit Deep Seven suggested. The API Freshwater Master is fantastic. It's pricey, but it's accurate and lasts far longer than strips.

Since you already have fish, you'll have to do a lot of partial water changes (PWCs) to keep your ammonia and nitrite levels below 0.25ppm. I would do a 50% PWC as soon as possible.

 

[username]

thanks guys this advice sounds alot better than pets at home was giving us. they told me 3 days and a tank is cycled. i thought that was fast but when a so called expert is telling you this you believe them.

 

[BigJim]

The #1 rule around here is to generally ignore the LFS people's advice until they've proven themselves.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Agreed

 

[Homedog98]

DEFINETLY! Like when petsmart told me a rainbow shark fits fine in a ten gallon. Ya right.

 

[Chrostonchap]

Ironically I've found the staff at Southport & Preston Pets at Home to be really good and have advised me well.

Sent from my iPad using Aquarium

 

[JoeD]

I myself had a similar experience, and likewise was told the same crap. My tank is about 2 weeks old and I lost a few fish, very depressing as I was intent on doing the best I could to have a healthy Ecosystem. No one ever mentioned "Cycling" to me at the pet store. So I am doing my best to cycle with fish and it's a lot of work. I wasn't overly eager to add fish and would have been happy to have cycled for 4-6 weeks.
The Most valuable advice I received was on this site! Very friendly people and helpful to newbies like myself.

What I Have learned:
API Freshwater master test kit (a must)
Prime Dechlorinator (used by experienced people)
Do partial water changes, or PWC's
Do lots of research and take nothing as definite, it's all in the big picture...

 

[Chrostonchap]

JoeD you have learnt well...

Sent from my iPad using Aquarium

 

[ejaramillo01]

Great advice from Joe D!

I hope that you re start your tank fishless.