new 10 gallon tank

[rookie]

8O Hi. I decided to try out a fish aquarium. I'm starting small. A 10 gal tank. I made a mistake right off the bat. I stocked my tank the day after I set it up and was told, all my fish are going to die because I was supposed to wait for some kind of cycle to happen for my tank to be ready for fish. Any advice on what I should do? I'm thinking of calling the pet store to see if I can give my fish back to them. There is no point in letting them all die. I have 4 angel fish (small) and 3 neons down from five. One died and the other one does not look so good so I took him out of the tank and put him in a fish bowl. The others still look fine and healthy. or, should I let them die off since they may already have some kind of dammage or something. Thanks. I'm doing more research on this as I get time. Any advice would be great.

 

[rookie]

Also, I have a whisper power filter. i'm not sure if the filter will make a difference on when the water is ready for fish. I know it has something to do with the levels of amonia and that it needs to have a certain amount of algae. I'm just not sure if the size of the tank and the type of filter makes a difference in the process.

 

[Guest]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showfaq.php?fldAuto=2

The nitrogen cycle is at the above link. That should help you.

Yes, you overstocked to start, its a very common error, don't beat yourself up. You may be able to avoid fish deaths with testing for the various nitro compounds, and doing water changes. Start with the link, go from there. If the fish are still alive and looking decent, there shouldn't be any lasting damage if you can get them through the next few weeks.

 

[fishfreek]

Thats ok rookie, everyone makes mistakes but the key is learning from them and moving forward.

I look forward to seeing your knowlege and new tank flourish.

 

[hisc1ay]

Newbies make me smile. I love it when someone gets interested, and even though they make mistakes they still stick with it and end up doing a great job. It's awesome!

Hang in there, rookie. Keep an eye on the fish. Remember what corvus said about water changes and make sure you get a test kit for at LEAST ammonia and nitrite, and nitrate and pH kits wouldn't hurt either. (or you can get one of those all in one kits). Keep us posted with your progress!

-j

 

[rookie]

re: new 10 gal tank

Thanks. So far so good with the fish. I added the other male neon too the fish bowl with some water out of the tank and fresh water added to it and a couple drops of water conditioner, they were doing better this morning. i'm going to use the test kit tonight and if all is well I will put them back in with the others. Thanks for the link. This helps a lot.