Help! Im new to this.

[nicole1217]

I have been wanting to get a fish tank for a while. I researched easy beginner fish and decided Id go with guppies. I went to Walmart and bought the 10 gallon starter they sell. The lady working that section told me the tank needed to be cycled before adding fish. She told me 48 hours should be fine. I remember seeing something about cycling of the tank so I took her word. Got it set up. Went back two days later the person working said I could put up to 10-12 guppies in the tank. I decided to do half that to start with. I took 5 guppies home. The first day was fine but I noticed ones arm fins (I'm not sure what they are called) started looking disintegrated. By the end of the day her arm fins were almost completely gone. The next morning she was dead. I also noticed yesterday that two other guppies were looking the same and staying at the very top. I started doing research and I read up on the cycling of a tank, which clearly takes longer than 48 hours. I lost another two today. I assume from ammonia burn. Yesterday I did a 50% water change. The remaining two guppies are not showing any symptoms the others did. I want to try to save these two. I read that I should do water changes twice a week but would daily give them a better chance? Or would that mess with the cycling process? Help!

 

[guppygourami]

Best thing to do now is return the guppies. Cycling is much easier without the fish and you don't risk killing them as much. You should buy a test kit. If you think you're going to have fish for a while the API Freshwater Master Test Kit is the best investment I have ever made. It will last you years longer the strip testers and is practically guaranteed accurate results. I've never loved a product more. It gives you readings of pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates; the most important levels you'll want to watch with a tank. Once you have the proper readings (probably after a month or two) you'll be able to add fish. There are a bunch of posts on cycling here but I'm on mobile so I can't access them for the moment. What's in the starter kit? You should have a heater, filter, substrate and some decor for starters. How are you doing the water change? Do you have a siphon? A siphon is one of the many products you'll want to buy for your tank. Just so you know, a fish tank is a time and money consuming investment. Nonetheless, I don't regret getting into the hobby one bit!

 

[nicole1217]

Best thing to do now is return the guppies. Cycling is much easier without the fish and you don't risk killing them as much. You should buy a test kit. If you think you're going to have fish for a while the API Freshwater Master Test Kit is the best investment I have ever made. It will last you years longer the strip testers and is practically guaranteed accurate results. I've never loved a product more. It gives you readings of pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates; the most important levels you'll want to watch with a tank. Once you have the proper readings (probably after a month or two) you'll be able to add fish. There are a bunch of posts on cycling here but I'm on mobile so I can't access them for the moment. What's in the starter kit? You should have a heater, filter, substrate and some decor for starters. How are you doing the water change? Do you have a siphon? A siphon is one of the many products you'll want to buy for your tank. Just so you know, a fish tank is a time and money consuming investment. Nonetheless, I don't regret getting into the hobby one bit!

The starter kit came with the tank, hood and lights, filter, food and water conditioner. I bought a heater, gravel, and decorations. I'm doing the water change by removing the water manually with a large cup. Then replacing it with treated tap water. Thanks I will look into a siphon.

 

[UntimelyLord]

Here is a link to read up on fish-in cycling if you don't want to take your remaining fish back to the store.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176446
This is a good article but it does recommend twice weekly 50% water changes and if it were me I would do daily 50% water changes just to be more safe for the fish, although the cycle might take a little longer that way. Make sure you are using a good water conditioner that detoxifies chloramine as well as chlorine, Prime is the one recommend by most aquarists as it does this and also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite that might be in your tap water (and are certainly in your tank right now). You can even use a double dose to your aquarium to detoxify ammonia temporarily while still leaving it available to the beneficial bacteria that needs to grow.