Hello and HELP

[Mahoney]

hello I am new to this website and pretty new to this fish stuff. I first won two gold fish at the carnival and kept them in a little bowl to see if they would live and they did. SO i bought a 10 gallon tank and was hooked. I bought 7 more goldfish soon after that and two golden dojo loaches. My tank looked good and had clean water and everything but then one of my goldfish randomly died. So I changed the water and they seem to be doing fine so I sold my tank to my brother so I could buy a slightly bigger tank. So i went out and purchased and 20 gollan tank and 14 fish. I now have two gaint danio fish, one knife fish, one kissing gourami fish, two silver dollar fish, one silertip fish, one algae eater, one betta fish, one dinosaur bichir, one bala shark. I had two bala sharks but the other one died, and I had two tiger barb fish and they both died. I was going to do a 75% water change tomorrow and hope that I don't have anymore die on me :thanks. I purchased new light bulbs cause the ones that came with the tank aren't that bright and since i have tropical fish now should I let them get more light or is 10-12 hours enough? Is there anything i can do to my tank to make it more fun and the fish enjoy it more?

Can you post videos on here?

 

[fred]

Hello...welcome

I'm not sure where to start here because you sound young and enthusiastic about the hobby however I feel the need to say a few things. First of all Bala sharks get very big and should not be kept in a tank smaller than a 55g. As well they are a group type fish and need to be in more then a school of 2. Secondly silver dollars like to be in a school of 3 or more and need room to swim (they prefer the length of a tank). Thirdly goldfish are not freshwater fish. Well maybe they are but they should never be mixed with tiger barbs or bala sharks or silver dollars. I had goldfish as a kid and yes they are hardy 15 of them with the other fish you mentioned is not a good environment. I suggest you do some more research and get to know the fish you want to have (before you waste money end have a bunch of dead fish Have you learned about cycling your tank?

 

[redsea]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice! It seems like you are adding too many fish at once. If you add too many fish at once and can raise your parameters drastically, which would be why the fish are dyeing. Some of the fish you have in there like the bala shark, silver dollars, knifefish etc, will need a bigger tank. If you have anymore questions, don't be afraid to ask!

 

[Mahoney]

Hello...welcome

I'm not sure where to start here because you sound young and enthusiastic about the hobby however I feel the need to say a few things. First of all Bala sharks get very big and should not be kept in a tank smaller than a 55g. As well they are a group type fish and need to be in more then a school of 2. Secondly silver dollars like to be in a school of 3 or more and need room to swim (they prefer the length of a tank). Thirdly goldfish are not freshwater fish. Well maybe they are but they should never be mixed with tiger barbs or bala sharks or silver dollars. I had goldfish as a kid and yes they are hardy 15 of them with the other fish you mentioned is not a good environment. I suggest you do some more research and get to know the fish you want to have (before you waste money end have a bunch of dead fish Have you learned about cycling your tank?

I don't have my goldfish and my new fish mixed together my goldfish are in a ten gallon tank and I know nothing bout tropical fish and was just buying some and the women at pet smart only told me one set of fish needed to be in a group of at least 3. What exactly is the water cycle

 

[Mahoney]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice! It seems like you are adding too many fish at once. If you add too many fish at once and can raise your parameters drastically, which would be why the fish are dyeing. Some of the fish you have in there like the bala shark, silver dollars, knifefish etc, will need a bigger tank. If you have anymore questions, don't be afraid to ask!

I was afraid of that. A guy at an old fish store told me it didn't matter how many you put in at once but I read somewhere where you are supposed to add like one a week

 

[Mahoney]

What type of food should I feed my fish most of then don't even notice I put flakes in the water

 

[Aces11]

Some of your fish like the bala sharks and silver dollars are too big for your tank. They both grow big and need to be in schools thus requiring a much larger tank.

Tropical fish don't need any more light than other fish so 10-12 hours should be okay. Fish flakes should be okay too.

You say you added 14 fish. Did you add those all at once? Did you put your tank through the nitrogen cycle before hand?

 

[Mahoney]

Some of your fish like the bala sharks and silver dollars are too big for your tank. They both grow big and need to be in schools thus requiring a much larger tank.

Tropical fish don't need any more light than other fish so 10-12 hours should be okay. Fish flakes should be okay too.

You say you added 14 fish. Did you add those all at once? Did you put your tank through the nitrogen cycle before hand?

Yes I added them all at once, but the bala sharks and silver dollars have both died. I only have 8 fish left, I did a 75% water change today. I'm hoping that will help. No, I did not do a nitrogen cycle.

 

[fred]

I don't have my goldfish and my new fish mixed together my goldfish are in a ten gallon tank and I know nothing bout tropical fish and was just buying some and the women at pet smart only told me one set of fish needed to be in a group of at least 3. What exactly is the water cycle

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm

Here's a link explaining the cycling or nitrogen process. Every tank does this!! You should never add so many fish at a time. They will continue to die until your tank is cycled. As well stay away from silver dollars, they get very big and keeping them in such a small tank is not recommend (sorry I have a soft spot for them!). Hope the link helps!!

 

[Aces11]

Here's another helpful article about cycling your tank. It is a very important process that must not be overlooked.

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

 

[Mahoney]

I did a water change today so I'm helping that will fix my problem now

 

[Aces11]

Although water changes help, they're not going to solve your problem entirely. You have to cycle your tank.

 

[Mahoney]

I read those two articles bout the nitrogen stuff but what do I need to do to the water to make it fine water

 

[Aces11]

You can either add water conditioner to the replacement water or let the replacement water sit for a few days before you put it in your tank.

 

[fred]

There is nothing you can do but wait. It takes time for the tank to cycle. Get an API test kit if u can and test for ammonia and nitrites. Do daily 25% pw changes so that your fish don't keep dying. With every pw add a dechlorinator such as Seachem Prime. You can also add some BB to help, such as Seachem Stability.

 

[Aces11]

There is nothing you can do but wait. It takes time for the tank to cycle. Get an API test kit if u can and test for ammonia and nitrites. Do daily 25% pw changes so that your fish don't keep dying. With every pw add a dechlorinator such as Seachem Prime. You can also add some BB to help, such as Seachem Stability.

Yes I agree. I thought you were talking about your pwc water. For cycling, all you can do is wait. Make sure to test your water and perform pwc as needed.

 

[Mahoney]

So I should do a water change every day?

 

[fred]

Yes if your ammonia or nitrite levels are more than zero. If you don't do pw it is very hard on your fish, it will make them sick and/or kill them.

 

[Mahoney]

Oh so I need to get a test kit and stuff

 

[fred]

If u can! The best is an API test kit.