# Are my fish happy?



## Warpedpink (May 24, 2014)

*H2
Are my fish happy? Since I got them last week, one guppy and two tetras died. 

So now I have 4 male guppies, 3 cardinal tetras, 2 snails that won't reproduce, and 2 back kuhli loaches. They share the 10 gallon aquarium with 2 live plants (top fin ribbon and top fin anubias,) and 3 more bulbs that are growing quickly), a moss ball, 2 hiding places (one large and one small), and pink and black gravel.

I feed them a small amount of flakes several times a day and the loaches get two sinking pellets twice a day. I added conditioner, water clarifier, and other things to their water. They have a heat controlled tank which is set at 80 F and a pump that brings oxygen into the water. 

Should I change anything? Why did 3 of my fish die in less than 72 hours? They are from PetSmart and I got them last week, so they could have already been sick. What do you guys think?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

How long has tank been set up?Is it cycled?Do you know what cycled means?
Any kind of filter or just an air pump?
Do you own a test kit so you can check ammonia,nitrite and nitrate levels?
I would get some kind of filter if you don't have one and as for changing something;
WATER AS OFTEN AS NEEDED!Any ammonia over 1ppm,or nitrite over 1ppm could be the cause of your fishes death,and possibly lead to more(cardinals are next IMO,as they will not tolerate poor water quality very well).
The amount of water changed is the % the ammonia or any nutrient will be reduced,so if you have 1ppm ammonia a 50% waterchange will yield you(your tanks water) a reading of .5ppm.
If the tank is newly set up you need to read about the nitrogen cycle or risk losing all your fish.We have threads in freshwater forum(fish poop and you,and fishless cycling{sounds too late to give this a go}).
First post!WELCOME TO AF.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

As Coralbandit mentions a lot of unanswered questions concerning your post...

One thing for sure for a small tank like a 10 gallon your over stocked. Plus your overfeeding.
12 fish and 2 snails in a 10 Gallon? Ouch!

You need to check water conditions and recheck stocking levels.


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## Warpedpink (May 24, 2014)

coralbandit said:


> How long has tank been set up?Is it cycled?Do you know what cycled means?
> Any kind of filter or just an air pump?
> Do you own a test kit so you can check ammonia,nitrite and nitrate levels?
> I would get some kind of filter if you don't have one and as for changing something;
> ...



I just looked up cycling aquariums, and I'm not sure if I did it. I have a filter that has been running with the aquarium water for 24 hours before I got the fish. I went to PetSmart yesterday with a small sample of my water. They tested it and said it was fine. I'm a little bit confused by "cycling" so does the fact that PetSmart "approved" the water quality answer your question?


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## Warpedpink (May 24, 2014)

Buerkletucson said:


> As Coralbandit mentions a lot of unanswered questions concerning your post...
> 
> One thing for sure for a small tank like a 10 gallon your over stocked. Plus your overfeeding.
> 12 fish and 2 snails in a 10 Gallon? Ouch!
> ...


The instructions on the food say to give a small amount several times a day.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Don't trust petsmart. They're a business in it to make money, and their pimple faced kids don't know much about fish keeping (in my experience and I would be shocked if it's just my store in phx). Follow the directions given on this forum and you'll be fine. You're not cycled, and you're overstocked.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

Warpedpink said:


> The instructions on the food say to give a small amount several times a day.


Your overfeeding.... 
Once a day is fine and not more than they will eat within 1 - 2 minutes. 
Otherwise your just polluting the tank and adding to the bio-load, which is overloaded in your 10 G due to fish population anyway. 

Do some research on fish keeping and the nitrogen cycle...
You'll be much happier and much more successful in the hobby by doing so.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Your tank is headed for disaster if you don't want to take control. That is a very small tank with already too many fish. Your problems are worsened because your tank has not been all the way through the nitrogen cycle and toxicity levels in the tank do not get better until 5-6 weeks from now. 

So you have 3 things working against you...your tank is cycling, you have overstocked the tank, and you are putting enough food in the tank for 3 times the fish you have. Fish will continue to die until you get things under control.

Do not add anymore fish. Feed no more than once per day and pic a day of the week and skip it! Do a 50% water change every other day until the cycle period is over. Do this and the rest of your fish will live.


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## Warpedpink (May 24, 2014)

jrman83 said:


> Your tank is headed for disaster if you don't want to take control. That is a very small tank with already too many fish. Your problems are worsened because your tank has not been all the way through the nitrogen cycle and toxicity levels in the tank do not get better until 5-6 weeks from now.
> 
> So you have 3 things working against you...your tank is cycling, you have overstocked the tank, and you are putting enough food in the tank for 3 times the fish you have. Fish will continue to die until you get things under control.
> 
> Do not add anymore fish. Feed no more than once per day and pic a day of the week and skip it! Do a 50% water change every other day until the cycle period is over. Do this and the rest of your fish will live.


Thank you guys, all, so much! I have looked up cycling and the instructions I found were pre-fish. How do I cycle the aquarium with the 4 guppies, 4 tetras, and 2 loaches I have now??


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Your fish will be the ammonia source. Do not over feed. You need to do water changes in order to keep the ammonia and nitrItes at 1ppm or below. What I did for my first tank was exactly that. You can let either creep up to 1ppm then do probably a 50% water change. The goal is to keep some ammonia in the tank so the cycle has something to feed off of, but not high enough to hurt your fish. This will take a while, potentially months. So you must be diligent about checking your water frequently (for me, I checked once a day.

Do not add any more fish.
Do not overfeed
Do not let ammonia or nitrites go above 1ppm
Do not confuse nitrates with nitrites. Those are okay up to 20-40ppm, but you won't see those for quite a while, probably.
Ask questions, we'll help


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## Warpedpink (May 24, 2014)

MriGuy85 said:


> Your fish will be the ammonia source. Do not over feed. You need to do water changes in order to keep the ammonia and nitrItes at 1ppm or below. What I did for my first tank was exactly that. You can let either creep up to 1ppm then do probably a 50% water change. The goal is to keep some ammonia in the tank so the cycle has something to feed off of, but not high enough to hurt your fish. This will take a while, potentially months. So you must be diligent about checking your water frequently (for me, I checked once a day.
> 
> Do not add any more fish.
> Do not overfeed
> ...


Thanks, that's helpful  I've stopped over feeding and only feed them once in the morning. The remaining 5 fishes and 2 loaches get a pinch of flakes and two sinking pellets. I put two in because the loaches will fight over the one otherwise. 

I will need to go to the pet store and buy ammonia testing kits. :fish-in-a-bag:


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## L.West (Apr 26, 2013)

The best kit to get is the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. It can be a bit pricey but it will have all the tests that you will need for your tank success.

Be sure to read the instructions on the test kits very carefully - each test has its own instructions. At first it seems complicated but you will soon be able to run the test without even looking at the instructions because you will be testing alot in the coming weeks.

I always watch the ammonia levels first and foremost - you are in the beginning stages of cycling so keeping the ammonia in check is of the utmost importance. If you see a raise in ammonia that approaches 1ppm than immediately do a water change. Be sure to get the new water going into the tank back to the original temp of the water you took out -this is very important not to shock/kill your fish. Also, be sure to use a dechlorinator like "prime" to treat the tap water when you add it to the tank.

Good luck with your tank - keep us posted.


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