# tank problem.



## mwsr (Jan 2, 2011)

about 2 weeks ago i set up a 10g for my daughter.. ran it for a few days before adding anything.. i started with 4 glofish,2 neon tetras and 1 cleaner fish(forget its name)..and 2 live plants.

everything has been find then i get up this morn and 1 glofish is dead and the cleaner fish is on his back. i thought he was dead and went to grab him and he flipped back over and swam off but continued to stay at bottom on rocks barely moving..

i added a bacteria supplement because petsmart said to as my ammonia was at .05%...30min after that he was back on the side of the tank like normal looking fine.. now about 5 hours later hes on his back again at bottom but still alive..


any suggestions?

thanks


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## Big Dog (May 17, 2010)

Did you get a test kit at all? If not take a sample to a real fish store and have them check your water. Your PH could be to high or something else is going on with the water. Best to buy a test kit. This will help us out and you out alot. API makes a real good fresh water test kit. Please keep us up to date to what you find out.


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## mwsr (Jan 2, 2011)

ya i took the water in and they said everything was perfect except ammonia which was only at 1/2 a % and they told me to add that bacteria supplement so i did


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## Big Dog (May 17, 2010)

Then you could be having ammonia problems. Take another sample back into the store and see what it is. What is the temperature in the tank?


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## mwsr (Jan 2, 2011)

i dont have a thermometer but its a auto heater that turns on/off itself i think it keeps it around 80ish


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

When all else fails do a water change. That many fish right off the bat in that small a tank I'm surprised you haven't had more losses. I'd do a 50% water change now, get your own liquid test kit, and test again after the water change. DON'T trust what they tell you....most places like that don't have anyone that knows half of what they need to, to advise you in the right direction. They may sound like they have a cluse but most don't - in my experience anyway.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

mwsr said:


> about 2 weeks ago i set up a 10g for my daughter.. ran it for a few days before adding anything.


Sounds like your tank has not finished establishing a nitrogen cycle. The establishment of a nitrogen cycle is noted by an initial ammonia spike, then a nitrite spike, then a buildup of nitrates which you must remove with partial water changes. Read the link below if you would like to learn more about the nitrogen cycle:

The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

For an immediate suggestion - change 50% of the water in your tank. If you don't have any tap water conditioner (also known as dechlorinator), get some so you don't add poisonous chlorine or chloramine to the tank when adding regular tap water.

Also, get either a liquid test kit (recommended, and a good brand we all use is the API Master Freshwater Test Kit, $35 at PetsMart) or test strips. These will help you during the establishment of your aquarium's nitrogen cycle.

For future suggestions: Test your water daily until your ammonia and nitrite readings go to zero. If they climb up above 1 ppm (part per million), do a 25% water change and keep doing them on a one-per-day basis until the ammonia and/or nitrite readings drop below 1 ppm. It's a pain in the bum, but it will save your fish from any more fatalities.

So, here's your shopping list:
Tap water conditioner/dechlorinator
Test kit or strips
Bucket for water changes
Siphon hose for water changes

Total, it will probably set you back between $30 and $60 for these things, but they are CRUCIAL in maintaining your tank. Also, you may omit the bucket if you have a clean one at home that you don't use for anything but water (I accidentally used my mop bucket back in my tank-keeping infancy - BAD IDEA).

Welcome to the hobby!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

DO NOT get strips. This is why most of us on here continuously say this.....so many come here to say that their lfs tested theie water and said it was perfect (nearly all test with strips), and yet there are issues that the tank is still having. If you get strips, then you will come here and say the same thing your lfs says despite problems. What's left is going to get a liquid test kit...and more times than not the liquid test kit will show what is really going on. Then you've just wasted your money on the strips.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> DO NOT get strips...more times than not the liquid test kit will show what is really going on.


Agreed, however test strips are useful for showing when the ammonia and nitrite spikes happen. Other than that, they're pretty much useless.


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

Your Tank is Cycling, adding the bacteria won't make any difference at this stage, even if it does work it would take days or even weeks for it to happen.

The guy who sold you the Bacteria doesn't really know what he is talking about. as said in a post before me you have a lot of fish to start off with, chances are a few more of them will go to meet their maker soon enough, your tank needs to cycle there is ways of doing it without fish but if you are going to keep the fish in you will see more deaths, get proper liquid test kits, not now but after a while the Amonia will go down then Nitrites will appear then Nitrates, when Amonia+Nitrite measure 0 and Nitrate measures something your tank is ready.



> Did you get a test kit at all? If not take a sample to a real fish store and have them check your water. Your PH could be to high or something else is going on with the water. Best to buy a test kit. This will help us out and you out alot. API makes a real good fresh water test kit. Please keep us up to date to what you find out.


Big Dog said this, when he said a real Fish Shop he was probally meaning not Petsmart, In the UK we have Pets at Home which is the equivalent of them, the people in there are sales people not fish-keepers, he sold you a bacteria supplement to fix your problem this says to me he hasn't a clue as this isn't a quick fix answer.

Go to your Local Fish Shop, the guys in there will have years of knowledge and will be more help to you, I'm betting if you do they will tell you how bad shops like Petsmart are.

If you do plan to keep the fish in the tank the only real way of saving them will be frequent water changes to keep the Amonia down but even at that there is no guarntee the fish will be OK.

If you got the Tank and Fish on the same day from the same shop I would speak to a manager even alough the person is a sales person he should know this won't work, and disaster is imminent.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

+1 All new tanks have to cycle. Do frequent water changes for the next few weeks until the cycle is done.


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## mwsr (Jan 2, 2011)

Thanks for all the info.. everything seems to be good now iv been testing it.


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