All Turtles Message Board

thurman_murman · Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:47 pm Post subject: Aquarium help!

hello there i need some help with my tropical fish aquarium...does anyone here know much about caring for fish or know a good forum where i can go for answers??

i've had 4 fish die in the past 2 days...a silver dollar, a plecostumus, a blue botia, and an upside down catfish. we took the water to a pet store to have it tested and it turned out to be a bit aciditic but nothing too bad, i got some amquel+ to help with that. i thought it might be the temp so i got a thermometer to monitor it but the inside of my house generally stays between 78 and 82 degrees, so i'll get a tank heater if i need to. the lady at the store said they may have run out of oxygen but i find it odd that 4 fish die all of a sudden from that.

so is there anything i can do beside the amquel and the heater i can do to help prevent this from dying?

thanks in advance
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2 Red Ear Sliders - Bowser & Dobby
1 Chinchilla - Marty
2 Kittens - Pokey and Sophie
1 Rat - Stinky
1 Guinea Pig - Marshmallow
1 Crab - Aragon
7 Fish - Shel, The Blue Guy, Sharkey, Hoover, Kennedy, and The Burninator

too many animals? no way.

deesygirl · Moderator Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 1200

She is right, a lack of oxy is a big one. The larger the surface area is the better the waters oxy saturation will be. This is why those tall skinny tanks are not really a good idea. Second is your filters. If your undergravel filter stops even for a couple hours bad bacteria can enter the water system and it is toxic to your fish. That or over cleaning your filters can do the same thing. The type of water you use as well as any additives can also be a problem in your tank. I try to never use additives myself. When is the last time you did a water change? 25% a week is recommended.
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thurman_murman · Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject:

well 2 more died while i was at work today. one was a day old silver dollar so we're taking it back to the store...the other was a rainbow shark that had been in the tank for months and months so i think maybe the water got contaminated from my last water change about 4 days ago.

in reply to deesy...i have a whisper filter, not an under gravel filter and it has not stopped working at any time. should i do a 100% water change to be safe? i'm afraid that the crab and 1 surviving fish are going to die.
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2 Red Ear Sliders - Bowser & Dobby
1 Chinchilla - Marty
2 Kittens - Pokey and Sophie
1 Rat - Stinky
1 Guinea Pig - Marshmallow
1 Crab - Aragon
7 Fish - Shel, The Blue Guy, Sharkey, Hoover, Kennedy, and The Burninator

too many animals? no way.

James · Level 2 Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 85

You may not have enough filtration. give specs on setup. Size. filtration Substrate and I can help as much as I can over the internet. I have kept quite a few in my time. ( Also if you have tropical fish get heater. Most fish should be at 80 degree's.)

HeavnslilAngels7 · Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject:

I have many fish tanks so I may be of help. When did you get the tank? Where did you get your fish from and how big is your tank? Also do you live in the city or in the country? Some people have bad water in their house but you cant get it tested at the petstore and find out. I know a few people who live right outside of the city and have to buy those gallon juggs of water for their fish because they cant use their tap water. The other thing is make sure your tank is not near sunlight because there could be a parasite in your tank. If this is a new tank try getting only cheap feeder goldfish for a few weeks to make sure they can live before you buy expensive fish. The other thing is IF you do a 100% water change you have to wait at least 5 days before putting any fish in the water to ensure good bacteria for the fish to survive. Also, if you got your fish from a petstore they likely have parasites on them. I was told you are supposed to buy aquarium salt, put it in like a gallon icecream pale with water, but on the directions double or triple the dosage of salt and put a fish or so in at a time only for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. You'll be able to tell they need to come out because they'll swim crazy, upside down they'll appear to be drunk. Take them out then and put in your tank. This is called a salt bath, it causes the parasites to fall off before entering your tank. I hope this helps! Good luck!

turtleman1 · Level 3 Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 210 Location: kentucky

umm dude u need like good temp get the aquarium runing for AT LEAST 24 HOURS B 4 U PUT THEM IN and i find it good to use spring or distilled water
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