New tank setup- dying fish

In a 10 gallon tank I wouldn't recommend goldfish. Goldfish are really messy and it may cause you more problems with all the ammonia/waste they produce. If you want to get something and take them back you might want to try something like Zebra Danios.

 

With a 10g I'd put a bottle of tetra safe start to give you bb....check to see that its cycled..and then go simple.
A male betta would be pretty>>>3 Corydoras would keep the bottom clean and provide entertainment>>>Maybe a mystery snail (golden)>>and a potted plant or 2 (crypts would work nicely...my betta loves hiding under the red and green wendtii's and they "spread" rather than getting tall)...
Advice..stay away from colored (red plants, pinkish) because you'll need higher light, co2, and need to get into "dosing"

 

<--felt the same way about the ammonia method (plus have to be careful with smells due to asthma..just about anything triggers it).

Tetra safe shoulda just been dump the lil bottle in there and prime should only be put in when your adding/replacing water.

Make sure your temp is 78F to 80F for tropicals.

Does your lfs have media that they will swap with you (i know my one has new sponge filters..and if you buy one and ask them, they will swap it with one of theirs that is inside a working tank so you can have beneficial bacteria to start with).

Fish that are hardy for cycling and super cheap are Zebra Danios (get yourself about 3 of them) if your going that route.

Once you get it cycled I'll be glad to help you along the way

I hate to say it, but it's defin true when we tell you that having a large tank is MUCH easier to keep stable than a small one.

When I started out years and years back I always had deaths...but once I jumped up from 10g to 55g things started actually living..and I mean long! considering I had no clue what I was doing I was happy as a clam.

Not saying it's impossible to keep anything in a 10g...but I would say it's easier doing a betta in there and snails, especially until you get the hang of things. (cheaper to start...then work your way up).

 

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:31 pm
For future reference on the index page there is a link on the right that says "View your posts". If you click that you will see every post you've ever made on the forum: Here's a link. Also, you posted this in the Saltwater section so I'm going to move it to the Freshwater area.

 

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:34 pm
When did you add the fish (How many days ago) ?
It's odd that you have nitrates already. You might want to test your tap water and see if that has a nitrate reading.

 

Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:37 pm
welcome back lol

 

Did you not clean the tank after the previous fish died ? If not then that could be the cause of the nitrates.

 

The white fuzz sounds like a fungus... its not harmful and does nothing beneficial either... remove it or leave it be... either way it does not matter..

You have a piece of driftwood in your tank dont you? If so that is where the fuzz came from... again... its not good or bad... just there

 

dark brown sounds like diatoms.
do you have anything left in the tank? (living)
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IF NOT I'd be disinfecting it (It=tank/decor/filter parts-not media..toss media) after all the deaths with diluted plain clorox bleach and water...rinsing it VERY well with plain water...and then allowing everything to sit in plain water with a heavy dosing of dechlorinator such as Prime overnight. After that I'd do a final rinse and allow it to air dry.

Then I'd re-set it back up...add tetra Safe Start according to the bottles directions and test it the next day or so to make sure it's reading "cycled" and in the safe range. To me with all the issues of fuzz, brown diatoms, multiple deaths, etc I think that way would be easier and get a "fresh" start on things.
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*Bombardment of questions if not planning to start over*

Tank Size and can you provide a photo?

What type of lighting do you have and how many wpg total over the tank?

How long do you leave the lights on (and is it with a timer)?

What are your water parameters (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, gh/kh)?

Are you dosing the tank with ANYTHING at all? (dechlorinator, plant stuff, water clarifier)?

What type of substrate do you have if any at all?

What equipment are you running (filter type & media used>>heater wattage--temp tank fluctuates from>>any Uv Sterilizer--wattage if so>>Any aeration ..airstones/airpump)?

Ps. Sorry if you posted it already

 

as for the plants...I'd stick them in a bucket with a bit of substrate and of course covering them with water if you want to keep them>>place the bucket in a sunny spot to "hold" them until you get the tank and supplies cleaned.

rust color? Can you take a photo of it when you get a chance (thinking diatoms)

Brown Algae:
often appears before tank is cycled and can disappear on own.
to avoid it watch your nutrients (ie. feed sparsely, do routine water changes regularly, clean filters monthly, and replace media as warranted).

IF this is a cycled tank (which you say isn't)...you could get a phospate test kit and do larger partials. if your phosphates are high you could get a product that is targeted to reduce them.

 

Okie dokie