Fish dead in new tank?

Question

I bought a 10 gallon tank and a handful of assorted fish for my kids including an Angel and some Head and tail lights they called them and some mollies now the Angel and one head and tail are dead and they told me the water would be cloudy for a week or so while it all settled and it still is 1 week later and I used water conditioner recommended and the fish guy just looks stupidly at me when I ask what happened and how I can protect my other fish can anyone help!

Answer 1

if the fish was big then it probably just got old and died of old age.

did you cycle your tank before you put the fish in...this is crutial to allow beneficial bacteria to produce in you filer sponges.

also are you currently running a filter because this is what keeps the water condition clean and clear for the fish.

when water is cloudy let set and allow the filter to clear it before you add any fish. you must let the water properties balance out before adding any fish.

also take a water sample to you fish store to check for ammonia, ph, nitrate and nitrite levels in your water and make sure they are all where they should be.

but if only one fish died then its just probably the fish is too old and has had its time. if there was a problem with your water they will die at a rate of 1 a day or more ...etc

well i hope this has helped good luck with it all  

Answer 2

its either a disease but definetly not the like one of the suggesteors in the page who said that an agressive fish killing them because the angels are way more agressive and bigger. but what im thinking is that you didnt let the tank cycle and jhust went right away to put fish in there. right now i can't suggest anything because you already have alot of fish in there so if you have another tank thats wstablished put your'e fish there or give them to your friends until the tank cycles, or return to store. if you have any more questions be glad to answer.

Answer 3

You are in the middle of cycling your new tank which is also called new tank syndrome.  In a healthy, established tank, there are millions of aerobic bacteria living in the pores of the gravel, rocks or filter pad.  One cubic inch of gravel can be home to 10 million bacteria.  These bacteria are good because they digest the chemical wastes your fish put into the water.  The cloudiness you describe suggests that you are seeing a population bloom of these good bacteria.  They are multiplying fast because they are feeding off the ammonia and nitrite that the fish are producing.  

Eventually they will settle into the filter and gravel bed and the water will clear up on it's own.  Some people, at this point, start doing water changes or adding chemicals in an attempt to clear the water.  While a water change will help to reduce some of the accumulated ammonia or nitrites, it also will slow down the process so you will just be prolonging the desired result.  

Any fish you started the tank with have the best chance of surviving this start up process and you need some fish to give the good bacteria the ammonia and nitrites they need to grow.  A common mistake is when people add a few fish a week later.  These fish now are shocked when they go from store water (free of harmful ammonia and/or nitrites) into your tank with high levels of these chemicals.  The original fish have been exposed to the chemicals gradually and as long as the concentration does not reach lethal levels, they could possibly survive.

So the main thing is not to add any new fish until your tank is completely finished cycling.  If your fish store has a replacement policy, the worst thing you can do is replace your dead fish with new ones at this point.  They will keep dying.  Most stores will gladly give you a rain check or store credit so you can get your replacement fish later.  

As you can see, the process of cycling a new tank is complicated and the more you understand about what is going on and how to interprete what you see the easier and faster it will go for you.  The average fish tank takes about a month to cycle but many take twice or three times as long.  

Here's a short lesson on water conditioners.  There are several kinds from basic ones that only remove chlorine and other similar chemicals from tap water to deluxe products that do this but also claim to add electrolytes or ammonia neutralizers, etc.  While you should always add some kind of water conditioner to tap water in a bucket before adding it to a tank with fish, the benefits of adding it to a tank with fish directly are minimal.  It will not cycle your tank no matter how much you use.  Only products with live nitrifying bacteria in them can help you cycle your tank but even these products do not work as well as Mother Nature.  

So what should you do?  Don't add any more fish.  Pull any dead fish bodies out of the water.  Be patient and wait for the water to clear on it's own.  Then wait a few more days and take a few ounces in a clean glass or plastic container to the fish store to be tested for ammonia or nitrites.  If the ammonia level is higher than 1 or 2 parts per million, you are just starting the cycle.  If it is zero and the nitrites are higher than 1 or 2 parts per million, then you are in phase 2 and need to be patient until you are able to see the nitrites come back down to zero.  If the ammonia or nitrite levels are above 15 parts per million or off the chart, do a water change even if it means a delay in reaching your goal.  15 parts per million of either ammonia or nitrite is approaching the lethal level for most fish.  

Now to confuse you even more, there is a third chemical called Nitrate.  It is similar to nitrite (spelled with an i) but less harmful to your fish.  It is the end result when the good bacterial break down dangerous chemicals in the water.  Some stores will test for nitrates but most do not.  It will slowly build up in tanks, faster if you keep lots of fish or over feed them.  Nitrates cause stunted growth, loss of color or appetite, poor resistance to disease and in some very delicate fish even death.  Doing regular partial water changes of 10-20% per month will usually prevent this problem.  Adding water to replace evaporated water will not prevent this problem.  Any questions yet?  This is basic water chemistry 101 and you are learning it by the seat of your pants.  This is explained in all the good fish books available for purchase at your local pet store or on loan at your local library.  Give your kids a book or two and read it with them.  Unfortunately, less than 1% of all fish keepers truly understand how to cycle a tank or what the nitrogen cycle is all about.

Answer 4

Did you let the water sit for a few days before putting the fish in? The chlorine in water is deadly to fish, hence letting the water sit, so that all of the chlorine can evaporate out. Also, a new tank needs to be cycled for at least a week before adding fish, ideally adding something like a little bit of gravel from an old, established tank to allow the bacteria and micro-organisms essential to the survival of a tank to help ready the tank for inhabitation by fish. Do you have a filter/heater/hood for your aquarium? Since the fish that you have bought are all tropical fish, these items are neccessary for their survival. Also, I wouldn't advise you to put little fish and the more peace-loving tropical fish with Angels. They are infamous for their nasty natures and more than likely will harrass your other fish, sometimes to death.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

You have a couple of problems here.  First, angelfish get far too big for 10 gallon aquariums, and if you told the fish guy the size of your tank and he still sold it to you, he should be ashamed.

Second, new tanks have to go through what's called a cycle before they are safe for fish.  When fish are added to a new tank, the ammonia that comes from their waste and uneaten food will quickly build up.  Ammonia is toxic to fish even in small amounts, and this is what killed your fish.  In order to work, fish tanks need colonies of beneficial bacteria that convert this ammonia into less harmful substances which can be removed with weekly partial water changes.  The buildup of these colonies is the aforementioned "cycle".  While they're growing, you need to do frequent small water changes to combat the ammonia.

The cloudy water is the result of a bacterial bloom--the bacteria are starting to colonize your tank, thus starting the cycle.  Unfortunately, you added too many fish too fast, and the ammonia built up and killed them before the bacteria could establish itself.

To save your remaining fish, do a 50% water change.  Then get test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and start testing your tank daily to prevent more deaths.

Here's a site that will help explain more about the cycling process and what you should do:

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Answer 6

Your tank needed to be cycled before the fish were added to build up beneficial bacteria to deal with the ammonia the fish produce.  The cloudiness is this bacteria starting to grow but your tank probably has very high ammonia levels.  Your tank was also really overstocked.  An angelfish would have grown much too large for a 10 gallon tank.

At this point you need to read up on the nitrogen cycle and start doing partial water changes to get the ammonia levels down so the fish don't all die.

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Answer 7

Make sure it wasn't one of the fish in your tank killing the other fish-angels can get aggressive.  Also, make sure you have a heater for your tank, if the temperature gets too cold for angels and mollies they can die since they're tropical fish and optimum temperature is mid 70's to 80degrees F. Also, test for pH balance in your water, it should be near neutral.  Make sure you have aquairum salt in your water-the electrolytes are good for your fish mollies especially do better with them in the water.