Tank problems need help, should I cut my losses?

Question

Okay we have a ten gallon fish tank, but quite a bit of the water evaporated even before we got the fish. The pet store said we had to wait ten days before putting fish in. We've had the fish for a week and the tank is filthy. We were told it would only need cleaned once a month, if that because the filter is good and should take care of a lot of it. so here we are we've had the fish for a little over a week (the tank a little longer) and we've had our 2 dwarf frogs die and one tiger barb die. But the tank is very foggy. Its called a tetra ten gallon tank and it seems the water quickly evaporates because its down. We have 6 Zebra fish, 5 neon tetras, 3 black tetras, and 4 tiger barbs. Does the amount of fish have anything to do with it. We didn't get a sucker fish because they said it would grow too big for our tank.

So is there something wrong with it or did they lie when they said it needed to be cleaned every month or two.

Also what is the best way to clean it I can't lift the ten gallon tank full of water, nor can my husband without trouble

One of the frogs died because he got sucked against the filter (you could see the imprint on his body) the other just died. And the tiger barb had something weird all along he face seemed wierd and when he died he was solid white.

We basically got this fish as decor, just something to look at. You know with the small tank it was so much easier, you get the tank and put the fish in the same day. We waited 10 days like the store said, so it could cycle and then got 4 zebra fish and 3 tiger barbs and then 2 days ago we got 5 neons and between that time we had gotten the other fish.

Maybe we should cut our losses its an awful lot of work. And the main reason we got it is for decor and for something the dogs could look at.

I don't get why its so cloudy we are doing everything Petco told us to do

I'm asking again because I have no idea what some of the answers I got before were talking about

Answer 1

Well, if you have that attitude in life, it'll get you nowhere! Don't cut all of your losses, however, i would recommend taking back all the fish and never entering Petco again. I recommend a fish less cycle as that is what I'm doing now. In the tank with everything but fish, dump all the food in and let it sit for about 3 days. By that time, ammonia levels will be disgustingly high. well let the filter run all the time and turn the heater on to about 84*F and leave the light on. You can also use PURE ammonia, but you'd have to make sure it was pure, clear ammonia before you added in about 2-3 drops a day. I did the fish food. So let that contaminate the water for about two weeks, check ammonia and nitrite levels and if ammonia is going down and nitrite is low, check nitrates, because if they are high, your tank is almost fully cycled. Wait another week, do a 50% water change with a gravel vacuum to get all the nasty stuff up and then add fish slowly over time. If the nitrite is high, DO NOT add fish as it will kill them. Let it sit for another 1-2 weeks and then check nitrites again and if they've gone down to 0 ppm and ammonia is at 0 ppm, and nitrates are higher than 0 ppm you're tank is cycled. Do some reasearch on cycling and you'll be set for life.

If you have no time, forget it.

Answer 2

A tank cannot cycle unless there are fish in it, or ammonia is being added on a regular schedule.  The beneficial bacteria that you need to build up in the tank cannot survive or reproduce without their food source (ammonia).  Once ammonia is present, the bacteria will begin to grow, but not fast enough to support the bioload you have added.  If you have test kits, you should be able to see the ammonia build over a few days and then spike at a very high number.  After the ammonia spike, the same thing will happen to the nitrites (another kind of bacteria uses nitrites as a food source, and they have to grow too).  The ammonia eating bacteria release nitrites after eating the ammonia (which is why you don't see ammonia and nitrite spike at the same time).  The nitrite eating bacteria release nitrates.  When you see nitrates and both the ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0, your tank has cycled.  I am almost positive your fish are dying because the tank has not been properly cycled.  Only hardy fish like danios can withstand the cycling process.

As for the cloudiness, that's a part of cycling.  The cloudiness you are seeing is actually a bacterial bloom.  It needs time to settle.  Over the next few days to a week, your water should return to it's normal crystal clear state.

For cleaning, you need to do partial water changes every week.  During the cycling process you should take out 25% of the water and replace it with dechlorinated water of the same pH and temperature.  Water changes can be done with a gallon jug, but I prefer to use a gravel vacuum (which can be purchased at the pet store).  Gravel vacuums allow you to suck out water and dirt that has settled into the gravel at the same time.

Don't get discouraged.  My advice to you would be to bring the fish you have back to the store (minus the danios) and allow the tank to cycle for the next 4-6 weeks.  If you know someone with an established aquarium, maybe they could provide a temporary home for your fish during the cycling process.  This way, the fish won't die.  Make sure you only put a maximum of ten inches of fish in your tank after it has been cycled (Right now your tank is overstocked).  Add fish over a period of a few weeks.  If you add them all at once, the bacteria will not  have enough time to reproduce to a number large enough to handle more ammonia.  If you add them all at once, you run the risk of causing a mini cycle.

I promise that once your tank has been cycled, keeping fish will be a piece of cake as long as you do either a 10% water change every week or a 25% water change monthly.

Answer 3

Your tank is WAY OVER STOCKED! you should only add 2 fish per week

and the reason your tank is going cloudy is because there are Bactria blooms going on in your tank, you have also added your fish to soon and put to much strain on the bio filter! it carn't cope with the waste being made by all those fish.

Answer 4

there are way too many fish in the tank.  a ten gallon is harder to take care of then say a 30 gallon or bigger.  in a tank that small the ammonia builds up really fast and will kill all of your fish.  the tank needs to be cleaned AT LEAST once a week since it is so small.  i would suggest getting rid of a ccouple of fish or upgrading your tank to a larger size.  Most people at Petco have no clue what they are talking about.  

Answer 5

First of all, the fish store lied, it usually takes six months for the tank to cycle. The reason that they died is simple. When a fish tank is not cycled it dose not have the necessary bacteria for the fish to live. You should only start off with extremely hardy fish (ex. Zebra dinos). Your tank is probably dirty because of "new tank syndrome" (google that it will explain). I suggest finding a aquarium specialty store in your area. Never use an ordinary pet store all they do is lie. Im not sure if you should take out the "non hardy" fish (ask the specialty store) but don't be surprised if they die. Also never add more than 2-4" of fish to your tank at one time and don't add any untill your tank is cycled. At the specialty fish store they should test your water for free (if they dont its worth paying a small fee). They will tell you when your tank is cycled and if there is anything wrong with your water. To clean ask your fish store if you should because this can kill the nesicary bacteria. But to do it: Buy a siphon from a fish store and and siphon 30% of the water out each month. And never atempt to pick up a full fish tank. For more detail ask your fish specist on what to do.

I hope this helped you.

P.S. alot of sites on the web are missleading, go to a perfessional.

Answer 6

You need to purchase a fish keeping guide. The tank is cycling and too many fish were put in too fast. The ammonia is likely catching up with them and they are dying. The only way to save them is to reduce the amount of ammonia in the water via a large water change. When you go back to get a fish keeping guide, also purchase a syphon tube to clean the tank. Put the bell end in the tank and suck air from the other end, the water will flow out due to gravity. Take out half of the water and replace with dechlorinated water. Do not clean the filter yet. Do not scrub anything, Just clean the gravel with the syphon to remove excess p**p, which is causing the ammonia spike. Change water often and read your new book about cycling a tank. Next contaminant is the deadly nitrite that you will have to deal with. Same thing change water, leave filter alone. Its not necessary to get test kits (ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) but it makes life easier. For now have the pet store check the water once per week. If there is any ammonia or nitrite present change water. This process of tank cycling takes anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks to complete. Don't get too attached to those fish just yet, many will not make it. Do not replace dead fish with new ones, wait until the tank has fully cycled. A nicely cycled tank will have a steady and constant Ph, zero ammonia and nitrite, <10 ppm nitrAte and green algae will start to show up on the glass. You can either have the pet store do the testing, get the tests yourself, or just wait on the good green stuff to show up (which can be a little unrelyable) You may clean the filter when the tank has cycled.

Good luck. There is more to keeping fish than simply placing them in declorinated water.