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I use a water barrel, fill it up, treat it and have a pump that puts it into the tank and also top off water throughout the week.

There ought to be a - beginner fish keeper syndrome - article that talks about how a newbie will rush into things before they have an understanding of how it all works.  A list of do's and don'ts, the how to cycle comes later.   I think there should be two "Must Reads"  First an intro to fish...

A neon tetra dying should not be a surprise.  These fish are weak to begin with and require absolute best water quality.  You also need numbers since they are a schooling fish.  These aren't beginner fish IMOH.

Immediate water change will help, followed by some meds

I read somewhere that the fishes eye as the size of their stomach is an unsubstantiated myth.  I never did like the line "feed as much as they will eat in 3 mins, that doesn't really say anything.   Every fish and tank setup is unique.  Fish will eat 24 hours a day if you let them.  My fish are...

Your tank doesn't appear to be cycled, ammonia and nitrites should be = 0.  Do a water change at least 40-50%

Very nice pond, where is this located at?

A quick cure for ICK is raise the temp to 86.  Definitely need to get that cycle under control.  Toss in a capful or two of Prime for a quick fix, then do some water changes,  make sure the new water has conditioner.  Prime is great for emergencies, one time, I forgot to add the conditioner and...

I was also thinking if I had both pumps in the sump, one drawing water out and the other putting it back in, guess it will be more trouble than it's worth.  Time for plan B. going to build me a skippy filter using either a 5 gallon bucket or a water barrel.

One pump would be in the tank and act as an overflow moving the water to the sump below with another pump in the sump to move water back to the tank.  Both are mag 950 pumps.  I just hate oveflow boxes and all overflows in general.  Right now I'm using an Eshopps 1200 overflow box, want to get...

I always have my hands in the water.  I wash them first of course using Castile soap, never had a problem.  I often hand feed my fish and pet them, helps to establish a connection to the fish.  They all come to greet me like little puppies.  While it's true, there's a risk of contaminating the...

I'm thinking about converting my water barrel into a filter to replace my sump on my aquarium.  I was curious if the siphon break rules are same or different with a water barrel.  I would have a pipe going from barrel into tank for the outlet, when the pump shuts off, would that pipe be...

  Nice, that's a great idea, using the center and back supports, that should be plenty strong.

Do you have a picture of this built in filter?

I use to have the Hydor 300 Watt when I was using a canister, it's the best heater out there.  It takes a little more to setup, need to cut your hoses and have it vertical and such.  Once you get it done, it's very reliable and unlike a regular in tank heater, this one heats the water on contact...

I would not clean a 5 gallon tank, I would run out and buy a 55 gallon. lol  A 5 gallon is not a fish tank, it's a bucket of water, get a real tank man. (just kidding)

The stand looks good, I bet the wood was expensive.  A simple 2x4 or 2x3 would have done the trick and cheaper.   What is the width of the vertical legs?

There are fake ones you can buy as decorations.

Their probably dying because the tank hasn't cycled.  Uncycled tanks kill fish, get it cycled before you add the fish, especially small fish.  A cycled tank means ammonia and nitrites are 0, anything more and your asking for problems.

I typically over-stock my tanks with no problems.  I also up the filtration too and do regular water changes.  I've also gained good experience with lots of different fish so I kind of know what will work and what won't.  As long as the fish get along and are healthy that's what matters.  No two...

85 ltrs is what 22 gallons?  I've moved a 10 gallon and a 29 gallon with about an inch or two of water with no problems.  Just have to take it easy.  Completely empty is always better.

Ammonia in tap could also mean you have chloramines in your water.  Prime is a good one, but keep in mind when using it, some people look at it as a cure all.  It's primarily a water dechlorinater, it does however, temporarily make ammonia, nitrites and nitrates non-deadly to fish, but does not...

The one surefire way to get rid of ICK is to raise the temp to 86 for a few days.  This helps speed up the life cycle of the little critters.  I keep my tank at 82 since most all of the fish come from warm temperatures.

Purigen should keep your water crystal clear.  I use to use that, but not anymore, heard some horror stories about it so I stopped.  Now I have reusable 50/100 micron material that I add to my powerhead and it cleans it good.

I can't have real plants, my fish dig up the fake ones I have and redecorate the tank.  Plants are for tiny fish like neon tetras who don't disturb anything.

  You can find it at any of the grocery stores or dollar stores, it's cheap too.

  No reason other than I ended up with a strong mag drive pump, definitely overkill on this size tank but it keeps it clean and I have a very strong biological.  My upcoming plywood build I plan on not over doing it.  Bare minimum is really all you need, make  use of powerheads too.

I have my sump tank on top and the display tank below.  I thought if I put the pump inside the top tank and pull water from the bottom tank, it would act like an HOB filter.  The pump is not pulling the water.  I'm using a mag drive pump and also added water in the pump and in the pvc pipes...

On a 75 gallon, I have almost 1400 gallons per hour flowing through it, about 18x turnover.  I position the return and powerhead so that they point at the glass, less disturbance and breaks up the tidal wave.  I agree on the 10x is plenty of flow.

I can't access chat, says I don't have permission, who do I have to pay off to get in.

There's no such thing as a safe level of Ammonia.  Cycled tank means 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, until you have that, the tank is not cycled yet.  On a cycled tank, you should also have some nitrates as well.

  Here you go http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1943735

  Some fish guy did a bleach vs hydrogen peroxide experiment under a microscope (you can google it) and the results were bleach only whiten but didn't remove the nasties, while the peroxide did both.  I clean my filter socks with the peroxide, gets it real clean without all the smell.  As far as...

I've used the bleach method, but think Hydrogen Peroxide would be cheaper and easier on the plants.  Bleach only makes things look clean while the peroxide actually cleans it and don't have to worry about the fumes.  Soak in hot water too can help.

Many freshwater tanks use filter socks too, it's basically a method of mechanical filtration.  What I typically will do after cleaning is spray the socks with hydrogen peroxide, then give it another good hosing. I'll give it a dry (pun) with no extra dechlorinator and see how it goes.

In having to change filter socks often, I use more dechlorinator then I would like and was thinking if I used a hose to clean the socks and hang-dry them would the chloramines be removed due to drying or would there still be residual left over?   I know this would work if it was just chlorine...

I've had a few different Fire Eels, each had their own food preference, some would tear after shrimp, mussels, clam and others only bloodworms.  The one I have now, I'm trying to get him off bloodworms by starving him for a few days.  We'll see if he will take to shrimp.  Bloodworms are ok, but...

Do you happen to have any clown loaches, they make a knocking sound when eating.  If it were the stand, the only time you would hear sound is when you fill it up with water and taking water out. This might be due to the boards not being squared or flush.  Does the stand have supports on all four...

Happy same year as last year.

That does sound a bit odd, I had a fahaka puffer, very active.   Have you over-fed him possibly? How's the water parameters, puffers are messy and need good water conditions.