100% Beginner Need Help Asap

[minusbfold462]

Please help lol I'm having an anxiety attack. I have new tank syndrome,I had no idea how to start a tank and bought all the stuff and put fish in immediately. I had no clue there was a science to it and after googling I feel like giving up. I have 7 fish and a 10 gallon tank, I have two tiger barbs, 3 orange fish with black tails and I think two tetra, I had a betta before with just the tetra and it passed away, I had a bottom feeder fish that passed away after a few days of being put in the tank I'm new to this and I feel really bad about it I'm so sorry. My Fish seem to be hanging around the very top and bottom of the tank, I did a full water change once which was a bad idea, but the water looks super cloudy and when the bottom feeder fish passed I figured a 75% change a few days ago would keep the others from passing away, I brought in a water sample to the pet shop and he said my nitrites or nitrates were super high and to do a 25% change tomorrow. I have no clue what I'm doing and my fish look Ill I dont want them to get sick or lose another one because I suck at life lol. Please guide me on what to do but please remember I'm new so if you can explain it step by step and in clear instructions, I tried reading other forums but everyone starts to stray away from the topic or they talk about the science and I get really confused please for the health of my fish please helpI'm sorry for my run on sentences I'm just really freaked out lol and I care about the welfare of these fish I feel awful

 

[fluttermoth]

Welcome to the forum; try not to panic!

I'll try and keep it simple for you!

What's happening is that the poisons in the fish's wee and poo are building up in the tank and making the fish sick.

You need to change nearly all the water, every day.

Drain the tank right down, leaving just enough water for the fish to swim upright, before refilling, making sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated.

Eventually, you will get some good bacteria growing in your filter that will eat those toxins for you and you won't have to do so many water changes.

To be able to tell when you've got enough bacteria, you will need test kits for ammonia and nitrite, which are the two poisons in the fish wastes.

Hope that helps; we can discuss the science when you're feeling a bit calmer

 

[minusbfold462]

Will they be OK if I change the water everyday, some people say too many water changes will shock the fish and others say that when the tank is no good that you need to. What percentage should I do? Thanks for your help, I just feel bad I'd like to get the aquarium nice and safe for my fish, I think I overfed them as well and the food made the tank dirty. Should I buy anything from the store? Right now I just have a filter and lights, the filter holds 4 cartidges

 

[Quigs]

i know how you feel as i went through the same thing.
 
First things first we need to get the Ammonia and Nitrite levels down so do a large water change, about 75-80%. Make sure you use a tap water conditioner ( I use Seachem Prime) and match the water temps.
 
Water changes will help to keep the levels down while your bacteria develops, if you can add some established media to your filter that would speed the proccess up alot.
 
Also i would suggest cutting back on the feeding, say one pinch every 2-3 days to help keep levels down.
 
I see you are in the UK, i went down to my LFS which is Maiden head Aquatics and got some established media from them. £1 for a fish bag full. Give them a call and see if the have any to sell. there media is called K1.
 
Also get yourself a liquid test kit, Api do one and can get them for about £20 online.
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/API-Freshwater-Master-test-kit-/261188999710?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3cd013da1e
 
 
Once you have the test kit you can test the water and report back here for more advice.
 
You say you have just a filter and lights. what about heater??
 
one last thing, where in the uk are you as someone that is close might have some established media 

 

[DrRob]

Yes, they'll be fine with daily changes, so long as the water is good and you use dechlorinator.
 
Percentages do need to be high. You're trying to remove a toxic substance from the tank, which is still being slowly added, small changes like 10-25% will barely keep up with the ongoing supply, you want to reduce the levels.
 
As for the store, you want dechlorinator (and a heater, which I'm going to assume you missed saying), and if you're going to invest in anything else, a test kit.

 

[b3cca]

A few large daily water changes is a heck of a lot better than them being burned by high ammonia and being suffocated by high nitrites.
 
You definately need a test kit now you are starting a fish in cycle in a fairly small tank, can you not take the fish back and start again ?
If not then you need to read up on fish in cycling and be prepared to do large water changes whenever you get any ammonia on nitrite readings.
You can do it if you do your research and put the time and work in - I did it myself for about 6 weeks sometimes doing 2-3 partial water changes per day but thankfully never lost any fish but it's hard work.
 
So my advice is read, read and read some more. get as much info as you can about the fish in cycle and test your ammonia and nitrite levels  at least twice a day.

 

[minusbfold462]

Well I dont have a heater the people at the pet store said I'd be fine without one but I figured it'd be better to find a forum like this to talk to people who have had fish for a long time. So I did a 50% change yesterday I'll buy a heater and test strips tomorrow and post my readings should I buy a bubbler or anything that helps keep the tank clean like snails etc. I don't think the store will let me take the fish back because I don't have a receipt anymore but they seem to be a little bit better since the water changes. My tiger barbs are chasing one another around and look healthier, one of them turned really pale and green and kept swimming right by the filter and the other fish kept swimming near the top, they all seem to move around now but the orange ones with black tails keep sitting on the gravel Whats established media

 

[minusbfold462]

I also have tap water conditioner so I've been maintaining my new water with that.

 

[fluttermoth]

Please don't bother with test strips; they can be very inaccurate and many don't include a test for ammonia, which is vital to be able to monitor. You want liquid or tablet based tests; you can get by with ones for ammonia and nitrite (not nitrAte!) for the moment.
 
You don't need a bubbler or air stone. Although the fish might look like they're short of oxygen, this is a symptom of raised ammonia and/or nitrite, which prevent the fish from taking up the oxygen from the water.

 

[Quigs]

Established media is medis that has the benificial bacteria on it, I will come from a tank that has already cycled. In your tank now the benificial is growing but takes time. By putting established media in your filter it will speed up the process a lot quicker.

Where you based?

 

[Maehlice]

Will they be OK if I change the water everyday, some people say too many water changes will shock the fish and others say that when the tank is no good that you need to.

 
Both people are correct.
 
The key when doing any water change (but especially a large one) is that you perfectly match the parameters of the new water going in with the old water coming out.
 
I like analogies, so I'll give you one I like:  Many of our fish are native to rivers and streams.  In their natural environment, they essentially receive a 100% water change every few seconds.  This doesn't kill them because all the water flowing around them is identical.
 
If the water you're putting into the tank is too different than what is coming out, that's when the fish get shocked and stressed.
 
 
If you haven't been conditioning your water to alter its pH and GH (hardness), then the only thing you should have to worry about is temperature.
 
If you're using a heater in your aquarium, you should buy a second one to bring the new water up to temp before it goes in.  (You'll also thank yourself later when the main heater goes out and you have a backup.)  Use the same brand of thermometer (or even the same one) when testing the old and new water.
 
If by any chance you do not have or cannot afford a second heater, go to a hardware store and buy a few bucks worth of drip irrigation tubing and two irrigation drippers.  Set up one irrigation dripper to add water slow into the tank.  (Because the water is being introduced one drop at a time, it is less likely to alter the tank's temp.)  Set up the 2nd irrigation dripper to slowly siphon water out of the tank at the same rate [to prevent the tank from overflowing].
 
 
NOTE:  If you're using tap water, I recommend adding your dechlorinator at least an hour before the water is put in.  Otherwise, it's possible they'll still be exposed to Chlorine or Chloramine -- which will certainly kill them if you're constantly changing the water and introducing them repeatedly to it.
 
 
That's about it for water changes.  Only an iota of beneficial bacteria live in the water, so change the water all you want.

 

[minusbfold462]

Eek alright so I couldn't afford the liquid test kit right now but I was able to get a heater, thermometer and I bought two plants to help filter the nitrites (or nitrates) I did a 75% change today but I have two platys that are swimming near the top with dorsal fins clamped and their gills are breathing quickly my other platy has been hiding under things for the last few days. Tiger barbs seem to be alright same with my tetras. I'll bring in a sample to pet smart tomorrow. Lol my profile for some reason was set to male and in the united kingdom, but I'm a girl from Canada totally new to the hobby. Hopefully I can get this tank cycled and clean. My thermometer reads 70-75 without the heater, if I put the heater in now will it be too warm or will it maintain (sorry if these are silly questions)
I didn't know to put the conditioner in for an hour, so maybe I've stressed my fish out by putting the new water in too soon, I conditioned it and put it in right away

 

[Maehlice]

My thermometer reads 70-75 without the heater, if I put the heater in now will it be too warm or will it maintain (sorry if these are silly questions)

I didn't know to put the conditioner in for an hour, so maybe I've stressed my fish out by putting the new water in too soon, I conditioned it and put it in right away

 
Not silly questions at all.  These are all questions every one of us has asked or has otherwise been taught the answers to at some point.
 
70 degrees is on the cool side, but it shouldn't outright kill anything.  75 is right in the butter zone.  I keep my tank at 78.
 
The heater should have a built-in thermostat.  It'll come on and go off as necessary.  If it has an adjustable thermostat, futz with it til you figure it out.
 
I'm not certain how important it is to condition the water early; the directions should indicate if waiting is necessary.  A few minutes should be fine, but I've been conditioned to condition my water way ahead of time (pun intended).

 

[minusbfold462]

 

My thermometer reads 70-75 without the heater, if I put the heater in now will it be too warm or will it maintain (sorry if these are silly questions)
I didn't know to put the conditioner in for an hour, so maybe I've stressed my fish out by putting the new water in too soon, I conditioned it and put it in right away

 
Not silly questions at all.  These are all questions every one of us has asked or has otherwise been taught the answers to at some point.
 
70 degrees is on the cool side, but it shouldn't outright kill anything.  75 is right in the butter zone.  I keep my tank at 78.
 
The heater should have a built-in thermostat.  It'll come on and go off as necessary.  If it has an adjustable thermostat, futz with it til you figure it out.
 
I'm not certain how important it is to condition the water early; the directions should indicate if waiting is necessary.  A few minutes should be fine, but I've been conditioned to condition my water way ahead of time (pun intended).
 

so i changed my water yesterday, i did 75% and cleaned off the ornaments with water, i made sure to condition it, but my test still says really high for nitrites. 
ammonia (0.0 to 0.25mg/l) .5
nitrites (0.0-0.5 mg/l) ho (she couldnt even write a measurement she said its off the chart)
nitrate (0 - 40mg/l)   30 
pH (6.5 - 8.4) 7.6
alkalinity (80-300 mg/l) 160
hardness (75-300mg/l) 75
chlorine and chloramine  0
and the temp right now is 71 but im waiting for a different reading as i turned the temp up a little bit, i also bought aqaurium salt (girl at the pet store suggested) and put two tablespoons in there, its 10 gallons 
the platys are still stressed, poor dudes

 

[Maehlice]

ammonia (0.0 to 0.25mg/l) .5
nitrites (0.0-0.5 mg/l) ho (she couldnt even write a measurement she said its off the chart)
nitrate (0 - 40mg/l)   30 
 
pH (6.5 - 8.4) 7.6
alkalinity (80-300 mg/l) 160
hardness (75-300mg/l) 75

Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates should all be 0.  High Ammonia burns them, and high nitrites/nitrates suffocate them.  The latter is why you'll see fish near the top gilling and "gasping" for air.
 
For having just done a water change, I'm surprised nitrites were off the chart.  I'm hoping the test was done on pre-change water.
 
I think you should change water as much as is necessary to bring the nitrites down.  Until the cycle is fully established, you won't be able to keep it all at zero, but it certainly shouldn't be off the chart.
 
Be careful how much you're feeding.  Uneaten food also breaks down to increase those numbers.  I had a lot of difficulty cycling my tank and got to the point where I only fed what I was certain they'd eat off the surface or before it hit the substrate; I "under fed" the tank but also did that several times a day so long as I knew they'd eat it.
 
It may seem frustrating or saddening, but stick with it.  It is quite rewarding once complete.