29 Gallon Fish Tank (Tips For Fish)

[osorio661]

                  hi i had like close to 8 guppies 2 had survives  am planning  on getting more fish in the future my question is how can i make sure they do not die and live more longer will having a air pump help my fish live longer  (I only got  a filter and heater)i also have a theory that my fish die cause of uneaten food in the gravel which cause ammonia can this be true

 

[betta fish]

If there is uneaten food in the gravel your fish are being fed too much, cut down on feeding so they are able to eat it all within a few minutes. High levels of ammonia will kill fish and this can be caused overfeeding yes, an air pump will not help your fish live longer, a cycled filter, heater and regular weekly water changes should be all they need. An air pump wouldn't harm them though if you wanted to add one, they look nice and do increase the oxygen content of the water some what, if you can get an ammonia test kit this will help you check ammonia levels within the tank as it sounds like your filter is not yet cycled, if you search the forum for cycling a filter you can get all the advise there. 

 

[Ch4rlie]

What is the size of your tank by the way, you make no mention of this. 
 
As bettafish asks about, is your tank cycled?
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
And also, do you have a test kit, where you can test the water for ammonia and nitrite ?
PH and nitrate would be useful too if you have these.
 
And lastly, what is your water change routine?
How much water do you change and how often per week?
And do you clean the filter?
Is so, how do you do this cleaning of filter?

 

[osorio661]

my tank is 29 i had it since close to more than 3 month

 

[Ch4rlie]

Right ok, 29 gallons, that a good start, and 3 months you've had it, but not quite enough information am afraid. 
 
Please try to at least answer some of the questions asked, it is fairly important and will help us know what kind of advice we can help you with.
 
The more information you can give, the better. No such thing as too much information.

 

[osorio661]

Ok I do water cleaning once a month or so ,when the water does not look clear when I clean the tank i remove all gravel (to rise it) I remove all the water and fill it back with my water hose i make sure to use water conditioner to remove the choride in the tap water (am kind of new to with aquarium first time havingabig fish tank) also i yup i clean the blue sponge filter when it looks dirty
ps i do not own gravel vacuum but plan on getting one later
i have a ph reader when i put in my fish tank water it reads 8.5
my ph read 8.4
I remember when i bought 4 female guppies they did not even last 2 weeks since the day i first bought them

 

[Ch4rlie]

Ok, think have figured why your fish not doing all that well.
 
A once monthly water change is not all that good, and also removing ALL the water is not really recommended either.
I would suggest changing this to doing once a week water change of around 25% water changes.
 
When you clean the tank, you say you remove all the gravel, i would strongly suggest to leave the gravel alone, just a simple gravel vac will be sufficient. 
 
Gravel can hold quite a lot of beneficial bacteria that is needed to process the ammonia waste your fish produces.
(be sure to read that link i gave earlier, that has lots of good information and try to ensure your tank is actually cycled)
 
And lastly, cleaning the filter media, just clem up to half of your filter media at a time, not all of it in one go, again, this might remove quite a lot of the beneficial bacteria that your tank and fish needs.
 
I would suggest, if you can, to get a water test kit, an API liquid test kit if possible, if you cannot do this, then your LFS may test your water for you if you bring a sample of your tank water to LFS, and ask for specific readings, not just 'its ok' kind of response.
 
Sorry if this seems kind of overwhelming but its good you were asking advice and you have an idea now of how to do things that will give your fish a much better chance of being healthy. 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Be sure when you're cleaning the filter media to do so in tank water that you've removed, and I would pick up a gravel vacuum ASAP because you should be vacuuming when you do weekly water changes.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Do you know why the guppies died? If there is a disease or something you'll want to have that taken care of before adding fish. What are your water parameters? (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
 
How are your guppies with the betta? Usually that is a very dangerous combination.

 

[benthyer]

Was the tank cycled before you added any fish? If it wasn't then that is most likely the reason why you lost so many fish

 

[osorio661]

              since i'm new with big aquarium (own a 5 g before) i did not pay much attention to what was ammonia, nitrite, nitrate  i thought to have fish was just adding it to  your tank with water now am starting to learn about that I  got my aquarium around november or so   i have not yet gotten ammonia test kit my ph is around 8.4  ps my betta seem pretty friendly with my 2 guppies  (i have a filter and heater) but not a air pumo or gravel vacuum
f    

Was the tank cycled before you added any fish? If it wasn't then that is most likely the reason why you lost so I

yeah i think when i got the fish  my tank was already running with a filter and heater then during a few weeks i got my fish  (the 1 group of guppies i had lasted for more than 3 month)then when i got  my  group of female guppies they die a week before  i got them  after that  my 2 groups of guppies  fish  on die suddly die by die some will die

 

[benthyer]

Just running the filter in the water won't cycle it. You need to provide it with ammonia so that it can start producing the bacteria you need to complete the nitrogen cycle. Read the thread at the below link it will explain everything.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
 
However because you have now had fish in the tank for a while you may of completed an in-fish cycle. This is not great for fish and unless done with a hardy fish you will most likely lose them.
 
On top of that you want to complete weekly 25% water changes and ensure that the water you add back into the tank is treated and at the right temperature. Do this by adding boiling water from the kettle and not the hot tap. 
 
You also don't need to clean all your gravel as it holds a lot of beneficial bacteria and I would only clean your media once you notice the flow on your filter has slowed and even then only do half of the media one time and the other half next time,
 
Just browse through the beginners resource center and it will explain everything in detail.