Help1 Why Are My Fish Dying?

[kate98]

hi, im new to this so yeah i'll try to include as much information as i can.

i have recently purchased a new fish tank from the "betta" range and it is a 9L tank and i have had: 5 tetras, an angel fish and a silver dollar in ther along with two albino cat fish.

after setting it all up and put the fish in to it, it looked fine then on new years night the silver dollar was bobbing upside down and looking really bad. in the bottom corner of the tank the angel fish was dead. i left them for about five minutes to ask my father about it and when i came back the silver dollar, two tetras and the angel fish was dead O__o
so a few days later after i cleaned out the tank and cleaned the gravel and the statue i put the remaining fish back. today when i checked it another tetra was dead, so i got rid of that one (flush) and i left the tank for a few hours. i came back to check on it and another tetra was dead
i was just wondering if there is anything i did wrong?

 

[the_lock_man]

I would suspect that your fish died of ammonia poisoning. Fish produce ammonia, which is processed by bacteria in the aquarium filter, via nitrite, into nitrate. It takes several weeks for the bacteria colonies to be large enough to cope, so you have to help them out with regular water changes (by regular, I mean daily).

You said it was a 9l tank - is that right, or did you miss out a "0"? If it genuinely is 9l, then we have other issues to deal with as well, but I suspect there's a typo there somewhere.

 

[Blubble37]

yeah, what the lock man said... please say you dont have them in a 9 litre!!!

tetras are very succeptable to ammonia and will croak at some very low concentrations...

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I am also hoping that was a typo, but if it was supposed to be 90l, that is not big enough for starters, for an angel fish and silver dollars.

Check my signature for links to cycling threads. This will help you get your tank started properly.

 

[ZoddyZod]

You'll need to read all about 'cycling' to understand what has happened in your tank. There's some great links in the beginners section to start you off......have a read and then come back with any questions.

Oh, and don't worry......most people new to fish keeping have no idea what 'cycling' means either. It's barely ever mentioned to you when you buy tanks or fish.

 

[Blubble37]

I am also hoping that was a typo, but if it was supposed to be 90l, that is not big enough for starters, for an angel fish and silver dollars.

Check my signature for links to cycling threads. This will help you get your tank started properly.

I agree, sorry but even 90 litres isnt really enough... unless you meant 900litres - in which case thats fine

Oh, and don't worry......most people new to fish keeping have no idea what 'cycling' means either. It's barely ever mentioned to you when you buy tanks or fish.

Mainly because the shopkeepers get more money out of making you buy new fsh when they die because of their dumb advice (even though they are "qualified to deal with the matter")

 

[kate98]

I would suspect that your fish died of ammonia poisoning. Fish produce ammonia, which is processed by bacteria in the aquarium filter, via nitrite, into nitrate. It takes several weeks for the bacteria colonies to be large enough to cope, so you have to help them out with regular water changes (by regular, I mean daily).

You said it was a 9l tank - is that right, or did you miss out a "0"? If it genuinely is 9l, then we have other issues to deal with as well, but I suspect there's a typo there somewhere.

its just a small 9 litre

I am also hoping that was a typo, but if it was supposed to be 90l, that is not big enough for starters, for an angel fish and silver dollars.

Check my signature for links to cycling threads. This will help you get your tank started properly.

I agree, sorry but even 90 litres isnt really enough... unless you meant 900litres - in which case thats fine

Oh, and don't worry......most people new to fish keeping have no idea what 'cycling' means either. It's barely ever mentioned to you when you buy tanks or fish.

Mainly because the shopkeepers get more money out of making you buy new fsh when they die because of their dumb advice (even though they are "qualified to deal with the matter")

the silver dollar and the angel fish were only the size of a 50 cent piece

 

[ZoddyZod]

9l?

oh dear, some bad news coming......the reason the tank is from the 'betta' range is because it's really only suitable to house 1 betta fish. Everything else you have in there needs a bigger tank.....some of your fish will even get bigger than the tank itself.

 

[kate98]

its only just a small 9 litre tank

the lady at the fish shop said that the fish sizes ( angel fish and silver dollar) were okay for the tank size

 

[the_lock_man]

I would suspect that your fish died of ammonia poisoning. Fish produce ammonia, which is processed by bacteria in the aquarium filter, via nitrite, into nitrate. It takes several weeks for the bacteria colonies to be large enough to cope, so you have to help them out with regular water changes (by regular, I mean daily).

You said it was a 9l tank - is that right, or did you miss out a "0"? If it genuinely is 9l, then we have other issues to deal with as well, but I suspect there's a typo there somewhere.

its just a small 9 litre

In that case, I'm sorry to say, the fish you bought were completely unsuitable for a 9l aquarium. Some would say that an aquarium of that size would only be suitable for shrimp, although my personal view is that you could have a single Siamese Fighting Fish (aka Betta) or 2 or 3 male Endlers in something that small.

But first, you need to learn about cycling. Click THIS and read the articles entitled "The Nitrogen Cycle" and "Fish-In Cycling". When you've had a read of those, if you need any other questions answering, post again.

the lady at the fish shop said that the fish sizes ( angel fish and silver dollar) were okay for the tank size

She was wrong. Sorry. I would suggest finding a different fish shop to purchase from.

 

[ZoddyZod]

its only just a small 9 litre tank

the lady at the fish shop said that the fish sizes ( angel fish and silver dollar) were okay for the tank size

sadly the lady at the shop was after your money and obviously not concerned about eh welfare of the fish. This is a rather horrible side of the hobby. Some stores offer good advice, but some (like yours) are just in it for the cash.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

the silver dollar and the angel fish were only the size of a 50 cent piece

Regardless of the small size of the fish, they do get bigger. While a lot of stores will feed you lines, telling you that a fish will only get as big as the tank allows, what actually happens is the fish will stop growing outwardly, but its internal organs do not. This is called "stunting." While the internal organs continue to grow past what the body should allow, it ends up killing the fish in a very painful way.

I suggest the the only thing you put in this tank is a betta, and maybe a snail. But, if you would like to set this little tank up right, read the links in my signature. There are two ways to properly cycle your tank, neither of which is wrong, although a lot of people prefer the "fishless" way.

 

[Blubble37]

what shop is it... i want to pay them a "visit" (cracks knuckles...)

 

[kate98]

the silver dollar and the angel fish were only the size of a 50 cent piece

Regardless of the small size of the fish, they do get bigger. While a lot of stores will feed you lines, telling you that a fish will only get as big as the tank allows, what actually happens is the fish will stop growing outwardly, but its internal organs do not. This is called "stunting." While the internal organs continue to grow past what the body should allow, it ends up killing the fish in a very painful way.

I suggest the the only thing you put in this tank is a betta, and maybe a snail. But, if you would like to set this little tank up right, read the links in my signature. There are two ways to properly cycle your tank, neither of which is wrong, although a lot of people prefer the "fishless" way.

the angel fish and the silver dollar have died, and some of the tetras have died as well at the moment i have 2 tetras and 2 albino catfish....
do i still need to filter it and will i need anything like special to filter it?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

A betta COULD do without a filter (not advisable unless you want to do water changes every other day) but you definitely need a heater. And for tetras, and angels and what not, you DEF. need a filter and heater. The tank is TOO SMALL for anything BUT a betta, or maybe some small species shrimp.