New and needing advice.

[Myraan]

so update, I got the stuff to test ammonia and nitrate levels, both are perfectly fine
however I did buy things to fix it should the levels change.

What did you get to deal with bad levels? It may or may not be useful.

Often all you need is a water change (people must get tired of reading that...).

 

[Essjay]

We should avoid adding chemicals to a tank whenever possible. Can you take the stuff you bought back? Depending on exactly what it is, it may do more harm than good.

 

[avocadopop]

Hey, I just registered here, and I've just recently picked up a few fish to care for.
I had 2 corydoras and 4 neon tetras.
now I'm down two 1 and 2. I'm very unsure how they died, all I can remember is treating the emerald cory for a bloated bladder w peas, him recovering, and then me finding his corpse a day later. Torn up and with a fungus growing on a part of him. (little spots)

I discovered it after coming home from work so there was a chance that they'd been dead all day.
I cleaned everything immediately, I got the survivors in a hospice tank and made sure they weren't sick - they were pale going in but after like an hour their colours came back.

But after all this, I cycled the tank, made sure it was clean and got them back in there.
Now every time I look at my remaining fish, I am so worried they're going to meet the same fate.

Tūb, the corydora has been 'dancing' up and down near where the water filter dumps all the water and bubbles - which I've been told is perfectly normal but now I'm so scared something is going to go wrong. He ate this morning, and whenever I go to sit by the aquarium and watch, he settles back down to the floor.
As a kid I had a betta and it died, and I was so distraught - this is my first time caring for fish since that (like 10 years)

if there's any advice or any reassurance y'all could offer I'd appreciate it! I'll try to attach photos of the clean tank and my corydora.
(I don't have live plants because I am not confident nor have the funds to buy all the stuff for an aqua scape yet saving up tho!)
My names Talon if you want something to refer to me by other than my username lol

one last update! all levels (ammonia, ph, nitrate) are a-okay! and my fish have been displaying new behaviours I hadn't noticed before - this morning I went to turn on the lights and drop food in and at first I only saw my tetras, but after a second my corydora came swimming out of the hide I have in there. he never really stayed in there as I saw, only slept on the outside.

so I guess you could say they're all pretty happy so far?