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[Stressed55]

Hello to all, I am somewhat new to aquariums as when I was much younger I had a 150 gallon saltwater tank. I ended up with my current 30 gallon fresh water as a neighbor had a family emergency while moving so I was originally just planning on foster care. However they then decided they didn't want them and could I find someone, this was a few weeks later and I had already moved my livingroom around to accommodate the tank as well as investing in food, snacks a new filter new substrate and plants and 2 new fish as the original algae eater didn't survive. Anyhow so have been a fish parent since June and I am getting a bit frustrated as just as it seems like I have the tank stable I get up the next day to find something else wrong. Which is why I now have invested so much as well as time. I actually thought this would help my stress level which it does on occasion. When I first got the tank it had been shut off for a few days inadvertently by workmen so ended up loosing some of the originals. And then honestly I realize I probably didn't do enough research and trusted the pet store and ended up with fish I shouldn't have as well as another funeral as I was told I was getting 1 more female molly and 1more female guppy but instead was given 2 male mollies which chased the pregnant female until she died 2 days later. I took them back along with a chiclid that I was told would work in the tank but clearly doesn't. I have been learning a lot the hard way unfortunately but I just can't seem to get my water to stay ok for more than 7 to 10 days. And as I usually do water changes and necessary cleaning on Sundays or Mondays this past week it only made it 3 days before the tank got that light red glow again. I no longer trust the pet store but I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I had a male sunrise guppy that was originally in the tank and found him dead this afternoon he seemed and looked fine this morning upon removing him at the back of his neck so to speak almost looked bruised or possibly mushy looking. He was one of my favorites and with not knowing what happened I am really scared that something will happen to the rest of the fish. So the basic is a 30 gallon tank, I have sand and rock substrate. After numerous plants I have lucky bamboo some frogbit and water spangles with a small 3 ounce of Java Moss. I have a pleco, A male Rainbow shark A female Angel a female white guppy a female dalmatian molly and a male dalmatian molly a female panda molly and a female molly that at first looked somewhat opaque like white but now has darker colors on its back dark spots on rear fin and face. I have 1 neon 1 platy and as of Christmas 6 black phantom tetras. So 15 fish which is probably more than i should have despite reading 1 fish per gallon. Any help or tips on keeping the water stable which yes is tap water but I treat it with the recommended amount of Aqua Safe plus do weekly water changes as well as new filter pads. Basically I am worried I am going to loose more fish and have become more stressed than before. Ty sorry for the long winded speech

 

[mcordelia]

Hi and welcome to TFF!! I am so sorry that your aquarium experience is so stressful! You're absolutely right that these days that's the last thing that a fish hobby should be! I do want to say though, that you've come to the right place and we will get you sorted out

Just a heads up - as people start seeing and commenting on this thread you will get a lot of advice and opinions, so please don't get overwhelmed. It is all coming from a good place but can be a lot to take in all at once.

What it sounds like to me is that as you rightly describe, your parameters aren't staying stable despite your best attempts, which is resulting in fish losses and all sorts of other issues from the sounds of it. The one single step you can take that will make the biggest difference in water parameter stability is to have a bigger tank. Used 55 gallon tanks often sell on Craigslist and fb marketplace for less than $100, and if you are able to spare the space would be the single best step right off the bat to stabilize your water. It will not prevent the problems you are currently having from showing up, but it will slow everything down to where you have a much better chance of reacting before fish die. If that is not an option, we can also work with what you have, but that would be my first advice right off the bat.

The remaining advice below holds regardless of the size of the tank:

1) water testing: unfortunately, it is not possible to tell by sight what is going on in your water, you have to test the water to know when and how big of water changes to do. If you do not have a test kit, bring a sample of water to your local fish store and have them tell you the NUMBERS for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, and if possible, GH and KH. Please don't settle for them telling you the values are "fine", it will be much more helpful for us to know the values. I recommend also purchasing the API test kit, it will save you time and money over the long term since you won't have to be continuously taking samples to your local fish store for testing. ammonia and nitrites should always be 0, and nitrates should be less than 20ppm.

If your ammonia or nitrates are more than 0, you must to daily 30-50% water changes and keep testing until they go to 0. Ammonia and Nitrites are both toxic compounds generated by fish that will lead to deaths. Over time, good bacteria build up in a tank that break down these compounds and produce nitrates (only toxic above 30ppm), but sometimes a tank may not have enough good bacteria to cope with the toxins produced by fish.

2) fish stocking: in the simplest of terms, the rule of thumb is "one inch of fish per gallon", but this applies to smaller fish species. Fish that get over 4" generally go by "one fish per 10 gallons" and a swimming surface area requirement, depending on their species. In addition to water volume requirements, fish have habitat requirements as well as water quality requirements, such as temperature, hardness and pH. As you begin to sort out what is going on with your tank, I would recommend that you look up each of your fish species in the search function of www.seriouslyfish.com and make a spreadsheet of adult size, minimum group #, temperature requirement, GH and KH (both hardness measures) requirements, and pH requirements. When you sort your spreadsheet, you may discover that the fish you have may not be living within parameters that are most ideally suited to them, which can also lead to fish deaths.

I think I will stop here, since I know this is already a lot. I want to say that your story is not unique so don't be discouraged. Just in the past few months I've seen a number of people show up at the forums with tanks that were not doing well, and the people who took the time to figure out the root of the problems posted after a few weeks that things were going much better, so there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel!! Hang in there, I am sure we will get this sorted out