I'm very new to owning fish and I seem to have failed at the first hurdle as my first group of harlequin rarbrosas in my newlying set up aquarium have all sadly passed away.
About a week ago I bought a second hand 40l (10 gallon) fish tank which came with a filter, heater and declorinate. I set up the tank with gravel, various ornaments and 2 live plants. After 48 hours of running the tank I took a water sample to my local aquatic store to check but came back fine. The associate said the water water was safe for fish so I bought 6 harlequin rarbrosas.
The fish seemed fine for the first 24 hours but after that I noticed some of the fish staying at the top of the water as if they were gasping for air. The next day the fish were still doing this so I did a 10 % water change. The fish seemed okay for an hour or so but they started swimming to the surface again. Shortly after, one of the fishes died. After I removed the fish I took a water sample to the aquatic centre which didnt show any problems. The assistant advised me to buy an air stone to help get more oxygen into the tank (which I did). Then when I came back from the store another fish had died. After setting up the stone and running it, the rest of my fish slowly started to die one by one. The water seemed fine and the fish looked healthy but I can't figure out what I was doing wrong. As the fish were dying they would swim in circles rolling over.
There are a few factors which I think may have played a part:
There was a heatwave during the time I had the fish and the temperature was around 28°c which is slightly above the green mark on my thermometer.
I didn't sterilise the filter and heater before using.
When setting up the tank the only fluid I used besides water was the declorinate.
Does anyone have any idea of what could have caused the fish to die or what I could do next before getting more fish?
Thank you!
About a week ago I bought a second hand 40l (10 gallon) fish tank which came with a filter, heater and declorinate. I set up the tank with gravel, various ornaments and 2 live plants. After 48 hours of running the tank I took a water sample to my local aquatic store to check but came back fine. The associate said the water water was safe for fish so I bought 6 harlequin rarbrosas.
The fish seemed fine for the first 24 hours but after that I noticed some of the fish staying at the top of the water as if they were gasping for air. The next day the fish were still doing this so I did a 10 % water change. The fish seemed okay for an hour or so but they started swimming to the surface again. Shortly after, one of the fishes died. After I removed the fish I took a water sample to the aquatic centre which didnt show any problems. The assistant advised me to buy an air stone to help get more oxygen into the tank (which I did). Then when I came back from the store another fish had died. After setting up the stone and running it, the rest of my fish slowly started to die one by one. The water seemed fine and the fish looked healthy but I can't figure out what I was doing wrong. As the fish were dying they would swim in circles rolling over.
There are a few factors which I think may have played a part:
There was a heatwave during the time I had the fish and the temperature was around 28°c which is slightly above the green mark on my thermometer.
I didn't sterilise the filter and heater before using.
When setting up the tank the only fluid I used besides water was the declorinate.
Does anyone have any idea of what could have caused the fish to die or what I could do next before getting more fish?
Thank you!