Why Do My Fish Keep Dying?
- Thread starter bummen
- Start date
The reason for feeding less often is that if less food is going into the tank, less ammonia will be produced, and that will help your fish stay safer while you cycle.
An ammonia level of 0.25ppm isn't safe, as that level is going to rise. You need to be doing as many water changes as neccessary to stop the ammonia going above 0.25 before your next water change; in practice you want to keep it below 0.25 at all times.
Can you get some filter media from your im-laws tank? Take a quarter of the media from their filter, replace it with new and put the old media into your filter; that will be full of the good bacteria you need and will 'seed' your own filter.
Your gravel cleaner should be attached to a piece of pipe or tubing; one end goes on the gravel cleaner and the other end into a bucket on the floor. Once you have the syphon started, the dirty water will flow through the gravel cleaner, up the pipe and down into the bucket where you can throw it away.
I honestly wouldn't get any more glass cats; they're not suitable for your tank (they grow too big, need to be in a large shoal and prefer older, more mature, overgrown tanks) I'm afraid.
Most fish 'diseases' turn out to be related to poor water quality; keep up the water changes, get some mature media if you can, keep some more suitable fish and you should not have problems with 'disease'.
An ammonia level of 0.25ppm isn't safe, as that level is going to rise. You need to be doing as many water changes as neccessary to stop the ammonia going above 0.25 before your next water change; in practice you want to keep it below 0.25 at all times.
Can you get some filter media from your im-laws tank? Take a quarter of the media from their filter, replace it with new and put the old media into your filter; that will be full of the good bacteria you need and will 'seed' your own filter.
Your gravel cleaner should be attached to a piece of pipe or tubing; one end goes on the gravel cleaner and the other end into a bucket on the floor. Once you have the syphon started, the dirty water will flow through the gravel cleaner, up the pipe and down into the bucket where you can throw it away.
I honestly wouldn't get any more glass cats; they're not suitable for your tank (they grow too big, need to be in a large shoal and prefer older, more mature, overgrown tanks) I'm afraid.
Most fish 'diseases' turn out to be related to poor water quality; keep up the water changes, get some mature media if you can, keep some more suitable fish and you should not have problems with 'disease'.
This Old Spouse
TOTM Winner May 2013
That's just personal preference. Some people feed several times a day, others feed every other day or two. The rule of thumb is to feed whatever your fish will finish in a minute or less. The point is to avoid letting a lot of food waste hit the substrate, even if you have corydoras or plecos or shrimp.
As for your gravel vac, if your bucket is lower than your tank, you should still be getting a vacuum going. Is the water coming out of the tank and into your bucket (or sink)? If so, then plunge the end of the gravel vac down into the gravel and watch the grime go down the tube.
As for your gravel vac, if your bucket is lower than your tank, you should still be getting a vacuum going. Is the water coming out of the tank and into your bucket (or sink)? If so, then plunge the end of the gravel vac down into the gravel and watch the grime go down the tube.
Oh. I don't even know what filter media is. What a shame about my glass catfish, I suppose they will be dying soon.
What kind of fish will be happy in a 70 litre tank then?
Now feeling quite disheartened, fish keeping really isn't for sissies...
What kind of fish will be happy in a 70 litre tank then?
Now feeling quite disheartened, fish keeping really isn't for sissies...
They said 0.25ppm (parts per million). If it were 0.25%, you'd be able to smell the ammonia in your tank.
BTW, 0.25ppm is not "fine". Fish are more susceptible to disease when stressed and if ammonia is anything that is noticeable in a test kit, they are stressed. Do not be fooled into buying a bunch of chemicals.
Go to your in-laws and get a sample of their filter media (whatever is inside the filter). You won't need much. Keep it wet (tank water NEVER tap water). Then put it into your filter. Your tank will be far more capable to deal with ammonia with that addition. You don't have enough of the right bacteria yet. Adding mature media, like from your in-laws, will instantly boost your bacteria and they will reproduce in your filter to handle your fish's waste.
All of what has been said by people on here is absolutely true. As for what,can go in a 70 litre 2.5 ft tank I'd say look at these stock lists and if you fon't know what one of the fish I mention looks like, do a quick google image search.
Stock List 1.
6 x Corydoras(any type but I prefer panda or leopard corys)
4 x MALE guppies, females will over populate you.
And maybe a nice centre piece fish, someone else would be better suggesting that.
Stock List 2.
2 x Bristlenose Plecs.
1 Male Betta
8-9 x Neon Tetra's.
These are only suggestions, you don't have to use them but please don't get anymore Chinese Algae Eaters or Glass Catfish.
Stock List 1.
6 x Corydoras(any type but I prefer panda or leopard corys)
4 x MALE guppies, females will over populate you.
And maybe a nice centre piece fish, someone else would be better suggesting that.
Stock List 2.
2 x Bristlenose Plecs.
1 Male Betta
8-9 x Neon Tetra's.
These are only suggestions, you don't have to use them but please don't get anymore Chinese Algae Eaters or Glass Catfish.
Haha, it was city farmers. I don't know which country you live in, might not be able to reach them to hit if you aren't in australia.
well maybe I will give my in laws my cool fish and I'll get some lame guppies.
well maybe I will give my in laws my cool fish and I'll get some lame guppies.
Louiseness
Fish Addict
Guppies will still die if you don't cycle your tank. It really is as easy as taking some of your in-laws filter sponge and popping it in your filter.
colleen0309
Fish Herder
There are quite a few cool fish you can keep in your tank once it is cycled. Don't get discouraged. Research is the key, and a nice, clean, cycled aquarium.
Louiseness
Fish Addict
I think in one of your earlier posts you mentioned changing the media in the filter. Every time you remove the media, you basically start a new cycle.
Hi bummen,
Try not to get too disheartened, it comes around eventually if you keep at it.
I've been through the same - new to fish keeping (although my Dad had tropical fish when I was growing up so I know a bit) I was given a tank and had to buy a filter for it, the fish got sick and I couldn't understand why. I discovered this forum and I havn't looked back. No question is a silly question and we're all here offering help and advice.
So ... regarding the gravel vac. I have major issues getting mine to start syphoning. Mine is a thin tube on a nozzle at the top of a plastic tube about an inch in diameter. What I do is have the bucket on the floor, put the thicker tube into the tank and turn it upside down and watch all the bubbles come out. Then I leave it upside down for a few minutes and the smaller tube should start to fill with water. Once this starts to happen and it gets past the top of your tank edge slowly turn the wide tube the right way - making sure it stay submerged in the water all the time. It should start running into your bucket. If it doesn't pump it up and down figurously - you should see the water filling up the smaller tube. It's a real knack but persevere with it.
Media is the sponges that are inside your filter. It may not be a sponge it could be something similar but in your parents in laws tank is should be nice and gunky (unless they rinse it under the tap - never do this it kills the bacteria that lives inside it that your fish need to survive)
Regarding your water readings. The ammonia needs to stay below 0.25 at all times and the Nitites need to be as close to zero as possible. Nitrates need to be above zero were possible (if you have lots of live plants in your tank it may stay quite low as the plants survive through using the nitrate to grow)
Ammonia will make your fish either lay on the bottom or go to the surfice and start gasping. This is because it hurts their gills. The only way to keep ammonia down is to change the water and/or get the bacteria in the filter 'eating' it. This is what is meant as cycling.
I hope that has explained things as plainly as possible. Somebody else has probably typed something similar as this in the time it's taken me to type this but good luck and don't be scared to ask anything.
Akasha
Try not to get too disheartened, it comes around eventually if you keep at it.
I've been through the same - new to fish keeping (although my Dad had tropical fish when I was growing up so I know a bit) I was given a tank and had to buy a filter for it, the fish got sick and I couldn't understand why. I discovered this forum and I havn't looked back. No question is a silly question and we're all here offering help and advice.
So ... regarding the gravel vac. I have major issues getting mine to start syphoning. Mine is a thin tube on a nozzle at the top of a plastic tube about an inch in diameter. What I do is have the bucket on the floor, put the thicker tube into the tank and turn it upside down and watch all the bubbles come out. Then I leave it upside down for a few minutes and the smaller tube should start to fill with water. Once this starts to happen and it gets past the top of your tank edge slowly turn the wide tube the right way - making sure it stay submerged in the water all the time. It should start running into your bucket. If it doesn't pump it up and down figurously - you should see the water filling up the smaller tube. It's a real knack but persevere with it.
Media is the sponges that are inside your filter. It may not be a sponge it could be something similar but in your parents in laws tank is should be nice and gunky (unless they rinse it under the tap - never do this it kills the bacteria that lives inside it that your fish need to survive)
Regarding your water readings. The ammonia needs to stay below 0.25 at all times and the Nitites need to be as close to zero as possible. Nitrates need to be above zero were possible (if you have lots of live plants in your tank it may stay quite low as the plants survive through using the nitrate to grow)
Ammonia will make your fish either lay on the bottom or go to the surfice and start gasping. This is because it hurts their gills. The only way to keep ammonia down is to change the water and/or get the bacteria in the filter 'eating' it. This is what is meant as cycling.
I hope that has explained things as plainly as possible. Somebody else has probably typed something similar as this in the time it's taken me to type this but good luck and don't be scared to ask anything.
Akasha
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