New Aquarium ...need advice.

Hi!

I bought a 30 gallons aquarium about a month ago for my daughter. The guy at the pet store said we could buy fish right away if we wanted..so we did! My daughter wanted 3 goldfishs. Well, about 2 weeks later, one fish died. Since i didnt know nothing about aquariums and took notes from the seller, i decided to do more research on managing a tank.

I found out that it can take up to 6 weeks for a tank to cycle and testing the water condition is very important. So, i bought a test kit and found out that the nitrite was super high!

My daughter was sad and i felt horrible. I really wanted to save the 2 goldfishs..try my best anyways. I bought a 10 gallons to transfer them while the other tank was fully cycled and put them back in. Now, the problem i have, is the small tank is climbing in Nitrites and the 30 gallons tank is still high in nitrite also.

Does someone know what i could do to save my daughter's fishs??

thanks!

Find a fish forum. I can't remember the one I was on, but they helped. I also researched a lot!! Over a year and only one fish has died( because another fish tormented him so bad and broke his spine) got them thru a lot with just the Internet. Every situation is different. I would look up high nitrites and you should be able to find suggestions. Also look up symptoms of high nitrites so you can tell if your fish are sick. Actually, it would probably be a good idea to look up symptoms for everything (nitrites, nitrates, ammonia etc) fish are a lot of work but can be worth it.

Thank-you for your help.

I dont know what i was thinking. I thought, just going at a pet store and asking a seller was good enough..i was wrong!

I wanted to make my daughter happy..she's only 10 and really deserved it. She's so good with my other daughter and always helping out around the house... i just fell super terrible that i turned something so great so terrible. :frown:

All my fish from petsmart die. I go to local breeders and they live fine.

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Originally Posted by Sally888

All my fish from petsmart die. I go to local breeders and they live fine.

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Good to know..thank-you for sharing this info.:)

I've never waited or tested my aquariums. But lately i've just had little tanks and fighting fish which tend to be tough. Only thing I do now is for chlorine. Our town switched to our water supply and started adding chlorine and ended up killing one poor fighing fish because I have allergies and couldn't smell the chlorine

I thought I was in the Edmonton forum :lolsign:

I would look for a store that specializes in aquariums/fish. They have more knowledge and take better care of their animals.

I worked with fish for many years and you can use these drops they sell at the petstore to regulate all the water. The fish will live if you act quickly.

I find like everything else when they mass produce things the quality goes down. When I was a kid I did basic maintenance opn my tank and had fantails for years and now the ones I bought recently for my daughter keep dying. I think it's the puppy mill symdrome for fish.

Plants will help. Hopefully your fish aren't like mine and eat them. Go for a cheap fast growing ones.

You need a product that removes chlorine from the water. Chlorine harms fish. There are liquids that help with nitrates and ammonia. Tanks can take anywhere from 2 weeks plus to regulate.

I like Seachem Stability. It facilitates the breakdown of nitrates and ammonia.

Nutrafin Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner removes chlorine. There are other brands as well but this is the one I've always used.

Does the tank have a filter? It will add oxygen to the tank. I like AquaClear filters. It has three inserts, sponge, carbon and ammonia remover bead type things.

If you decide to go with tropical fish you will need a heater. Goldfish don't need it.

Live plants help. Not sure if goldfish nibble at plants.

thank-you all for your help..much appreciate your help.

I use cycle to help control the nitrites and aqua plus. I also vacuum (think that's the word they use) 20% of the water every sundays. I do have a filter also.

My daughter keeps going at the aquarium to check on her 2 goldfishs..keeps saying everytime.." they are still alive!":embarassed:

I have 1 plant..i think it's slowing dying because it keeps losing leaves..it's almost naked at this point.:frown:

Just wished i could do more to help the fishes. They look ok so far but with the nitrites so high, makes me wonder how long they can last this way.

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Originally Posted by toban

You need a product that removes chlorine from the water. Chlorine harms fish. There are liquids that help with nitrates and ammonia. Tanks can take anywhere from 2 weeks plus to regulate.

I like Seachem Stability. It facilitates the breakdown of nitrates and ammonia.

Nutrafin Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner removes chlorine. There are other brands as well but this is the one I've always used.

Does the tank have a filter? It will add oxygen to the tank. I like AquaClear filters. It has three inserts, sponge, carbon and ammonia remover bead type things.

If you decide to go with tropical fish you will need a heater. Goldfish don't need it.

Live plants help. Not sure if goldfish nibble at plants.

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I will go to the pet store tomorrow and try the Seachem Stability :-)

Yes i do have a aqua clear filter but i was wondering about the cleaning steps. When i clean the amonia and the sponge..i've been told the carbon one as to be replaced each time, do you take the whole filter and clean the bottom of the filter also or just take the three inserts and leave the filter on the aquarium??

any advice would be so appreciated.
thank-you!

Getting into the hobby requires a lot more research than people think. I would highly recommend joining a forum http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/

I have been keeping fish for 15 years now, but the cost of the hobby can get crazy, so I have toned it down to a 75 gallon and a 10 gallon cycled 'just in case' hospital tank (if someone gets sick, it's easier & cheaper to medicate in a 10g than a 75g).

With the aqua clear filter... once a week or once every two weeks unplug the filter and remove all the inserts. Take bucket/pail (I buy a cheap one and specifically use it for aquarium use only. You don't want one that you used to mop the floor, may contain remnants of chemicals etc) and pour some aquarium water into it. Take each insert and give it a good rinse. Squeeze the sponge to get some of the muck of (yes gross I know lol). The reason is the aquarium water contains all the good bacteria and nutrients. If you clean the inserts with dechlorinated tap water it gets rids of the good bacteria. After I rinse off the inserts, I also give the whole filter a rinse with aquarium water.

There is also a black squarish part that twists off. That is the propeller. I use a bottle brush and gentle wipe some of the dirt off. Don't get it too wet.

Also important.. When you buying new inserts never change them all at once. It can disrupt bacteria levels.

Vaccuming the tank at 20% is great :)

I hope this helps! :)