i have a fairly new fish tank i got in about a month and a half ago... Its only 10 gallons at first i knew absolutely nothin about fish... now i know very little... lol i had a small betta fish, that for some reason unlike most bettas was very peaceful to other fish, a black moor goldfish, some spieces of sucker fish, and a striped raphael catfish... my black moor died after 2 days so i think it had something to do with petco and not me... my betta just died recently but he had been sick about a week i just didnt know what to do besides isolate him... now wingding (my raphael catfish) and the sucker fish are only ones left... today i bought some ammonia test strips and noticed the ammonia level is dangerously high! i changed about 35% of the water about 8 hours ago but its still the same... anyone have any tips on lowering ammonia levels without ammonia removing chemicals cause expert fish hobbyists have told me they do more harm in the long run...
i don't know much about the amonia levels--my guy takes care of all the technical stuff... but here's what i do know. raphael catfish are jerks. do NOT buy fish at Petco. they are never healthy, and will infect the rest of your fish. try some live plants. they naturally help filter the water. you can buy them, or get 'em from local bodies of water. just make sure if you do the latter, you rinse them well. if you buy them, go for the cheapies. the costly ones die, and then you're pissed that you spent the money (in my experience, anyway) try posting on fishforums.com. the people there are very nice and helpful. good luck with your tank.
^^ I suggest that you isolt both fish in small bowls change the water 2 times Once for rinsing once for living....leave it for 6 hours or so then test it if its good put the fish back in if its not then you may have to take every thing out and wash it. in your house do you use airisol freshner?
Generally speaking, a high ammonia level means that you've got too many fish for the size of your tank and the filter you've got running. If the filter can't filter effectively, then you're going to keep having the fish die. Too many fish = too much poo for the filter to clean. You're on the right track with the partial water changes. 35% water change is a little high, and may help contribute to distressing the fish. Try 20-25 % water change every other day. It'll take a while to reduce the levels, but it should work. And don't overstock that small tank of yours! Its cruel.
i honestly know shit all about ammonia levels. i know ive never had to worry about it and ive had fish that lasted years lol your problem is the store. i bet your fishies were sick when you got em. they recycle water into every tank at these stores so if one fish is sick, all of them will be your best bet is to get from a good fish breeder. also DONT OVERSTOCK. I have two zebra danios, another breed a friend gave me no idea what its called lol, and an algea eater in a 20 gallon. I can add another fish or two, but you gotta be really careful with it. isolate the fish that are sick into another small tank (buy one for 10 bucks at a store or use a very large container) and monitor them. also a good idea is to change the water, about 20% every 2 day. any more than that WILL SHOCK THEM and potentially kill them
this is very true..to many fish in a little watter makes the ph sky rocket try getting a bigger tank or lots of nine volt batterys...(no it does not shock the fish the alkaline in the battery balences the ph in the water
keep your eyes open for a bigger tank hun! even if you dont want extra fish, the bigger the tank, the easier to keep levels healthy. it is notoriously difficult to keep smaller tanks healthy. i think perhaps you added fish to your tank too soon. i set up my tanks with furniture filter and heater (1st letting the water sit for a couple of days for chemicals to dissapate), and then ask my very nice fish keeper friend for a gallon of water from his uber healthy tanks. i add this to my fish and plant free tank, then i wait a week to let the filter build up its microbe levels (hence using some water from my friends tank, it gives it all a good kick start). then i will add the plants and give it a couple of weeks. check levels then add say 6 neon tetras, or a couple of mollies etc etc. very very few inches of fish to start with. if all goes well, you can build up to your optimum stocking levels within a few months. keep checking the levels. i add new live plants every couple of months. 10 gallons is very small, i think the max capacity is 1" of fish per gallon, so in reality if your catfish could grow to 10", then the tank is only big enough for him on his own... good luck hun, you will find it much easier with a bigger tank!
It all boils down to something called the nitrogen cycle and the various types of bacteria that most establish colonies in the gravel, water and filter media of your aquarium. I won't bore you with the details, but after having the tank up and running for a good month things should start to settle down (ammonia being converted to LESS harmful things). A good rule of thumb to avoid overcrowding a tank is the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water rule. The inch only counts the body of the fish and not the thin fin parts. Try to keep less than that amount of fish in there. Also, keep in mind if you have a 10 gallon tank there might only be 8 or 9 gallons of water in it due to all the gravel and rocks or decorations. To keep the fish happy and healthy remove about 1/3 of the water ever 7 to 14 days and replace with water that is of about the same temperature of what you took out. PLEASE use chlorine remover chemical on the water you put in the tank. These days simply letting water sit in a bucket does not cause the chlorine to be removed on its own due to added stabilizers in todays water systems.
Deech U have to change out 20 % of water daily for about a month till tanks bio-filter is istablished .. Go to pet discount store get : Instant DeCHLor in green bottle, Bottle of Prime, Quart container of Ammo-Carb & Quart of Carbon .. Buy a hot magnum canister filter .. Use half carbon & half Ammo-Carb chips in filter container .. Always Add DeCHLor & Prime to water before U add water to tank .. In new tank add twice what says for DeCHLor & Prime on bottles ... U follow these insttructions and in a few weeks ur filter will be good and 20% water changes once a week there after .. Feed small amouts of food at a time untill U get to know how much they will eat ea. time fed .. I would suggest a floting type food .. Get rid of that gold fish !! LoL Dirtyest fish in the world !! After ur filter is going good !! Get the following fish : 2 to 4 Regular Convict Cichlid or Pink Convicts when small they are cheap ,, 1 chinesse algy eater .. Convict cichlids are very hardy in worst condisions and very forgiveing to new fish owners LoL !! They will teach U about fish .. After a yr. U will be all right to start investing in more exotic fish .. I have been doing fish since mid 1970s .. These were the instructions given me when I ask a 40 something fish person to help me get started in fish .. I now have down sized my tanks I only have a 40 long & a 20 long on one stand .. When my boy moved out to his own home I gave him the 125 gal. & all the African Cichlids in it to set up in his new house .. His fish are worth over $600.00 today if could find the breeding stock I got back in the day LoL .. I have about 20 South American Ciclids in both tanks & about 100 baby pink convicts in smaller tank .. Guess I will be giveing away more convicts again LoL ............... OUTY JIM
I know what it's Like to lose a Large Quantity of Fish overnight...=/ I believe at time we had too many Guppies... To solve that problem I Changed about 85% of water...I know not recommended but a Slight Emergency...It Worked though... My Tank was Alot bigger than yours Though...
