New aquarium owner, why are the fish dying?

Your fish are dieing because the tank is not cycled yet.

Here is a great site that explains this in detail

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/...

Also it is a mistake to purchase fish at walmart. I am a fish breeder and shower for 30 years and I have yet to have 1 fish live that I purchased at Walmart. They are from fish farms and generally in poor water conditions and health.

You did not feed them too much too fast. Remember only feed them the amount they can eat in 3-5 minutes. It is almost impossiable to over feed a fish to the point of killing it since fish will stop eating when they are full.

Your tank is going thru ammonia spikes which are nothing compaired to the nitrite spikes that are going to follow.

You should have a water test kit (just a simple one) that shows the ammonia as well as the nitrites since these are the two leading killers of fish. PH isn't that big of an issue since most fish can live in water that is very low 6.4 to very high 8.3 very easily, it is a matter of adapting them to the change.

Your fish were gulpin g for air due to the high ammonia. You need to do a 50% no more water change immediately. You will want to test your water daily for the first two weeks to ensure the ammonia and nitrites remain in a safer level. You may have to do a water change of 25% daily until the levels equal out.

Moore's are hearty fish and can withstand higher toxic levels (got to love goldfish)

I would also suggest, doing research and avoid the I want that fish when buying fish. Research the type of fish you want. Moores are goldfish and colder water fish vs. the dragon and the gourami. No heater is needed for your moore but is needed for the other fish.

Also using a good dechlor/waterconditioner will also help.

I'm sorry your fish are dying. =[

Since your tank is up and running, do not take the water out and start over if your remaining fish die. You have already started the cycling process, which takes a minimum of 25 days, sometimes longer.

You can do fishless cycling, where you buy a product called biospira, but it's about 25 dollars.

If you choose to cycle with fish, which most people do, it is recommended you get a hardy species. You just need something in the tank to start the cycle, by living, eating and pooping. I cycled my tanks with the same group of danios, and they are still with us and happy to this day. Other people will suggest mollies, either would be a good choice. But no delicate species, and I wouldn't get anything expensive.

You will also need a test kit, mainly for ammonia and nitrates. The petstore will sell these, they are pricey, but a must have. The test strips are not as reliable, from what I've heard.

Also, make sure you have some kind of aeration in the tank for oxygen. You can get a little pump for around 9 dollars at walmart, and the little air stones are .97 for a 2 pack. The tubing is a couple of dollars.

As for walmart, I don't buy fish there. They don't have a dedicated fish person most of the time, and if they do, it's someone filling in from the jewelry dept. or somewhere else unrelated. Meaning the tanks don't get the proper care, and the salespeople aren't very knowledgeable. If you have a privately owned local pet store, those are usually the best places to go.

I also keep a fish journal. I document the water paramaters, temperatures, etc. This is especially helpful when you start out, so you can know exactly how long your tank has been cycling.

Here is a great site with a message board, the folks there are very knowledgeable and eager to help.

http://pub16.ezboard.com/bflippersnfins

And here is the article I used the first time I cycled a tank.

http://www.flippersandfins.net/Cycling.htm

And a useful chart with the cycling table.

http://www.flippersandfins.net/CyclingPhases.htm

I know it's a lot, but it helped me, and I have passed it along to many others, and it helped them understand as well.

Good luck with your tank, hope this helps!

=]

You are supposed to cycle your tank for at least a week or two. A month is the best though. Also, a ten gallon is to small for all of the fish. You want a 20 gallon at least. You need to get a filter and get test strips to test everything. I had the same problem because of the water. Also, I wouldn't recommend buying fish at Walmart because they do not specialize in fish so they do not take care of them properly. I would get a bigger tank if possible and read some fish books or go to a special fish store. I f you live near Ft. Collins there is a fish store called Dezens of the Deep that totally rox.

Good Luck!

If you have a fish swimming to the top "for air" there's something wrong with your tank.

A) Make sure you have a pump (fish need little bubbles of air in the tank)

B) Did you maybe over do it on some chemical you added?

If so drain out about 1/3 of your tank and add new water.

If your fish don't make it, don't give up. In a few weeks your tank will go through some chemical changes, ammonia levels and such. Prepare for it by getting some test strips so you can monitor the changes and then follow instructions as to how to treat your tank. ( I had high ammonia levels and had to keep putting in a chemical that stabilized the ammonia levels. Took about a month to get it straightened out.)

Eventually, if you keep changing water and treating your fish you should be in good shape.

Oh, yeah, if you lose these fish , fill your tank with a few guppies. They are pretty hardy fish and can survive most any thing changes your tank faces. . ONce you have your tank established you can put any other fish in safely.

Next time you buy fish, go to a regular aquarium store. They are experts when it comes to knowledge of fish. Ask them what fish you can put together and how many you can put in a tank. You should also have an algae eater to get rid of the algae in the tank because algae cuts off oxygen. Aquarium salt is only for salt-water fish and you can't mix them with regular fish. Don't feed the fish too much. That can kill them. Also, all the food that they don't eat goes to the bottom and dirties up the tank which is no good for them. But if your fish is gulping for air, you need to call the aquarium shop and ask them what to do.

The water temp you have is fine for the dragonfish and for a gourami, but too hot for the black moor. They prefer a max temp. of 72 degrees F. Get it into a cooler tank or you will lose it very soon. Your tank is definitely not cycled and these are not the hardiest fish to do it with, but you don't have too many fish to see through a cycle, so don't despair. The gourami may have died for many reasons, from new water shock to stress from the move to a new home to diseases it had before you bought it. (Wal-Mart is not known for having the best fish). Only feed fish tiny amounts once or twice a day. They always look hungry but should be able to eat everything in the tank in 5 minutes. Any uneaten food should be removed.

Read up on how to properly cycle a tank and what it means here:

http://www.guppies.com/forums/showthread.php/new-t...

You can do a search on any fish you are planning to buy and what water temperatures are best for them. Don't put coldwater fish with warmwater fish. Also, a dragonfish is rather delicate to care for, so if it makes it through the cycling, read up on it so that you know how to care for it properly.

properly, first, you ought to continuously examine formerly you get new animals. That being pronounced, you probably did no longer cycle your tank. The fish ought to have began it cycling, so now you ought to attend. provide it 4-6 weeks and it is going to be cycled. Get an entire attempt kit or carry an aquarium shop your water to attempt after that ingredient. the clarification you ought to cycle it is through fact a tank's clear out is organic and organic; constructive micro organism stay on your clear out and gravel which do away with the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. examine up on cycling on line. After 4-6 weeks, in case you have 0 ppm of ammonia and nitrites and extremely few ppm of nitrates, try to be waiting to characteristic fish.

um, tanks don't cycle for a day. the just run and make sure things are working. you don't say that you added water conditioner, so i would say that's what killed them. gulping is a sign of lack of oxygen, more times than not. a moor sounds like a gold fish and you seemed to have mixed coldwater fish with tropical fish. tropics and cold don't mix.

please research the type of fish you want and then learn to provide them with that car. you need a heater for tropical fish. so for now, please don't get any more fish, but take the time out to learn about the fish you will be providing care for and then proceed. fish need more than just water. email if you need help.

fishkeeping requires great patience. if you rush things, your money, time and efforts will go right down the toilet with the fish. sorry.

also learn about fish acclimation. you just can't drop fish in the water, but their body has to get used to changing temps. if not they will be prone to ich or pH shock.

please also get a testing kit. you need to test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH.

BTW, what size is your tank?

I would take a water sample to Petsmart or Petco to have it tested, just to make sure the water is good. Then I would buy fish from some other place then walmart. I know Petsmart and Petco have warranties on their fish. It's only for 30 days, but it's still good.

Go get an aquarium book. The fish you have are in no way suitable to live together. It takes at least 3 to 5 weeks for the tank to cycle. You shouldn't start this hobby without some basic information about fish. Its not the easiest thing to do and there is a lot to know. Yes shopping for fish at Wally World is one huge mistake. Don't vote with your dollar there they do not care a lick for fish at all. Start some research now before you spend your self broke and kill many fish.