Fish tanks can be so frustrating at times

AionAris

Exodon
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2013
57
0
21
Orlando FL
it seems every thing i do with fish tanks ends up in failure i've had two filters break on me just from taking a lid off. all my fish are attacking each other, tanks getting dirty
blah
 

doomiedee

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Nov 13, 2011
5,429
2
62
Waterbury
With time comes experience. It's just the learning curve.


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flowerhorn81

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 9, 2013
60
2
8
Maryland/DC
it seems every thing i do with fish tanks ends up in failure i've had two filters break on me just from taking a lid off. all my fish are attacking each other, tanks getting dirty
blah
What size tank do have and the population of fish? Also what kind of filters are you using?

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Bderick67

Bronze Tier VIP
MFK Member
Aug 18, 2006
16,813
70
857
Colorado
Maybe doing a little research would ease your frustration.
 

Mr. Mom

Candiru
MFK Member
Apr 13, 2013
301
50
46
45
Alberta
it seems every thing i do with fish tanks ends up in failure i've had two filters break on me just from taking a lid off. all my fish are attacking each other, tanks getting dirty
blah
Don't be hard on yourself, I've screwed up the past few years. Then I joined this site started reading sticky's and asking questions .... still making some mistakes just not as many and learning more. If you enjoy the hobby ( I know I do ) .... answer their questions and they'll point you in a better direction. Its something I should've done in the beginning. They'll immediately ask for tank dimensions, filtration, and total species in tank. You'll never solve your situation until they have the info complete ... just a word of advice.
 

Cu455

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Mar 8, 2011
1,089
94
66
US
Don't worry you will get used to it. My first memory of getting a fish was when Edward scissor hands came out in 1990. Still till this day 85% of time I do a water change I end up with water everywhere. Today I was filling my tanks and my mom asked my to help her on the computer. I am sure you can figure out the rest of the story.
 

Oscar Mike

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 9, 2010
642
173
76
CA
Now we're getting there. None of those fish are compatible which is the reason they're always fighting. You miiiight be able to get away with an oscar and green terror in a big tank, but even an adult oscar doesn't have enough jaw strength to fend off a smaller gt for long. Especially in a tank smaller than 100g because oscars are one of the slowest cichlids I've kept.

As for the others, shiners are a schooling fish so as an individual it's probably swimming around mindlessly and aggravating the cichlids. Shiners are also used as bait so I wouldn't be surprised if the oscar tries to eat it along with the pike. IME most bottom dwellers arent very good tankmates for cichlids unless they are much bigger, and even then they might eventually end up as a snack. It's generally not a good idea mixing CA/SA cichlids with africans like that blue zebra either because it will constantly pick fights with the oscar and gt until they get larger and overpower him.

So, I would recommend picking your favorite fish and build a compatible community around that based on your tank size. Then you can sell or trade in the others for store credit because even tho it might be difficult it will be better than watching them fight all the time and blaming yourself for it.

Also, if you're using stock hob filters from petco that could definitely be the cause of dirty tanks. Those cartridges they come with get dirty fast and don't leave room for bio media so I would either ditch them and use filter floss cut to size along with mesh media bags filled with biomax, or just upgrade to canisters or a sump when you can
 
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