heeeeelp! fish keep dying

[aznkidang]

Go buy plastic toy fish they won't die and don't need food :l

 

[bbortko]

Way too many goldfish for cycling that small of a tank. Try cycling with 6 to 10 feeders or 12 zebra danios

 

[FDemon]

it's definitely not the bioload guys... these are small fish compared to the vol of water. I feel lame because people can keep goldfish alive in a bowl and as an experienced fishkeeper I can't even keep them alive with a full setup =/

 

[Nyghtfire]

ok mate, water change hugely, if your going for a tropical set up, don't use goldfish as a cyclers, i know there cheap but there just not good in the long run, you want a good idea, condition all the water in buckets then poor it in
did you clean the actual tank aswell with the salt?

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

Sounds like it's an uncycled tank. Have you started testing the water yet?

 

[_Jessica_]

Seems to me you are experiencing ammonia spikes. You might want to do yourself a favor and get your own test kit. You can accomplish the same cycling thing by using a hunk of shrimp or something, hung in a nylon in the tank. I've heard good things about the "cycle in a bottle" Tetra Safe Start, and Seachem's Stability. The other stuff like Cycle is junk.

If you really feel the tank is contaminated, try ONE fish and see if it lasts a few days.

 

[FDemon]

after the first batch died, LFS tested the water and said everything is great, but nitrate is slightly above normal.

 

[ultmt45slay]

Sorry guys, I don't get it. How can leaving the water sit in the tank for a week with nothing in it there do any good? (like letting water sit in a bucket)?

I've never had this prob before, but I was living in a different city. Perhaps the water quality here is affecting things.

The old tank probably had a diesease in it, if this is the case you may have to re grout the corners and totaly clean it with mild soap (sunlight etc.) that is what i did.

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

after the first batch died, LFS tested the water and said everything is great, but nitrate is slightly above normal.

I'd try a small increase, like 2 fish and then slowly increase the load. I find it odd that your water checked out fine after increasing the load quickly in a newly set up tank the way you did.

 

[ultmt45slay]

after the first batch died, LFS tested the water and said everything is great, but nitrate is slightly above normal.

also about the nitrate, for the fish to live it should be at 0 ppm this is what causes NTS or new tank syndrome, but the nitrate should be gone after regular cycling