New to fish.

[shootingstars17]

So I got this great idea that it would be nice to have some fish.

Well. It was a great idea until I did a little research and realized all of the work (not that I'm against it) that goes into a tank. I had no clue that you had to test the water and those kinds of things.

But anyway. The research came after I had purchased a 2 gallon tank with an under gravel filter and a air stone/pump thing. I started the tank with tap water putting a teaspoon or so of the tetra aqua safe conditioning stuff in. I let it run for about 72 hours. It started to get cloudy. Pet store guy said this was normal. So put 3 platys into it. First day was good, then one died. The the other two died. Bought test strips.. the nitrite and nitrate looked good. ph looked at 8.4, alkalinity was 180-300 and hardness was 150-300. Put some easy balance plus in it. Took water sample to pet store, girl said everything looked good (this surprised me since my test looked so bad) so she recommended 3 tetra fish. Started out good, they were even more active than the other fish, until less than 12 hours later they were all dead.

Now Im hopless. I feel horrible that I killed them. And no idea what to do with the tank. I want to keep going, but no ideas..? Should I start over? Should I not use our nasty city water? The water in it now is really gross looking and its only been a week that it has ran. Please help!

 

[FlameTetra333]

So I got this great idea that it would be nice to have some fish.

Well. It was a great idea until I did a little research and realized all of the work (not that I'm against it) that goes into a tank. I had no clue that you had to test the water and those kinds of things.

But anyway. The research came after I had purchased a 2 gallon tank with an under gravel filter and a air stone/pump thing. I started the tank with tap water putting a teaspoon or so of the tetra aqua safe conditioning stuff in. I let it run for about 72 hours. It started to get cloudy. Pet store guy said this was normal. So put 3 platys into it. First day was good, then one died. The the other two died. Bought test strips.. the nitrite and nitrate looked good. ph looked at 8.4, alkalinity was 180-300 and hardness was 150-300. Put some easy balance plus in it. Took water sample to pet store, girl said everything looked good (this surprised me since my test looked so bad) so she recommended 3 tetra fish. Started out good, they were even more active than the other fish, until less than 12 hours later they were all dead.

Now Im hopless. I feel horrible that I killed them. And no idea what to do with the tank. I want to keep going, but no ideas..? Should I start over? Should I not use our nasty city water? The water in it now is really gross looking and its only been a week that it has ran. Please help!

First of all, a 2 Gallon Tank is WAY too small for either a Platy or a Tetra. You need at least a 10 gallon tank. Also, you need your tank to go through the nitrogen cycle. This is establishing beneficial bacteria to break down fish wastes and uneaten food. Search it on google. Also, BEFORE you get your first fish after you have COMPLETELY cycled your tank, you need to know if they are schooling fish. If they are, then you need at least 5 of each. The first priority is to ensure the happiness of the fish. All of the fish in my tank school, and I learned that the hard way.

 

[KcMopar]

new tank

Hello, and welcome to the tank. I would recommend that you do some research on fish that fit your water PH and hardness. This way your fish is not stressed. Its easier to fit fish to your water rather then water to your fish. When I set up a new tank I like to let it set until its clear and the filter has done its work. Also be sure to use conditioning stuff as the instructions state. This is really the only chemical I recommend people using in a fish tank. Letting the tank set with out fish does nothing more then let you know how well the filter works. If its been a couple days and clears up your filter is working OK, if not you might want to get one that hangs on the back with a changeable filter cartridge in it.When I use the under gravel filter I also use and hang on the back filter as well due to the fact they have great mechanical filtering ability. The smallest one will work great on a 2 gallon tank along with the under gravel filter. Seeing that the water is gross looking I would suggest a 3-5 gallon rated hang on filter. Your city water should be fine if treated with conditioner. If you have the extra cash you can buy distilled water at the store or pet store. I would start over for sure!!! Check out the info we have on new tank set-ups, this will get you in the right direction for sure. Also, a two gallon tank only really needs one tiny fish. Others will post as well and get you going, back to work for me!!

 

[Thyra]

You really should go back and read that first Thread in the Freshwater Beginner Information - the one that says "Sticky". It will give you a whole lot of info on what and how to get started.

 

[achase]

Don't worry about your first experience not going so well.....we have all been there. I know I have!

My suggestion if you are serious about keeping fish is to purchase a larger tank (10 - 20 gallons). There isn't really anything that would live happily or long-term in a 2 gallon so I would really suggest getting a larger tank. Then I would read about "cycling".....there is a link in my signature about it.