my fish keep dying HELP

Spidykat

and to add i used my own filter media from the tank the fish were in... (all my fish are now in this new tank as i already said..)

Spidykat

and what i meant by my water i meant the tap water...

marshallsea

Plants cost less than all those products and work better.

Spidykat

i could put bamboo in the tank... but i dont like real plants and where i get my fish they dont sell anything but bamboo...

Spidykat

i have used plants before and have had negative effects.. so im not risking my fishes life... im not trying to make excuses its the truth..

jentralala

Please don't put bamboo in the tank. Bamboo is not an aquatic plant and will rot.

lakemalawifish

If you put the bio in now and do the water change later, you will just be removing the bio you just put in. Not sure when you did you last water change, but if it has been over 24 hours ago, I would do it the other way.... water change then bio, that way you are removing more of the ammonia, etc. that you currently have in your water. When we are cycling tanks, I check the water parameters every day and watch for spikes in ammonia and nitrites and just do water changes. It was hard work and with several tanks running, I was doing water changes every day. You will get there, just takes time.

As far as plants, I love to see planted tanks and I have a green thumb outside, but the type fish we have do not do well with plants so I have not explored it. Having a successful planted tank, or even just a few plants, takes a lot more knowledge than I have because of the necessary substrate, lighting and plant fertilizers involved. There are several people on this forum with awesome planted tanks who I am sure can help you. I checked into the lucky bamboo because I had seen another tank with it planted in specimen containers that were attached to the back wall of the tank with suction cups that allowed the top of the plant to stick out of the back of the tank (above the lid) Thought this might be some way of having a nitrate fighting plant in our african tanks that they would not mess with. I did not further my research except to ask the store clerk if the bamboo was safe and they said yes, but it cannot be totally submerged in the water or it will not live. Please don't take what I say on this as true, someone else said it is not safe for your fish and I am not doubting that, just sharing what little bit I have seen and been told. You are right to do what you think is right for your fish, regardless of what anybody else including myself tells you :

ps... just a thought, but I am wondering if the ammonia is from the death of the fish. Any time we have had a fish not make it, it was in a quarantine tank so I am not knowledgeable about fish deaths in a main tank but I have heard stories where it caused ammonia spikes, especially if they were not found right away. hoping for good news from you soon, hang in there!

marshallsea

hh

marshallsea

How would plants risk your fish's life? What happened?

Spidykat

i will be doing a water change tomorrow.. and adding bacteria supplement,api stresscoat, api stress zyme, and a pinch of aquarium salt.. after that. and i will not be buying plants there not worth it as i have said before i do not like plants nor do my fish they kill them.....

if i should add something else or something less please let me know.. :)