Need help new to the aquarium hobby!

GOURAMIKEEPER83

I have realized why my fish are dying off . It is because of my amonia spiking due to the cycle process. I am new to this and when I went to buy the fish my ph and all that was fine because the cycling had not started yet. No one never mentioned anything about cycling to me now after I have lost over 100 dollars in fish. I find out that its all supose to happen but with only like three fish at first. I went and got my tank full of the fish I wanted just to have them die. Man this fish hobby is discouraging at times. I need to stay in some kind of loop because my local pet store is not giving me the information neede to be successful. I'm hoping that by joining this forum all will change and maybe just maybe I will be a better hobbiest.

Byron

It is a sad reflection on some fish stores that this is a very common occurrence. Please don't despair. Success is within your reach.

Before you go further, plan what you want in the end, and post your questions and ideas as they arise, many on here will have suggestions and advice to prevent any recurrence. To think how many fish I lost in my first days (decades ago now) when I did the same, and there were no such forums (not the internet or computers...that's dated me) to help.

Best of luck, and stay with it. We're here.

Byron.

GOURAMIKEEPER83

Byron I appreciate your help thus far. I am starting with my best foot foward this time. Would you do your cycle with fish or without. I personally don't want anymore fish to suffer. However instead of starting completely over I'm starting to see some bacterial growth on my gravel. Since the fish is gone My tank is in the week where the amonia is spiking. This being my third week. I figured that maybe I could continue with the fish food to help the amonia along. I have ordered a test kit should be arriving this week. I think that maybe if I can get it cycled completely the next batch of fish will prosper. What do you think I should do start over or let the cycle complete.

Byron

Tanks can be cycled with fish food; you add what you would each day if the tank had fish in it, and allow it to decompose to provide food (ammonia) for the bacteria.

Are all the fish gone now? If any are left, which are they?

Byron.

GOURAMIKEEPER83

my pleco is still alive but the rest died within 3 days 10 fish. WOW!

Byron

I am sorry about your loss of fish. Let's prevent it from now on. Leave the pleco and add fish food, monitor the ammonia and nitrite--do y9ou have a test kit yet? This is important. Also, you can get a small bottle of Seachem's "Stability" to seed the tank with more bacteria. We go from there.

Byron.

GOURAMIKEEPER83

Ok seachem stability I will get it today later sometime. I seen a post on a new chemical that cycles your tank within 24 hours is it worth the hype or what?

Byron

Probably not. If this was Herky's thread from yesterday you're thnking of, forget it. No one knows what's in that stuff, and adding unknown chemicals to a tank with fish is risky.

Stability is live bacteria, I've used it myself and I know it works.

Byron.

Rohland

Used it on the advice of Byron, works like a charm

GOURAMIKEEPER83

I took your advice and got stability and started it today.