Tank destroyed in 1 week

[paintballer1]

That's a wonderful idea thank you

 

[Hemlawk]

That sucks man. If Damsels are dying, something is way off.

 

[Fish Werx]

Ive been at this for 2 years plus. I read books, follow forums, watch all the videos and talk to all the people I can about this hobby, buy the best test kits, best equipment I can afford... And I still make mistakes! I bet there are people that have been at this for longer than you or I have been alive that mess up from time to time.
Its sad that there is so much anger and hostility in the world. Why wouldn't you suggest informative tips and resolute actions for this guy instead of berating and belittling if you know so much about this subject? Share the knowledge.

 

[lock562]

A sale is a sale doesnt make it right theres plenty of knowledge to be had b4 the sale

 

[Andrewalex11]

Personally for a nano tank what I've found is best is to add 1 fish a week after the tank has been running for about 30 days + It makes it more fun being able to go to the LFS store for a new member of the community every week and it's much healthier on the system !

How often are you doing water changes on that tank? What other inhabitants are in there?

If you're dead set on having 4 fish in a 10 gallon you either need more frequent water changes or more advanced filtration. Also If you don't want to do the RO/DI unit right now you can pick up distilled water for about 80 cents a gallon from the super market and that will work just fine. Make sure it's not "purified" and specifically "distilled".

 

[lock562]

Theres more to be said here how fast were the fish added there a multitude of varibles yes but shoving that many fish in a 10 being none nano fish the answer is simple no amount of testing or water changes will correct the problem

 

[Andrewalex11]

And as far as what's going on with your tank considering your ammonia is at .50 you can do some really frequent big water changes to save whatever life might be in there because your tank might be recycling from the shock of bi-load that was introduced and the bacteria present wasn't able to handle it. I'd test every day if I were you until stable water parameters settle back to where they should be then continue on with anything else

 

[john2152]

Theres more to be said here how fast were the fish added there a multitude of varibles yes but shoving that many fish in a 10 being none nano fish the answer is simple no amount of testing or water changes will correct the problem

Wow that's way better!at least there was some kind of knowledge and understanding given there...I've been doing tanks for 10 years almost all predator tanks including sharks...but when I was new the store would have sold me the horned shark and the 125 tank....it happens...didn't happen to me but could have,all I'm saying

 

[lock562]

Ha none from me its already there best of luck to you

 

[fishkeeper2]

I have a 10g nano FOWLR fish were fine for a month but in the last week I have lost 4 damsels and an emerald crab (lost 3 damsels today) after testing every day for the past week everything has come back fine including nitrates 0,nitrites 0, ammonia 0, ph 7.8, temp. 76, and salinity 1.024. When the salinity rise due to evaporation I take some tap water use water conditioner in and put the water in. Not sure what happened thinking of turning the tank into an invert only tank but I would like to fix what happened. All fish came out with there fins messed up but have never seen any aggression for the past month. Any help would be great.

Your pH is 7.6, which is a big red flag. There are either too many acids from dissolved organic matter in your tank due to overstocking or too much carbon dioxide from overstocking the tank.

The ammonia level of 0.5 shows you do not have enough biological filtration to keep up with your overstocked tank or it is not mature enough, as in not enough time passed for the bacteria to grow and establish themselves.

Add oxygen via increase water turbulence and current. An air stone or protein skimmer would help too.

Use more carbon / chemipure elite to lower ammonia. You need more biological or chemical filtration.

Add Prime right away to temporarily neutralize ammonia levels.

Add live sand if you haven't already for added biological filtration, nitrate reduction, etc.

 

[Forsaken77]

For a 10 gallon FOWLR tank you don't NEED an RO unit. Just use Seachem Prime for your water conditioner. It also neutralizes Ammonia and Nitrites. But with a 10 gallon tank your looking at 1 or 2 fish tops.

Research the animals BEFORE you buy them. Most times you're buying baby fish that can grow quite big, or bigger than a 10 gallon tank will allow.

If you want to go Freshwater, Fluval just came out with a nice tank called Flex. It's not big or overly expensive and has the filter built into the back. Very nice for the money. It just may be hard to find because it's very new.

If you're staying saltwater, Fluval also came out with the Evo 13.5 all in one tank. It's 13.5 total gallons, but the filter is also built in, so it's 12 gallons of actual tank space and it comes with reef lighting. Drs Foster & Smith sells the whole setup for $145 with free shipping.

Having a small tank around 10 gallons is sometimes better to have an all in one tank. You just supply the heater and it's easier to maintain.

 

[d2mini]

For what it's worth, I have years of experience and still struggle from time to time.
Small tanks are harder, too because of how small mistakes are amplified.
I have a 25g nano that I have been struggling with since I set it up well over a year ago.
This hobby is pretty crazy. But we hopefully learn from our mistakes and keep chugging along. :)

 

[glb]

You can get an ro buddie from aquaticlife for 70 bucks. Small change for peace of mind with your expensive hobby. I have it, used it for my 90 and now for my 30 cube. I added an additional carbon filter plus di resin so it's a 5 stage now. 0 all the time on the tds meter.

This is what I have and I love it.

 

[glb]

I have the same unit. I was thinking today. How often did you change the the filters out?

I've had mine a year and the TDS is still running at 0. I don't have big tanks so that's probably why.

 

[Areseebee]

Using proper water is good and important for other reasons, but that's not really what this is about. This is a combination of two things: adding way too much bioload WAY too fast and then not noticing ammonia was building due to not following the instructions on the test kit.

 

[fishkeeper2]

This is what I have and I love it.

For my 10 gallon I used RO water that I purchased at a local grocery store on my way home. Pretty convenient and you don't need much, so an RO unit may be overkill. But great if you have one.

 

[Sully]

I think you read way to much into people's responses. I read every one and unless some were deleted, I didn't see anything rude or belittling. Blunt and too the point? Sure. As people have pointed out, no matter how slow fish were added, 5 fish in a 10 gallon tank is way to much. Add in probably some inexperience and over feeding and you have what you have.


Leave the water in there and let the cycle take place. If you have any live stock left maybe you lfs could hold it for you until you complete the cycle. It shouldn't take long now as you've provided a source of ammonia already.

Ive been at this for 2 years plus. I read books, follow forums, watch all the videos and talk to all the people I can about this hobby, buy the best test kits, best equipment I can afford... And I still make mistakes! I bet there are people that have been at this for longer than you or I have been alive that mess up from time to time.
Its sad that there is so much anger and hostility in the world. Why wouldn't you suggest informative tips and resolute actions for this guy instead of berating and belittling if you know so much about this subject? Share the knowledge.

 

[glb]

I think you read way to much into people's responses. I read every one and unless some were deleted, I didn't see anything rude or belittling. Blunt and too the point? Sure. As people have pointed out, no matter how slow fish were added, 5 fish in a 10 gallon tank is way to much. Add in probably some inexperience and over feeding and you have what you have.


Leave the water in there and let the cycle take place. If you have any live stock left maybe you lfs could hold it for you until you complete the cycle. It shouldn't take long now as you've provided a source of ammonia already.

I agree. No one here is being rude. We're all trying to give good advice to ensure success the next time. We were all beginners first and we've all made tons of mistakes. That's how we learn to do it right!

 

[paintballer1]

It was deleted by a mod

 

[Fish Werx]

I agree. No one here is being rude. We're all trying to give good advice to ensure success the next time. We were all beginners first and we've all made tons of mistakes. That's how we learn to do it right!

There were posts deleted after I posted.