cant figure this out. need help or advice.

[cyane]

ok this is what is happening in my 55 g long tank. my fish seem to be getting thinner and then dyeing. i dont know how i dont know why. i think it might be from not being able to change the filter cartagies. any suggestions advice anything would really help out right now. thanks for the advice.

[Glasstapper]

why can't you change your filter cartridges? If they're the ones with carbon (probably are) then they're only good for about 4 weeks. After they stop working, it's just the same water going back in.

What is your water change schedule?

Also, I'm assuming you DO feed them, right? (sorry, I know that sounds silly, but what do you feed them and how often?)

[cyane]

i have yet to get paid so i can get the filter cartridges and i do feed them. umm perhaps you can explain to me why there is food build up on the gavel and it is decompsing.....

[cocoa_pleco]

cause the fish dont want to eat it i would guess, or theyre sick and dont wanna eat

[jeffs99dime]

i have yet to get paid so i can get the filter cartridges and i do feed them. umm perhaps you can explain to me why there is food build up on the gavel and it is decompsing.....

do you vaccume your gravel? if not, you need too. the filter by itself is not going to keep the gravel free of detritus and food waste. also, how much food do you feed your fish? you should only feed as much as the fish will consume in 2-5 mins. tops.

[Lady Hobbs]

If food is rotting in the tank, you will also have high nitrates. You need a Master Test Kit to check your water levels for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Do a good gravel cleaning and change out about half your water. Use only dechlorinated.

Walmart has filter floss that comes in bags you can jam in the filter in stead of using charcoal. It's cheap.

[minabird]

cyane-

Here are a couple of things you can do as a quick fix to what's probably causing your fish to die, that being ammonia and/or nitrite poisoning. This is caused by high ammonia and nitrites in your tank. The main cause for these high levels is the uneaten decaying food in your tank. Do as Hobbs suggested: vacuum your gravel while you are doing a 50% water change. Clean out as much of the uneaten food and fish waste from the gravel as possible. Drain some of this water into a bucket and swish your filter cartridge in it to get as much of the debris from the filter pad as possible; then reuse it. You can keep resuing the filter cartridge for a few months this way before you need to replace it.

We also need to know a few things about your tank setup so we can give you some advice to get your tank completely healthy.

What type of filtration do you have?
What are the tank inhabitants? Have you added any new fish lately?
How long has your tank been set up?
What are your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels and ph? If you don't have one, you need to buy one or take a sample to your lfs and have them test it for you. Most places will do it for free.
How long have your fish been dying? Several in a short span of time, 1-3 days, or over a week or 2?
How often do you do wate changes and how much do you change?

I'm probably leaving out a few other things that might help us help you to get your tank back in order, but this should do for now.

[cyane]

i got paid finally....went and got my fish filter cartridges. i have an aqua-tech filter for 30-60 gallon aquarium. i just got a 6 pack of cartridges and cleaned the filter and replaced the cartridges. they have active carbon in them. and no i dont have a vacum thingy for my tank. but i will have to buy one. my cousin said i could have hers and she never gave it to me. tank looks alot better now. and only 2 new fish, gouramis, them little dwarf kind that are orange with the little blue lines. thanks guys anything else you can think of go ahead and add it. in case anyone wants to know my ultrasound is feb.19th,2007. hopefully i can find out what i'm haveing and how many....
see you guys soon, and when i find out what i'm habeing you guys will be some of the first to know.

[kimmers318]

The "vacuum thingy" is a must, you need a way to get the debris out of the gravel in the tank.
Reread Minabirds post and you will find that there are still several unanswered questions. If you don't figure out where you went wrong, you will most likely continue to lose fish over time. Replacing the filter is only one of the issues here.
Good luck with the ultrasound

[henkychif]

The secret to healthy fish is water changes. I do a 20% water change 5 days a week. It's a lot of work but that's the nature of this hobby. Sometimes, when I daydream about hitting the lottery, I think about a cool system to do automatic water changes. You know, getting a plumber to hook it all up and doing stuff with relay valves and timers.

[Lady Hobbs]

i got paid finally....went and got my fish filter cartridges. i have an aqua-tech filter for 30-60 gallon aquarium. i just got a 6 pack of cartridges and cleaned the filter and replaced the cartridges. they have active carbon in them. and no i dont have a vacum thingy for my tank. but i will have to buy one. my cousin said i could have hers and she never gave it to me. tank looks alot better now. and only 2 new fish, gouramis, them little dwarf kind that are orange with the little blue lines. thanks guys anything else you can think of go ahead and add it. in case anyone wants to know my ultrasound is feb.19th,2007. hopefully i can find out what i'm haveing and how many....
see you guys soon, and when i find out what i'm habeing you guys will be some of the first to know.

Your filter is not nearly as big enough for your tank as needed. It may be "rated" 30-60 gallons but is probably good for about a 20 gallon tank. You should have two good bio-wheels running on that tank if not a canister. I have an Emporer 400 and a Penquin 350 on my 55 and wish I had more.

[cyane]

i get my taxes back soon, so i can buy a vacuum thingy. then i think everything will be ok with my fish tank. i'm allways haveing to refill the tank every couple of days, cus the water evaportes real quick like. so if i have a 55 gallon long tank, what size or lenght vacuum thingy do i need to buy?? and where is the best place to get one?? i know they sell the vacuum thingys at wal-mart and at petsmart. hopeing to get my aptment soon, so we can move out. thanks for the advice guys. see you later.