# All my piranhas died :cry:



## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

My parents think i was irresponsible because my piranhas died! But as you guys definitly know I asked so many questions to make SURE this didnt happen! But they all died! It looked like they had skin peeling off...but i resantly checked my test kit and the ammonia was at 5 so that was probably it...but could the skin peeling have been a disease? i freakin hope not...cause i forgot about flushing goldfish that died in the first week away and i fed them a dead one and they took two bites out of it. the goldfish only lasted a day but he still looked healthy! sh*t i hope that wasnt it. but my pleco died too with the same symptoms so how could it be!? Plz help cause if my parents do let me get piranhas i HAVE to make sure i do this right! any tips on wut i should do with my tank right now? i put 22 or so goldfish in there right now and they seem to be fine...is that ok?


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

My advice....Cycle your tank before you order more fish.

Edit.....This is not a negative comment, but I think the uncycled tank is probably the cause of the deaths.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

well i dont know where the cycling process is at! it might not be even cycling at all! it could be fully cycled! and i have test kits but i still cant tell!


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## piranha 13 (Feb 16, 2003)

Yeah, make sure you tank is fully cycled this time.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

When you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and nitrates are present your tank is cycled and you are ready.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

well when i first started out thats what the levels were too! how do i know if they either havnt started yet or have finished?


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## CraigStables (Oct 5, 2003)

Like I thought when only one had died its definitly down to not having a fully cycled tank, which as your parents said is slightly irresponsible!

If you do get some more, make sure the tank is 100% cycled, read up on cycling tanks by searching on here. This will give you all the info you need to know!


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

sorry to hear that your piranhas died, i hope the next abtch works out better.


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

everyone makes mistakes at everything they do. If I were you I'd try again, though this time make sure everything is safe. once you have one tank going it's much easier from there. Whatever the prob was, it's something to learn from.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

o i do have one thing related to fish and maybe piranhas that is good news...i may be getting a job at a local fish called "Tropical Fish World" that sells piranhas and all other types of fish! O plz wish me good luck on asking if they're hiring! if they arent, theres fish factory that ill ask next but bad thing is- they dont sell piranhas. o well, if they're not hiring which would make me seriously depressed ill have to go for petsmart


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> well when i first started out thats what the levels were too! how do i know if they either havnt started yet or have finished?


 Of course ammonia and nitrites were 0, there was nothing creating ammonia when the tank was first started. It can take months for a tank to cycle, just be patient and leave the goldfish in there and it will cycle.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

k cool


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

ill put oscars in there in a little bit for fun that ill add p's thatll have them as a nice dinner special


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## sccavee (Feb 11, 2003)

Here's what you need to do. If you have not already, buy a complete test kit (ammonia, Nitrite, and nitrate at least). Test your tank as it is now. Then test the water out of the tap you are using. Some tap water may have nitrate. Get some goldfish put them in your tank wait a few days test your water. You should see a increase in ammonia levels. Then a few days/weeks you will see the ammonia drop and nitrite increase. Then a few days/weeks you will see ammonia go to 0 and nitrite to 0 and nitrate will show up. Wait a few days and make sure ammonia and nitrite stay at 0. If they do then the tank is cycled and you can add Ps.

DO NOT ADD THEM BEFORE THE TANK IS CYCLED!


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## traumatic (Jan 29, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> ill put oscars in there in a little bit for fun that ill add p's thatll have them as a nice dinner special


 if your fish just died why add oscars? It helps to add GOLDFISH to an uncycled tank help start off the process, though if it isnt' ready dont' add the Oscars.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

well yea thats wut i meant, add them after the cycling is done then once the oscars have stayed alive for like two weeks ill get 3 or 4 2-3 inch piranhas whom will eat the oscars......at least they should right? an oscar wont eat or mess with a piranha will eat?


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

well i think i have too many gold fish in the tank (which is a 75g). i have like 22 or 20 or around that. I have a running 29 gal tank and a running 20 gal tank but both those tanks dont have any fish in them...all these tanks are 2 weeks old or less so they are most likely not cycled, so how many gold should i put in each tank? do gold fish need decoration? o and why does it look like the goldfish are trying to eat each other? they look like the are trying to bite the other fishes tails and somes nibble there body


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## nigaphan (Oct 28, 2003)

yea man cycle the tank with gold fish and then go from there..........u kinda rush everything when u got into the hobby........and now you know.......hope you do better on your next batch


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## jdk79 (Feb 22, 2003)

Having the goldfish in there now is a good idea it will speed the cycle. I wouldn't have 20 in there. 10 would of been enough. I wouldn't go adding any oscars?? There cool fish and why would you just want to see them get eaten. Keep the goldfish in there by themselve till the end of the month and test the water and if everything looks good add some piranha.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

sounds to me like slime desiese.......


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## camotekid (Sep 21, 2003)

i see you have a 7g gal tank. have it cycled for a month or so then gradually adding fish, dont use p's right away. be patient. now there's this product called bio-spira than can speed up cycling process, you can use it. and have a regular check on water parameters until everything's ok.


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## camotekid (Sep 21, 2003)

i mean 75g tank....sorry


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## vlahos (Sep 7, 2003)

poor fish. how long you let the tank cycle for


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## ChosenOne22 (Nov 23, 2003)

dont let the p's eat the oscar thats just a waste of money and a good fish


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

well a week lol but my test kit must be messed up cause i watched all the levels go up then down! grrr


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

but im getting a job at a local fish store (i hope! only if hiring) so i'll learn a lot from that!


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## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> but im getting a job at a local fish store (i hope! only if hiring) so i'll learn a lot from that!


 I wouldnt count on it...


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

count on what


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## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> count on what


 Learning alot form the lfs...they dont know sh*t..
everything that has to be learned is right here on p-fury


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

no like learning about the different types of fish and looking at them and watch them to learn how they live


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## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> no like learning about the different types of fish and looking at them and watch them to learn how they live


 Sounds great ...good luck with the job


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

thx


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## nigaphan (Oct 28, 2003)

i dont know about the job slipx888......hobby one thing doing it all day







cleaning tanks.....dealing with customers







friends gotta shop.......it sucks


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## Mr. Hannibal (Feb 21, 2003)

Sorry to hear that man...better luck next time...














!


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

When setting up my new tank I tested the water every day and it took a month to cycle but it is worth it. I just checked my water last night with my Ps being in there for a few days and the water is still 100% perfect.


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## STIFFY (Jul 9, 2003)

Also when you check it every day you see exactly how the cycle works. Its one thing to read about how it works but actually seeing it for yourself is a great learning experience.


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## OoH (Nov 28, 2003)

you dont deserve any more p's... irresponsible









jk, i only cycled my tank for 2 days before i dropped my baby rhom in... the night before it came in, i added amquel, and it fixed my ammonia problem


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## X-D-X (Jul 3, 2003)

Good luck to whatever you decide to do!!


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## InIndiana (Nov 6, 2003)

Gotta be patient and let it cycle. If you buy about 3 OZ. from the LFS of Bio Spira, you can let it work its magic in about 3-4 days and it should be ready if you prepare it right.. And if you work at the LFS , u can get a discount


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

sorry to hear about the piranha. It's always a sad situation. There is this new stuff by Bio-Spira that is live bacteria/culture that actually cycles a tank over night. All you need is some cheap fish to put in for a day and the tank is cycled. The stuff is pretty new and is kept in a fridg. You should look into it.( don't let the fish store talk you into buying Cycle or some other crap, it's not the same thing by a long shot).


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## akio525 (Sep 4, 2003)

sorry to hear about your loss. Im not positive they died from high levels of ammonia because Ive had plecos in uncycled tanks before and none have ever died like your p's and pleco did. Working at the lfs will help you learn more about other fish but I doubt youll learn much about piranha working there. good luck settin up another piranha tank.


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## Runningmad (Aug 13, 2003)

sccavee said:


> Here's what you need to do. If you have not already, buy a complete test kit (ammonia, Nitrite, and nitrate at least). Test your tank as it is now. Then test the water out of the tap you are using. Some tap water may have nitrate. Get some goldfish put them in your tank wait a few days test your water. You should see a increase in ammonia levels. Then a few days/weeks you will see the ammonia drop and nitrite increase. Then a few days/weeks you will see ammonia go to 0 and nitrite to 0 and nitrate will show up. Wait a few days and make sure ammonia and nitrite stay at 0. If they do then the tank is cycled and you can add Ps.
> 
> DO NOT ADD THEM BEFORE THE TANK IS CYCLED!










no offense slip, but you should spend more time reading the some of the pinned posts instead of flooding the boards. not saying that's a bad thing, but its a lot of money to invest in p's and the whole set up. maybe its just me, but i read all i could before adding my P's to a tank and dropping all that money. just my 2 cents. hope everything works out for you. good luck with the next shoal


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

thats sad your p's died and i am not going to go on about cyling tanks i think you got the message
dixon


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

camotekid said:


> i see you have a 7g gal tank. have it cycled for a month or so then gradually adding fish, dont use p's right away. be patient. now there's this product called bio-spira than can speed up cycling process, you can use it. and have a regular check on water parameters until everything's ok.


 I use that stuff, its realy good.

I sugest you just keep goldfish for a month or 2 to practice aquarium maintance before jumping into expencive fish. like most things patince is very important.


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## dudelo560 (Oct 30, 2003)

the pet smart in new jersey dosnet sell p'z


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## SiameseDream (Sep 7, 2003)

Sorry, couldn't help my self.

Seriously though, before you set up a new tank, please do some research first. You may have read up on this site, but make sure you cover EVERYTHING this time, including proper airation, feeding (only feeders isn't necessarily good), ammonia/nitrates. Also make sure you add dechlor to your water after all water changes. Very important :nod:


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## InIndiana (Nov 6, 2003)

God that last post was dirty lol


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

I think we should give this guy a break, some of you guys are kinda being hard on him.

live and learn


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

nitrofish said:


> I think we should give this guy a break, some of you guys are kinda being hard on him.
> 
> live and learn


 Yeah this kind of thing can happen to anyone - anyone remember about 6-8 months ago many of my fishes died overnight?


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## SLANTED (Dec 7, 2003)

It's gotta suck to lose p's and find out it was preventable. Don't worry, we all made bone head mistakes when we started out.


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## Noble (Nov 9, 2003)

Hey Slip,

Now that you have the tank you are past the hard part. Most people have a hard time aquiring a tank and setting it up. Now that you have time just set the tank up properly. Get some Bio Spira heheheh.

No , but seriously, it sucks but you can cycle the tank now without stressing or hurring the process and then buy some small 1"-2" Piranha and watch them grow from scratch.

You can get the small ones for liek $5 bucks a pice. that slike 6 P's for $30.

Then you have a bunch of P's again when your tank is ready.


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## t_h_e_s_a_c_k (Nov 16, 2003)

There's a product called CYCLE that does what bio spira does, only it takes longer ( a week or two ). Sucks that you lost your fish... some parents are wierd like that. My mom wanted me to get rid of my p'z when they half ate one, i guess cuz she felt so bad for it.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

yup ill admit i am still kinda a newb with piranhas...but yeah it was the cycling...I MADE THE BIGGEST NEWBIE MISTAKE LOL! I THOUGHT MY NITRATE LVLS WERE MY NITRITE! thats why i thought the cycling was done so fast!! but i found the actual nitrite bottle and tested it and right now its really high! and ammonia is kinda high too! so it IS the cycling lol u r all right! but im still wanting to get a job with the lfs because ill get so used to cleaning tanks, that cleaning mine will be a breeze and it wont seem anywhere near as annoying as before cause ill b used to it.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

wut do u guys think i should do the day my tank finishes cycling? should i keep the goldfish in there for a couple more days or weeks to make sure its safe? or should i take the goldfish out and put some kind of test fish to make sure its safe? wut kind of fish would be good for that? or can i just get the piranhas? i do have a 29g and a 20g tank set up for the goldfish if i need to put them in another tank for now? right now the cycling is at the spot where ammonia is a kinda high and nitrite is really high. pH is high too. but i put some stuff in to make the ph go down.


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## Noble (Nov 9, 2003)

In one of the posts you originally made a week ago or so maybe a little longer, I said to make sure you check the difference between Nitr-I-te levels and Nitr-A-te levels.

But since the post moved down the board so fast I don't think you read it.

But anyways it seems like you are getting the hang of it. Good luck with the next venture.


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

so...wut should i do the day my tank finishes cycling?


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## jdk79 (Feb 22, 2003)

What I would do is test the water every 2-3 days just to kind of see the pattern... so you might not see the exact day your tank cycles totally. When everything is at 0's its safe to add the piranha. So if you catch the day they all read 0 go ahead and throw the red's in. You can do what ever you want with the goldfish in there. I myself wouldn't have 20 goldfish with the reds to start it puts alot of bio-load on the tank. If you plan on feeding them to the p's just put them in a spare tank you have all ready set up and just take them out to feed them as needed but you want to use other foods also not just feeders.


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## Noble (Nov 9, 2003)

OK, when you get the tank cycled, order 5 small 1"-2" Piranha from Ash. Being small they wont overload the bio sphere too much. get like 5. Take out most of the goldfish and leave like 3 in there.

with 8 small fish in there in should be good.

Then make sure you have proper filteration. WHat filter set ups do you have (I know you probably mentioned)?

With all that in place you should be fine. Check the water after the first day. It should be relatively the same as before you put the fish in.

Then change the water about 15-20%once a week and make a routine of doin the water change once a week. Not too much though as you don't want to take out too much of the good bacteria. Then come back here on the board and let us know how its going.

With the small fish to start it should be easy on the bio load and then the fish can slowly grow into the tank along with the growing/adjusting bioload.


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

slipx888 said:


> so...wut should i do the day my tank finishes cycling?


 you have to keep some fish in thier to keep it cyced, without fish it will uncycle itself and you will have to start all over again


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## jahnke31 (Dec 4, 2003)

Good luck man, with the job and with the fish!!! enjoy those p's!


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## TANK (Nov 18, 2003)

First thing is to relax, slow down and think this through. What you "did" to kill the fish is something that about 90% of us have done. You seem like you keep getting ahead of yourself (we all did to!!). 
Take the advice of the other members and cycle your tank first. Use a few of the feeders. DO NOT add anything else until the tank has completly cycled. 
If you do it "naturally" it could take 2 weeks or 3 months. This may not be a bad thing because as the tank is cycling you can do research on what you would like to keep. At the same time you will have time to learn the "basics" of fishkeeping. 
After the tank has cycled wait another week, check the water again. If it is still good order your fish. Again follow the other members advice and get 5 one to two inch fish. Make sure that you follow the rules of proper acclimation. 
Now for the next 2 or 3 weeks feed SPARINGLY. DO NOT overfeed. If you do the ammonia will spike again and cause your fish stress. 
In the meentime tell your folks that you PROMISE to do all the research BEFORE you get more fish. Then actually do the research. If they see you are trying to do the right thing im sure theyll let you have more Ps. GOOD LUCK!


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## master_of_puppets (Aug 29, 2003)

sorry to hear that man


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

TANK said:


> First thing is to relax, slow down and think this through. What you "did" to kill the fish is something that about 90% of us have done. You seem like you keep getting ahead of yourself (we all did to!!).
> Take the advice of the other members and cycle your tank first. Use a few of the feeders. DO NOT add anything else until the tank has completly cycled.
> If you do it "naturally" it could take 2 weeks or 3 months. This may not be a bad thing because as the tank is cycling you can do research on what you would like to keep. At the same time you will have time to learn the "basics" of fishkeeping.
> After the tank has cycled wait another week, check the water again. If it is still good order your fish. Again follow the other members advice and get 5 one to two inch fish. Make sure that you follow the rules of proper acclimation.
> ...


 best advice I have heard yet. its true, and even I have lost fish because of an un cycled tank.its all a learning experience


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

Noble said:


> OK, when you get the tank cycled, order 5 small 1"-2" Piranha from Ash. Being small they wont overload the bio sphere too much. get like 5. Take out most of the goldfish and leave like 3 in there.
> 
> with 8 small fish in there in should be good.
> 
> ...


 well the bacteria is accually in the gravel and filters, so doing large water changes wont hurt. I do 50% twice a week. you will have to check the nitrates and change as often as needed to keep levels safe. every setup is different.


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## Black-Phoenix (Oct 21, 2003)

you have a ton of questions and all are valid.....let me give you the best advice I ever got...when in doubt slow down and buy a book....go spend 10-20 buck on a good book and reed it........not only will your fish apriciate it you will have a very good base of knolage to build upon. I have had many fish pass because of lack of info, something we all go through.

"when in doubt slow down and buy a book"...not to confuse you but when your four wheeling this dosn't apply....It should read...."when in dobt hammer down!"


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## Hehehe I just (Jul 13, 2003)

sorry about your loss dude, but that is kinda irresponsible. Just thinkit over and think about if keeping fish is for you, or is it just a passing fad type of thing for you?


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

aight thx im still trying to get a hold of the store grrr. BUT YESTERDAY MY HIGH SCHOOL (DAMASCUS HIGH SCHOOL) WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL 4A CHAMPIONSHIP AT RAVENS STADIUM!! WE ARE MD STATE CHAMPS IN THE HIGHEST DIVISION! anyway lol, i will have to be take 10 goldfish out of the 75g tank and put 5 in my 29g and 5 more in my 20g and ill still have 10 left that will stay in my 75g


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

o trust me its not a fad ive had fish for five years! and they didnt even eat meat! so this time itll be even better once i get the hang of it


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

dam just called the fish store and there not looking for anyone right now but they want me to come in this weekend. o well. i also called the other pet store and they dont have any open spots until after new years...grrr! o well, more time to read up and get more info on stuff so ill be ready to work with fish!


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

goldfish seem like the most boring fish after having piranhas (even though it was for only 4 days).


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## slipx888 (Nov 19, 2003)

these lfs seem to have a grudge on 16 yr olds cause they are saying: "well i dont know, ur only 16 and thats minium work age" thats bull sh*t man, i know a lot about fish and some ppl that are age 25 get jobs there and there clueless about fish. or at least i think they hire ppl like that. well anyway they still bein gay bout it. i would learn so quick because i luv fish!


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