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hi there
Im fairly new to having a fish tank and i seemed to be going threw alot of fish..mainly because i really dont know much and i dont get much help at the stores i go too.
The Problem i have is that my fish are really dosile and just seem to float around all the time or there laying on the bottom. The water got really cloudy and i added some Tetra Aqua water clarifier and that hasn't seem to help the problem at all.
I have also been doing about a 30% water change i guess every week. I bought a new filter recently its a penn-plax Cascade 80.
I have a 10 gallon tank and inside i have 3 red and white ryuku gold fish 1 zebra and 2 golden mystery snails.

I dont have any thing to test my water..so i know i need a kit, but is there any thing else i can do to correct this problem right away before all my fish die?
thanks
mike

Hi Mike and welcome.

Since you are aware that you are in desperate need of tests, I will leave that alone.
For am immediate help do a 75% water change, temp match the water along with using a water conditioner.

You are overstocked which is leading to water quality problems.
GF require 10 gals of water each for fancy gf. Commons or comets need 20 gals each.
Reason being is they produce alot of waste that pollutes their water, and makes them ill. They need the right water quantity and quality in order to be healthy.

I know that this may be new info to you, but are you able to upgrade?

Thanks laura
I just finish doing another 30% change before i seen what you wrote...shall i do a 50% change tomorrow?
As for upgrading yes...we have thought about it as we are looking at a 30gallon tank and if our fish live that would be a perfect size for them...I also didn't mention before that the fins on the fish are tearing off..now i dont see any wounds on the fish it self though...is there a product that i can buy to help with the healing the fins or to stop it?
Like i said im new to this se every bit of info helps me out..i will look into buy a water testing kit tomorrow is there any specific brand that would be best?
thanks again
mike[COLOR=blue][SIZE=1]

Mike, drop tests are more aqcurate. I use Aquarium Pharmacuticals brand. STrips are less correct and don't allow for "small traces" of a deadly chemical.
You will need a ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and PH kits. It is also good to have on hand a GH and KH test as well. I believe the GH and KH come in strips which are fine for them.

To be honest at this point until we know the water quality I wouldn't add any medicine. Besides perfect water heals fins quicker than any med. Do I would d 30% changes each day until you get the tests.
If you can upgrade now, it would be best.

just a quick update...i have now bought a Hagen master test kit, it tests everything you can possibly imagine and did tests last night and my nitrate was low at 0.3 and the ammonia levels are low as well at about 0.1
I have since done one more 30% water change this morning and the water seems to be clearer now. As for the fish 1 of the 3 gold fish have died and the other 2 aren't doing so well...there just floating and staying where ever they float up against. Should i think about flushing them or just wait it out?
I have one other fish a small zebra and he seems to be doing great... he is zipping around like he owns the place
thanks for the help so far

Mike I wouldn't give up hope yet. (and if you believe it is time to do so then please don't flush them...it is a horrible death.).

0.1 ammonia is "ok" for a bit, keep working on it. This will help the tank to finish cycling but will buy you some time with the fish.

What are the other params?

Ok i just tested the water again today and here are my findings
ph=7.8
kh=90mg/L
nitrate=0.3
ammonia=0.1
gh=240mg/L
I did do any other test
as for the 2 remaining gold fish well...there still barely alive i find them stuck to the water intake for the pump but if i touch them they swim slowly away then back to floating around so i think its almost time to get rid of them.
i never did a water change today should i start spacing out my changes now that my water is cleared up?

Well it isn't cleared up yet, just a little better.
Have you tested the nitrites? These are different from nitrates.
The ammonia is still hurting them, but if you are using a good water conditioner with each change then it should be "ok".
I would do smaller changes, each time retesting an hour after the change.

And to be honest, with them stuck to the intake tube.......well it isn't a good sign.

Mike how is the fish doing?

hi there
sorry it took so long to reply.... was away working out of town...
Well i have the sad new that all my gold fish did pass on but my danio still lives...we did what you said and upgraded our tank (33 gallon)
We put the danio in there to start the cycle and have recently put in 3 tetras
Now with the knowledge i have about testing the water and doing 25% change every week i shouldn't have too many problems
thanks for the help
mike

Mike I am sorry to hear that they didn't make it. Hopefully with the knowledge you have now, as you say you will be able to handle things better.
My best to you and the danios.