hello i have kept coldwater fish for years with no problems whatsoever,and have now set up a 4ft tropical tank up at considerable expense.i have an external filter(fluval 404),heater etc etc.i set up the tank and let it settle for approx 2wks before adding fish.i had water tested which was all clear and added approx 20 gourami in various guises and 3 catfish,my local fish shop i wont name them but they arequite big in nottingham said it would be ok to put that many in at one go.all seemed well for the first week but since then i have lost all but 6 gourami,but the catfish are alive and well and are even growing.the temp is 25 centigrade throughout the tank. i put my airstone on for approx 3 hrs at night,my ph levels are fine but they still die,can somebody shed any light as to why they are dying.thank you :

Hi eddie You said you left the tank for 2 weeks before adding the fish but did you cycle it before hand, also you had the water tested and then added the fish but have you tested it since adding the fish as that may be the reason they have died. As soon as you add fish that's when you start to get the cycle going unless you do a fishless cycle.

hello goldie when you asked did i cycle my fish what exactly did you mean.i have tested my water once after and all was ok.since writing the first note this afternoon another 2 fish have died one with quite bad damage to itself the other untouched.i also have another fish badly marked but it is ok at the minute.i know that i probably have a killer on the loose but every fish previous was untouched.do you think it was a bad batch of fish because my dad keeps tropical fish too and he hasnt had much luck with fish purchased from this supplier also.one other thing i have no algea at all the tank and water are clean does this mean anything.sorry for sounding thick but it is bugging the life out of me and i hate it when one dies. thanks for all your advise

I was talking about Cycling the tank not the fish do you know how to cycle a tank? I have to tell you that I am not really the right person to advise you on the fish I am afraid because I am mainly coldwater, although the setting up and cycling of the tank is the same for both except that you need a heater for tropical, hopefully marc will come on soon as he will be better to advse you on the fish, it sounds like the retailer was not a good one how did the fish look when you bought them, did they seem healthy enough. I will see what I can find out about the fish you have/had.

is the tank heated, if not get a heater, 4 or 5 watts per gallon. for cycling the tank look at http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... hless-cycling-article.htm. putting 23 fish in the tank at one go is to much to quick, its to bigger increase in the bio load for the tank bacteria to cope with, add the fish a couple at a time over a couple of days.
hope this helps.
oh good the link does work

Eddie here is a link to another post off here about gourami for you to read http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... ic.php?topic_id=9&forum=3

hello icthytitch.yes the tank is 4ft long and has a300 watt heater.yes i thought putting that many in at once would be too much but was assured that it would be ok.never going back there again.when adding new water is it best to boil the water first and let it cool before adding to the tank.forgot to mention i have 3 very small plecss to and like the catfish are fine

thanks for that goldy looks like i put too many fish in at once to.just counted that i have 6 gourami left a couple were hiding.not buying from that shop again.thanks for your help

When stocking a tank be it tropical or coldwater you should always do it gradually so the filter can build up the good bacteria to cope with the fish waste. Also you don't need to boil the water unless you are doing a water change and want to get the replacement water the same temperture as the tank water, then you can boil some to add to the replacement water always useing a water conditioner as chlorine and chlorimine can kill the fish.

ps. What cat fish do you have.

hi goldy sorry dont no what they are called but they are nothing special about an inch long and swimming away quite happily.