Help me Save my Pet fish !!!!!  

When I had a fish tank I always lost fish when I cleaned the tank, then I got an outside pond again whenever I cleaned the water some would die then someone told me don't clean the pond let them go and when I stopped cleaning the pond they lived a lot longer, apparantly they like it a bit dirty...

Yuo say that you are using a detergent in order to clean the walls of the aquarium! This is an absolute no-no! To clean the walls you should use old tank water and make sure that the new water you put in is at the same pH and temperature as the old water.

You don't even need to empty the whole tank out! How big is your tank? I change between 10 and 30 percent of the water once a week, and this keeps all of the toxic ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels down to a minimum.

Yes, only change about 20 percent of your water once a week, it is not needed any more unless you have a bunch of really messy fish.

Hi! First off, don't use any chemicals, detergents, or anything else like that to clean your tank. Just wipe the walls down with a brush. The detergent residue may be killing your fish. Second, you want to leave as much of your aquarium in tact, such as the gravel and fixtures, because they develop a bacteria that is beneficial and necessary for the fish to survive. So, if you are washing the gravel and fixtures, stop doing that. Again, just use a gravel vacuum. It will get the excess food and waste out without removing the bacteria. Third, stop using chemical additives after your water changes. Chlorine will evaporate out of the water, so you don't need to use anything to neutralize it. Remember, fish in the wild don't live in sterile water. It's not necessary to try to get the water as sterile as possible. Most chemical additives are bad for the fish.

The other possibility is what you are feeding them. The best food is what they would eat naturally, such as brine shrimp. If you are feeding goldfish flakes, get rid of that and replace it with tropical flakes. Supplement their diet with blood worms and brine shrimp and other foods fish would eat in the wild.

I hope this helps. Seriously, quit using detergent to clean your tank. That is very, very harmful to the fish! :-)

I wouldn't use the detergent anymore. If I do clean the inside tank walls, I have this magnetic scraper, or I just use some filter floss. Really, you could just use a paper towel to scrub it off. Also, make sure the temperature of the water you're adding is very close to the same temperature of the tank water. Temperature fluctuations can shock/kill fish. Be sure to do water changes once a week of about 20-25%, again make sure the temperature is similar. You could also be having problems with the ph. When you change the water, the ph may be different than the water in the tank. This could also cause the fish to go into shock/die.

I only change about 20% of my tank every week to two weeks, right now I don't have many fish but I use 3 gallons of water I put a third of a tablet of Start Right complete water conditioner and dechlorinator tank buddies by Jungle Labs (I purchase this at wal-mart)in each gallon and let it dissolve. I let the water sit for at least 24 hours at room temp. before I put it in the tank. Then I also change my filter to a fresh one but make sure to run it under water to remove any loose charcoal and to activate it. Also instead of cleaning the tank with a detergent use a algae brush or a magnetic tank scrubber. I hope that this helps. ALso if you purchase new fish always let the bag float on top to get the water to the same temp as your aquarium and I usually place a start right tab in whenever I purchase new fish because it has Allantion which is a natural skin protectant.

first off..... DO NOT USE and detergent or such chemicals to clean your tank.. also if possible treat your new water seperately and let it rest in a seperate container for two or three days... this ensures that the chlorine is completely gone.. next up you must ensure that the ph of the water doesnt fluctuate too much from that of the water in the tank.. temperature.. at the time of adding the water is also a concern.. these are factors that the fish hav to acclamatize to.. so lesser the fluctuation.. easier it is for them to get along... in the same way.. avoid cleaning the tank very frequently.. this also affects the well being of your fish.. changin about a quarter of the capacity.. say once a week or so is a good idea.. please note that you have to treat the new water before adding it to your tank... chlorine is a killer.. siphoning might be a good idea cos you can pull out the dirt accumulater in the gravel too.. but do be cautious not to suck in smaller fish by mistake.. and i also feel that you might be very new to this hobby... so i also suggest that being a beginner... try to opt for hardy fish... its better to go for hardier fish than ones that look better... well that atleast till you get a hang of things and know to maintain em better.. i would suggest fishes like say.. mollies.. cichlids.. etc.. well do yo homework befor u visit the petstore... cichlids for example are not community fishes.. oh.. one more thing that i want to mention is feeding.. never over feed... you can feed them two o three times a day.. but never put in more food than they consume in like five mins... also take out and discard the food that remains after five ten mins.. these contaminate the water real bad.. same is the case with dead fish.. remove them from the tank immediately.. uneaten food... dead fish etc cause ammonia build up in your tank.. this could poison the tank... well theres loads to proper fishkeeping.. i could keep goin on.. well these are some of the basics though.. hope they help... good luck.. kappy fish keeping