Aquarium Forum http://forum.aqua-fish.net/ A forum devoted to aquarium fish, plants, techniques and fish keeping as a whole. en Help my fish<script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'> <!-- --> </script> http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=help-my-fish#1 I just killed about five random fish in a ten-gallon fish tank before I finally did some proper research and learned about how poorly I was taking care of my fish. I researched some hardy starter fish, and already had three cinnimon loaches, and I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to keep them from mysteriously going out. My water is cloudy and I don&#8217;t know how not to overfeed them, since the flakes just float to the bottom where the loaches can&#8217;t find them. I have 6 long finned black tetras and I&#8217;ve been putting tablets in that reduce ammonium levels for the two days I&#8217;ve had the fish. Please help me keep these poor fish alive! Fred original post: April 12, 2007, 3:55 pm anonymous 2008-05-02 Answer no. 1 http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=help-my-fish#2 Hi Fred, You didn’t tell us how large your tank is. Additionally, how old is your aquarium? Basic mistakes done by beginners are that they expect great water stability in small tanks which are relatively new. Small tanks don’t provide such stability which can be found in aquariums of 20 Gallons or larger. In order to clean the water, make sure you’re using quality filter. I recommend you to use 1 filter which is designed for 8-20 Gallon tanks. Secondly, aerate the tank (aeration should be part of filtration system). In my experience, your problem is the filter. I had the same problem when my primary filter broke down, so I replaced it with weak one. Water became brown in 1 month. After this experience, I bought a new Atman filter. Since that moment, my tank is clear as never before. Once the water becomes clear, you will not lose fish because of bad water quality. jan 2008-05-02