help me please.

[buddhababy]

so this is probably the third time that i've had to clean my tank due to death of fish, but every time i clean it and sterilize it and get it ready for the fish, they still die within a few weeks of getting them. i take very good care of them and keep the tank clean. I am now down to a dwarf gourami and two neon tetras. the thing i don't understand is, i used the same kind of tank as my other, i use the same filter and filter cartrages, the same heater, the same plants, the same airator, feed them the same food, and use the same water for the tanks and the fish in the other tank have been alive for over four years now yet the fish in the one tank can't last more than a few days to a few weeks. any idea of why this might be?

[stoddern]

has that tank been properly cycled?

[MadridKid]

how long have you had this tank?

[Julez]

You have to cycle the tank in order to get any fish to survive....

[Newman]

Because by cleaning the very fist time after your very first death in that tank has disrupted your cycle, and everytime you cleanded thereafter you havent allowed the cycle to complete. My tip is stop sterilizing it and bringing non-treated tap water (treat with dechlorinator first) ANYWHERE NEAR anything that goes into the tank. this includes the filter, filter media, heater, etc. always rinse those in old tank water.

For now, move your fish to the mature tank, buy some pure ammonia and keep adding that every few days to your death tank until you see it cycling. in order to monitor the cycling, YOU GOTTA have a liquid test kit with tests of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. read up on cycling in MissFishy's signature link. she is a member of this forum. that should be your first step.