Fishies,

Question
I got a little fish tank from a friend for christmas that says can hold up to 3 goldfish. I set up the tank and i did everything that it said to do, they we're doing fine. Then i moved and i had a white fish, with a red head [ sorry don't know the names, not a fish nut ] and after i cleaned it after i moved it was always swimming at the bottom and then i finally had to take it out of the filter and then it died. I just cleaned my fish tank again, and did everything the instructions said and now my calico fish with buggy eyes is at the bottom. I have one fish left, and i want to keep it cuz he's the cutest. Can you help me ? What am i doing wrong ?

Answer
Hi Cynthia,
 When you say "I cleaned it", what are you doing exactly?  In general, you should never thoroughly clean a fish tank. Doing so kills all the beneficial bacteria growing on surfaces in the tank.  It is these bacteria that keep the aquarium water healthy.   Rather, you should change about 25% of the water at a time.  You should do this once a week, every week.  

 NEVER, EVER, NEVER use soap of any kind anywhere near a fish tank. That will certainly kill your fish.  

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>