need help (proper tank set up)

Question
QUESTION: Hi Christy
       i  have had 2 aquariums i cycled them cleaned everything (disinfected
with salt not soap) heated it up everything. Every fish in my 10 gallon tank
died and my 6 gallon i only have two left ( including a molly which i took out
of the ten gallon because i needed her to get better but she will need to be
out of the 6 gallon soon so she has enough room)....
       ok now what im asking of you its kind of a lot but since your an expert
in this field it shouldnt be hard.
i want to know everything to get and to do BEFORE i get the fish...what kind
of water to use (if a specific) medicine they will need( in case they get sick) ph
anything i will need for temperature etc etc....i want to know everything i
need. I will worry about getting the fish and taking care of the fish after i
finish all of this so in case i was unclear about before because i know its all in
a buddled mess i want to know
1. What i need
2. What i need to do
BEFORE getting the fish i will get back to you when i am ready for fish
in case you would need to know so you can help me i am going to get 2 dwarf
gouramis, 4-6 otts(half for both tanks), 3 mollies, and im not sure what they
are called you may not know what they are but they are basically tanslucent
with blue or pink in them.....but if you could do this for me i would really
appreciate it i killed around a good 10 fish do to incorrect ph levels not clean
enough either way inproper care and i feel horrible about it i really want them
to live well and i will soon be getting a 20-30 gallon not sure what size yet
but i would really appreciate this if you could.

-thanks alot
         Nikki


ANSWER: Hi Nikki
Let me ask you a few questions first to get a better idea of all that happened.  A lot of people have "misconceptions" about what cycling a tank is exactly.  Some think that just letting a tank run without fish or anything in it for a week is cycling.  And, it's not their fault, it's the pet stores or even the instructions that come with the fish tanks that say that stuff.  
Did it cycle for about 8-12 weeks, and did you end up with an ammonia and nitrite reading of 0 and some nitrates showing when it was done cycling?  
Were you adding a ph product to alter the ph?  If not, why do you say the ph killed off the fish?
How soon did the fish die after you had them?

The fish you listed that you plan on getting...I only recommend 1 gourami to a tank.  Even the dwarf gouramis have the potential to become aggressive to one another.  Oto cats, it's recommended to have 1 for every 10 gallons.  And the translucent with pink/blue, most likely painted glass fish, here's a photo:

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article3.html

I don't recommend those because they're injected with a dye to get the pink, blue, and green colors.  It's a very painful and cruel process for them to endure, and I don't recommend the purchase of any dyed fish.  The dye will eventually wear off, it weakens the fish leaving them more prone to illnesses, and shortens their life span.  

As far as what you need to start a tank, tap water is usually fine, water dechlorinator to remove chlorine and chloramines from water if you're on city water, a test kit to test ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates-preferably a liquid dropper test kit, they're more accurate, a gravel vacuum, 2 or 3 buckets for water changes, a thermometer if keeping tropical fish(floating kind is better/more accurate), a heater(approximately 5 watts per gallon and also one that lets you adjust the temperature not a preset one), a tank, and filter-that's really it.  Other stuff I recommend to keep on hand is aquarium salt for treating ich and parasites, some MelaFix and PimaFix for minor injuries and infections, and that's really all I can think of at the moment.

Do you know how to do a fishless cycle?

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i realise this isnt a question but i will give you a follow up so you can help me with the fishless cycle....ahh i see what i may have dont i did not test for nitrite and ammonia..i only cycled the tank for a week and a half just about everything i read was a week so i let it go for a week and a half..yes i was using a ph kit to alter the ph( was this a bad decision)....and no i do not know how to do a fishless cycle but enlightening me on it would be much appreciated
thank you

Answer
Hi Nikki
To do the fishless cycle, probably the easiest way is to get a cocktail shrimp and put it in either a mesh filter media bag, or a pair of pantyhose/nylons with the leg cut out.  Knot it closed, and toss it in to the tank and let it rot.  This is your ammonia source, as it rots it'll put out ammonia-starting the cycle process.  Don't do any water changes, just top off the water as it evaporates, and be sure to periodically test the ammonia and nitrite levels.  When ammonia and nitrites read 0 ppm, and there's nitrates present, you're tank is cycled.  You want to keep the nitrates ideally under 20 ppm and ammonia and nitrite at 0 ppm once it's done cycling. When it is done, remove the shrimp, do a water change, then add a few fish soon after.  The beneficial bacteria that's grown in the tank needs a constant ammonia source to survive.  Here's a link that explains all about what the cycle process is, it's the first article:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

As for the ph, no it's generally not recommended to alter your ph.  Usually those products don't work, unless you really know what you're doing-there's more to it then just dumping it in.  It'll cause the ph to change for a short time, but eventually it'll shoot up or down dramatically, causing ph shock to the fish, and usually killing them as well.  A steady and stable ph is much better for fish, and most fish are tank bred as opposed to being wild caught, so they can handle a wide variation in ph from 6.0-8.0 just fine.  So, you're best off just leaving it where it should be for your water.

Hope that helps, and let me know if you have more questions.

Christy