aquarium maintenance

Question
QUESTION: madam,
     i have a 6 gallon aquarium with about 16 fish..my problem is that the fish die very frequently.The aquarium has an air pump for oxygen supply and no air filter or heater.The water in our area is very salty and saline.I have an inch of gravel.I am using dried worms and small pellets as food for the fish.I am also facing problem with cloudy water.Can i clean the gravel throughly and change water everyday(about 20%)?i use chlorine remover and fungus remover whenever i change water.Can you please suggest me the proper maintenance tips for the aquarium as i am a beginner?Also suggest me the most important devices i should use in the aquarium.Some of my fish rub the gravel in the tank and some of the fish always stay on top of the aquarium gasping.Is this signs of stress or disease?

Also suggest me the right food and medicine i should use compulsarily use for my aquarium.

I have referred many websites and i am confused by the description they give.So please give me guidance.

Is heater compulsary?

Is air filter compulsary?

One more thing i have to clarify madam--i am living in an area where aquarium dealers have less knowledge about aquariums and the exact medicine and devices.They are also not easily available.

I have been very descriptive as u mentioned on top.i am eagerly waiting for your guidance.

thanking u,
deepak


ANSWER: Hi Deepak. First of all you have way too many fish for your tank. This could very well be the source of all the problems you are having. In a six gallon tank you should only have maybe 3 very small fish. If you wish to try to keep more you may have to do very frequent partial water changes, siphoning your water from the bottom of the tank and replacing the water you have drained out. You should have a filter on your tank as well. A filter will help to turn over the water and provide more oxygen for your fish. There is not enough oxygen in your water because you say that the fish are gasping at the surface. They are suffocating. With as many fish as you have in that small a tank, the oxygen supply in the water gets used up quickly and must be replaced with a good turn over of the water at the surface and by doing frequent partial water changes. A filter will also help collect small particulate matter and remove some of the wastes that build up. Having a heater is going to depend on how warm the tank is without one and weather you are keeping cold water species or tropical species. A normal saltwater tank should be kept at 77F or 25C. I am sure the food you are feeding is fine. It is hard for me to say because different fish require different kinds of food and without knowing what kind of fish you have I cannot really go into the whole feeding thing. I can tell you that you should only be feeding once a day however. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!

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

QUESTION: hi jennifer,
         thanks for the advice you have given me regarding the maintainence.i will surely follow your guidelines.I have 2 green guppies,2 yellow mollies,3 black mollies,2 white molly,2 goldfish,1 shark fish,2 pink tetras,1 orange small tetra.I wanted to know the proper food for my fish.I also wanted to know about the preventive medicine for the fish.Can you please tell me details regarding bio-wheel,algae scrubber,aquarium salts,chlorine remover,fungus remover and their functions and uses.

thanking you,
deepak

Answer
Hi again. You should be feeding your fish any prepared flake or small pelleted food that is available to you. For the kinds of fish you have that would be fine. Variety is more important so you would want to purchase several different kinds and rotate them throughout the week. I don't usually recommend using any kind of medicine as a preventative. Medications should only be used when there is a disease present. Over use of certain medications may leave a pathogen immune to the treatment if a disease should present itself later on.
Bio wheels are a type of filtering media made of a porous fabric that rotate and are exposed the water and air as they rotate. This interaction between the water and oxygen help to colonize your good bacteria on the material helping to eliminate ammonia and nitrite from your tank.
An algae scrubber is a separate tank set up to promote the growth of algae. Your water is then filtered through this other tank and harmful phosphates and nitrates are removed. The algae that live in this tank utilize the waste products for their growth. With an algae scrubber filter you must have a separate tank or container that your water from your tank passes through and then back into your tank. It also needs good lighting on the algae tank to help promote its growth.
Aquarium salts are used in a freshwater tank to help fish build up their slime coats and make them less susceptible to disease and parasites. However it can also raise your pH and make your water hard so you have to be careful of how much you use and with what kinds of fish you are using it with. Certain fish do not do well in a tank that has too high of a pH.
Chlorine removers are just what they are called. They remove harmful chlorine from your water supply. These are really only needed if you use water from the city water supply where they use chlorine as a way of treating the water to make it safer to drink.
Lastly a fungus remover is a medication used to remove fungal infections from the fish. Fugal infections usually look like white tufts of cotton growing on the fish however there are many different forms of fungal infection even ones that are internal and very hard to diagnose. You should not use a fungus remover unless you see signs of a fungal infection on your fish.