Coloured glass fish are stressed already with the artificial colouring process. Most likely they would have not survived even in an already cycled tank. Loaches are extremely sensitive to water conditions. I don't have experience with bala sharks.

If you are going to do a cycle with fish get a couple of danios. Get a test kit - and don't introduce fish until the tank is cycled.

What is Novaquil? I Googled it, but I didn't get anything.

After you put the fish in, how often was the water changed? Does the tank have a filter and a heater?

Cycling shouldn't kill fish like that unless you let the tank get too dirty, thus filling it with ammonia. I've been lectured a bunch for having neon tetras while my tank is cycling, but they've been doing just dandy.

As a side note, if you want active fish, neon tetras are the way to go. They're always moving around, and they eat like crazy. Mine eat algae in addition to flake food, and they pick out any food that gets blown into the gravel by my filter.

I may have spelled it wrong. It's a declorinator. What should i test for.

Danios work great for cycling and are such great fish! You need water test kits for Ammonia, Nitites and Nitrates. Get the test tube type, they are far more accurate. It's not hard to do either. Read up on cycling, do a google search on it. You need Ammonia to be 0, Nitrate to be 0 and NitrAtes to be between 5-10.

Don't give up! It's a great and very RELAXING hobby and we can ALL use more relaxation!

Tom

Did you mean Novaqua?

First of all, PLEASE research fish before you buy them. None of those tank can handle cycling a tank and none can survive in a tank that size, especially the bala. They have very specific needs, like they need to be in a school of at least 3 and need a 100 gallon tank eventually. Take back the clown loaches if you can and research a more suitable fish. Here are some ideas. Don't buy all of them, they are just ideas to go from, then we can help you with care, tankmates, and numbers.

Guppies, platies, balloon mollies (make sure they are all one sex before buying)
cories
dwarf gouramis
most types of tetra (must be kept in a school of at least 6)
Otocinclus
danios (prefer schools)
African Dwarf Frogs
1 fancy goldfish
killifish
rasboras (schooling)

For more ideas, try this site:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=830

Also, the best way to cycle your tank is Fishlessly. There are a few ways to do this, and it is superior because you don't have the stress of doing water changes every few days to multiple times a day, and no fish will be harmed or killed. 1) If you've got another healthy and cycled fish tank, hook the new filter onto that tank for 2-3 weeks to seed benaficial bacteria. When you buy your new fish, switch the filter over. 2) Add a tiny bit of clear, scentless, soapless, surfactantless cleaning ammonia to the running tank every day. Moniter the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and when the first two hit zero (about 4-6 weeks), do a series of large water changes over a period of a couple days. Now its safe to add your fish. 3)Sometimes the safe type of ammonia is hard to locate. You can also add a few cheap fish flakes to the running tank every day; enough to feed the fish you intend to buy. Once a week change 25% of the water (just as if you had fish in there) to keep phosphates low. Once ammonia and nitrites hit zero (5-7 weeks) do a series of large waterchanges over a period of a couple days, then add the fish.

Please consider the fishless method of cycling. It is humane and perfectly safe and effective. I, and many other fish keepers use this method instead of the old method of cycling with minnows or danios.

To cycle fishlessly, you can also buy bacteria and put them directly into your water instead of waiting for them to come naturally. My local fish store sells two types of bacteria packages. The first is a refrigerated pack with guaranteed live bacteria, and it's about $10. Using it will cycle the tank in a matter of days. The second is just a bottle with dead and dormant bacteria for about $3, and it will cycle a tank in two weeks. But the bacteria need food, however, so you'll need to add ammonia by some means.

I really doubt that cycling would kill fish that easily since neons are supposed to be really sensitive, and mine have been in the tank since day 1, perfectly healthy. I think cycling killing fish is mostly paranoia, like other pet care rules your read about in books and on the internet. I've raised lots of animals from infancy, and in general, following the rules is totally unncessary.

Before anyone jumps on me for that, I'm not suggesting that people *should* cycle with fish. It's always better to act with caution. (I wouldn't have cycled my tank with fish if I'd known what I was doing *before* I bought them.) I'm only saying that I think it's more likely that something else is the cause of the fishs' death, given my personal experience. It wouldn't do to just assume it was cycling, wait for it to finish, and then get new fish only to have them die again from the actual cause.

That said, could you please give more detailed information on the tank's setup and maintenance?

Kitty pretty much covered it, but. The bateria in a bottle, even the Bio-Spira by marineland (the refridgerated one), works but the ammount of time varies. Cycling with fish may or may not kill them. It depends on your particular water supply and other variables. Ammonia toxicity depends on pH and water temperature. The higher the pH and water temp. the more toxic ammonia gets. Also, if the fish don't die durring the cycle establishment, they are deffinatly affected because of the toxic conditions. This may cause premature death. Check out these articles for the fish cycle. There is also a free on-line "free ammonia toxicity calculator" from Perdue universities website. Danios are hardy fish and a popular choice for cycling a tank, but if you don't want them in the end its not a good choice. Fishless cycling is easy and only takes about a month. Cycling a tank with fish is not necessary.

Here is a link that might be useful: bio chemistry 101

Interesting....
I always heard that FW fish were alot easier than SW. It appears buy these statements it is not true. They are similiar in most respects. I have a 75 Reef and cycling is done by Liverock and Livesand (LR & LS). I guess i'll go ahead and buy the test kits and test the water. I've currently been using tap water for the freshwater tank. I use RO/DI for my reef. Can i use that without any additives or what should i add to it.

Kitty,
The tank is a 18 gal Jebo Bowfront. It has a heater set at 76. The power filter in the canopy use a filter floss for detris and small ceramic pieces for biological filtration. It did not come with any carbon. He has done two 5 gal water changes in three weeks. Not exactly the best setup but i figured good enough for a 12 yr old and a couple of fish. If he gets into it more i guess we can modify and upgrade.

Thanks for all your advice. Anything else.

Skeeter

12 is a great age to sit him down and do some research for his tank. Let him visit FW fish sites or have him go to the library to take out a couple of books so he can research as to what type of fish he may be interested in AND what fish are compatible to each other. If that heater is set for 76 only, then you may not be able to keep the type of fish he is interested in. So he needs to understand that there are limitations in setting up his tank.

Some kinds are attracted to shape, others colour. I suggest have him choose one fish that he likes, and then build some tank mates around that fish.

While the tank is cycling is a good time for him to start researching on fish he'd like in the tank.

And just don't let him overstock it. 18 gallons is a good starter size, but it does limit one to the size and number of fish.

Most tests, pH, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia are interchangable. I use API Freshwater master test set, it comes with saltwater and freshwater color charts. Nitrite poisoning is one thing you don't have to worry about so much in SW. I guess because o the salinity in the water. In FW salt is used to block Nitrite poisoning. I am setting up a mixed reef at this moment, 75G. It is similar to doing a freshwater planted, in a way. Saltwater is alot more expensive, thats for sure. You can use RO/DI water or freshwater, one of the things I picked up or my reef. You should add a freshwater trace element if you use 100% RO/DI. Some ish more then others do better with the right ammount of trace elements in the water to help fight disease and parasites.On that link I gave, in the column to the left is a link or plants and Ferts for sale. Click it and scroll down to the PPMD ferts. The $1.50 pack should last about 2 years for that tank (or close). If you deside to plant the tank`(a hobby within the hobby) get the first time order kit. I only use this stuff now so I can control idividual nutrients. Anyway the cycle is the same with FW and SW,except for how the initial ammonia is introduced. In SW the live rock and sand as you mentioned, in FW the fish excretions or better fishless ammonia supplement. Fishless is actually easier because you don't have to stress over keeping fish alive and can keep the ammonia up to speed up the process, or less water changes and maintainance.

Nitrates are not as critical in marine tanks unless you are keeping corals oe very delicate fish species. Nitrite levels are just as important in one as the other. Nitrites interfer with the bloods ability to carry oxygen.

Lisa

"He has done two 5 gal water changes in three weeks."

Yeah, that'd do it. The water has to be changed very often to keep the ammonia level down. The rest of your tank setup sounds fine. =^_^=

A great reference which I highly recommend:

"The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums" by David Boruchowitz. I read it from cover to cover (several times) and I still refer to it.