just started

[am3gross20]

well i just started my little ten gallon about a month ago. i think i did the set up wrong. this is what i did.first i mixed the salt and the water and added to the tank. then the crushed live rock.i let the tank run for about a week and put a blue damsel in there. then after two more weeks i added some live rock.7.5 pounds to be exact. at the samme time of the rock i added i cleaner shrimp. the damsel and the shrimp looked like they were not getting along.two days ago i woke up and the damsel was on the bottom not dead but on his side.i went ahead and flushed him any way. i havent checked any levels other than the salinity level. that has been runnig about 1.021. i know i need to buy that darn test kit and test the waters. what else should i do to make sure the next fish i buy dosent die. i did a water change today using water out of a new 5 gallon bucket that had a filter running on the side of it.this is a nightmare and i need somebody to straighten me out. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[leopard_babe]

What happened is that you cycled your tank with a live fish. You probably had an ammonia spike, and it killed the damsel. You need to go to the store and buy a test kit. After your tank cycles then you can add more fish, and be successful. Do you know about the cycle of a sw fish tank?

 

[wakeskater]

I AGREE WITH LEOPARD BABE YOUR TANK PROBABLY WASNT THROUGH WITH ITS CYCLE AND THE FISH DIED. HAVING DIED IT PROBABLY SPIKED AMMONIA WHICH IS A GOOD THING SO DONT WORRY. A TEN GALLON MAY SEEM LIKE A GOOD STARTING TANK BUT IF THINGS GET OUT OF HAND THEY GO DOWN HILL REAL FAST. GOOD LUCK.