Desperate advice needed for new aquarium and dying / dead ..

Short summary: I set up a new 60L (about 15 gallons) aquarium with potting
soil & quartz base and a few plants. I added a filter seeded from my
neighbor's tank and let it sit for 1 week. I then added two amano shrimp.
They were fine for the first week. At the end of the first week I changed a
small amount of the water, less than 20%. Within a few hours I noticed the
two shrimps behaving (swimming) very weird. They turned white and were
either swimming eradically or on their backs. I immediately took them out
and put them in my neighbor's tank and they didn't move much for a few hours
but finally recovered. I then left my tank fishless for almost 4 weeks.

Saturday I bought a very small Ancistrus and he started eating my algae
within 1 minute of being introduced to my tank. I watched him very closely
and he seemed to be doing fine. Sunday I added back one of the two Amano
shrimps that my neighbor had kept for me and the shrimp started eating algae
right away as well (a good sign I thought). Then Sunday night I found the
Ancistrus lying on his back. I got out my net and touched him with it and
he started swimming eradically (like the shrimps did). He came to the
surface a few times and poked his head out. Then he'd swim again and lie on
his back on the bottom. He did this a few times then stayed on the bottom
on his back. I then netted him and put him in an empty plastic water bottle
with some tank water, hoping to transfer him to my neighbor's tank but he
was already dead. I then took the shrimp, who seemed to be doing fine, and
put him in my neighbor's tank until I can get this problem figured out.

I'm really at a loss as to what is wrong with my tank. I use empty plastic
water bottles to do water changes. When I added the fish I was careful to
net them and not add any fish store water to my tank. I can't think of any
way I could have contaminated my tank since it was set up. Just before I
set it up I cleaned the tank with Mr. Clean but I rinsed it out many times
and then let it dry. When I mixed up the potting soil with a fertilizer
(not sure what the fertilizer was but my neighbor had it left over from when
he set up his tank so I'm sure it's specific for aquariums), I mixed it up
in an old bucket. Really this is all I can think of, the initial cleaning I
did on the tank and/or the bucket. But it's really weird because the fish
seem to be fine for a while and then suddenly die. If anyone has some
advice I'd be very greatful. I don't want to risk killing any more fish
until I get this solved. The only solution I can think of is to throw
everything away and start from zero. Buy new potting soil, new quartz, get
new plants, etc. and start new. Of course this is a last resort but I
really don't have any other ideas.

Thanks,
Michael

Michael <please_do_not_reply.RemoveThis@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bib7ga$s0$1@news-reader2.wanadoo.fr...
> Short summary: I set up a new 60L (about 15 gallons) aquarium with
potting
> soil & quartz base and a few plants. I added a filter seeded from my
> neighbor's tank and let it sit for 1 week. I then added two amano shrimp.
> They were fine for the first week. At the end of the first week I changed
a
> small amount of the water, less than 20%. Within a few hours I noticed
the
> two shrimps behaving (swimming) very weird. They turned white and were
> either swimming eradically or on their backs. I immediately took them out
> and put them in my neighbor's tank and they didn't move much for a few
hours
> but finally recovered. I then left my tank fishless for almost 4 weeks.
>
> Saturday I bought a very small Ancistrus and he started eating my algae
> within 1 minute of being introduced to my tank. I watched him very
closely
> and he seemed to be doing fine. Sunday I added back one of the two Amano
> shrimps that my neighbor had kept for me and the shrimp started eating
algae
> right away as well (a good sign I thought). Then Sunday night I found the
> Ancistrus lying on his back. I got out my net and touched him with it and
> he started swimming eradically (like the shrimps did). He came to the
> surface a few times and poked his head out. Then he'd swim again and lie
on
> his back on the bottom. He did this a few times then stayed on the bottom
> on his back. I then netted him and put him in an empty plastic water
bottle
> with some tank water, hoping to transfer him to my neighbor's tank but he
> was already dead. I then took the shrimp, who seemed to be doing fine,
and
> put him in my neighbor's tank until I can get this problem figured out.
>
> I'm really at a loss as to what is wrong with my tank. I use empty
plastic
> water bottles to do water changes. When I added the fish I was careful to
> net them and not add any fish store water to my tank. I can't think of
any
> way I could have contaminated my tank since it was set up. Just before I
> set it up I cleaned the tank with Mr. Clean but I rinsed it out many times
> and then let it dry. When I mixed up the potting soil with a fertilizer
> (not sure what the fertilizer was but my neighbor had it left over from
when
> he set up his tank so I'm sure it's specific for aquariums), I mixed it up
> in an old bucket. Really this is all I can think of, the initial cleaning
I
> did on the tank and/or the bucket. But it's really weird because the fish
> seem to be fine for a while and then suddenly die. If anyone has some
> advice I'd be very greatful. I don't want to risk killing any more fish
> until I get this solved. The only solution I can think of is to throw
> everything away and start from zero. Buy new potting soil, new quartz,
get
> new plants, etc. and start new. Of course this is a last resort but I
> really don't have any other ideas.
>
> Thanks,
> Michael
>
>

1- There could easily be residual Mr.Clean.
2- The potting soil could have had ingredients not safe for aquatic life.
3-Something could be rotting within the soil.

I see no reason to use soil in an aquarium. I would recommend that the tank
be stripped down, washed again with lots of clean water, and new gravel
bought. Skip the soil. Don't forget to really rinse off heaters, filters,
and other accessories. Keep all household cleaners as far away from the
aquarium as possible. Before adding your preferred fish, test the set up
aquarium with a cheap expendable fish to check for safety.

Jim