showing my total ignorance here...and asking for any advice I can get.

[Jennie Lyons Klug]

I had a 10 gallon going that I was lucky if anything lived more than 6 months. I was down to the algae cleaner and one other when I was given a 20 gallon and a few fish for each of my children. The woman was closing down her tank to have surgery and was going to take a break from caring for fish. She was careful to make sure I didn't end up with snails that she was raising to feed her aggressive fish, except she forgot and encouraged me to keep using her current filters to make it easier to balance the tank. It contained snails.

We were given some catfish, the others I don't know..a few guppies, a few green swordtail fish and a water frog.

I realized after setting up the 20 gallon tank and tearing down the 10 gallon that the swordtail was very pregnant. We set back up the 10 gallon and put her in there. By morning, the other female swordtail was dead. The mom gave birth a few days later to about 36 fry. I'm not sure how many are left, close to 20 I would think. I know I have too many fish... I tired to give some away and plan to try again soon. Anyway...

that was a months ago, maybe February.

more recent, one of the fish laid eggs. I had had eggs one other time since having the tank set up and the fish ate them. I set up the 10 gallon tank again and moved the fish so my kids could experience eggs hatching. I thought they all died, I removed the fish, but it looked like the snails ate them. I had let it sit a while and then went to clean out the 20 gal and put the fish back into it from the 10 gal.

I used the siphon and was cleaning out the rocks while emptying the tank to clean and try to control the algae that I am assuming also came from the original filter. I've had a very hard time trying to get the tank to balance, usually having too much algae. I was considering putting the algae killer into the tank and clean everything really good before putting the fish back in...

until I discovered fry - at first I thought I had 5. Now that they are bigger, I have counted 9. I haven't been running the filter. I have been changing out 25-50% water maybe every other day. So far, they are still alive.

I want to reintroduce the fish into the big tank. If I thought I could get the babies out, I would transfer them to the smaller tank, but i don't think i can. I am having to do without a filter on the 10 gal and am constantly changing out its water to keep those fish alive. I really don't have the cash to get a new filter and the old one stopped working.

I have been feeding the babies brine.

My kids are ready to give up, but I like having the fish. I don't know what I need to do for the overall good of the tank. Well, I have a few ideas. I need to get rid of some of the swordtails. I need to get to the point where I have only the 20 gal going.

When can I try to safely combine the fish? this is taking up a lot of extra time that I really don't have. Do any of you have ideas on how I can move the babies if I can't put the bigger fish in yet?

I'm also looking for advice on how to keep the algae levels down.

 

[Thyra]

First we need to know what you actually have in equipment - heater? type of filter? and number of fish. A filter for a 10 -20 g tank can be had for maybe less than $20 depending on where you get - I would definitely get on line and get familiar with the prices of things. I agree I would concentrate on the 20g. Perhaps your LFS would take the extra fish.

 

[Fishman1995]

Your LFS should take the babies but i dont know if they will take them and pay you so if your lookin for money :/

Id wait until the babies are a good enough size where they're bigger than the other fishes mouth. What type of baby's are the others?

 

[Jennie Lyons Klug]

Your LFS should take the babies but i dont know if they will take them and pay you so if your lookin for money :/

Id wait until the babies are a good enough size where they're bigger than the other fishes mouth. What type of baby's are the others?

the only LFS is a pet supply plus, they said they will not take fish from individuals. So any fish whose mouth is smaller than the babies can go back in the tank?

 

[Jennie Lyons Klug]

The 20 gal has a heater and a filter that looks like this Marineland 350B Penguin Bio-Wheel Hang-On-Back Power Filter the one that was on the 10 gal was just smaller, having 1 filter inside and had no heater. both tanks have lights.

I have 4 catfish, 1 black algae cleaner, 1 frog, 2-3 probably guppies, 1 calvin (hobbs died when I moved the fish away from the eggs. My ds10 thinks that was the mom, he said when we first got the fish he read up on their breed, but doesn't remember what it was now, he said mom dies after spawning.) and roughly 15-18 swordtails that were born in Febish. last count on the new babies, I saw 9. they are probably 1/4" look like tadpoles with orange stomachs.

I know it sounds funny, but I really can't justify putting $20 into the fish right now. I am raising 4 kids on my own. I do ok normally, but my business suffers during baseball season and I just put funds into repairing my van and have to have more work done. When I started this venture, the woman who blessed us with the tank gave me everything I needed to keep going a while including filter materials to make my own and lots of food.

 

[Thyra]

I wish I knew a good way to help you. Maybe someone else will have some ideas. My take on this is you have way too many fish and can expect to get more. I don't understand the statement. ("1 calvin (hobbs died when I moved the fish away from the eggs. My ds10 thinks that was the mom, he said when we first got the fish he read up on their breed, but doesn't remember what it was now, he said mom dies after spawning.") Could you clarify all that? Is there someone who knows fish that could identify the catfish, and whatever a "black algae cleaner" is - they could be way to large for either of your tanks. If you have two filters you don't need another, but you probably will need another heater which is still going to cost about $15. Any chance you can return this to the person who "blessed" you with it all until you are ready to cope with a project like this?

 

[Fishman1995]

I assume your algae eater is a Pleco which gets HUGE and will outgrow your tank. Id assume your catfish must be Corydoras? and what is a Calvin? We need to know exactly what species of catfish you have to help you. Google Corydora catfish and Upside down catfish to see if either of those are yours. Then we can direct you in a good direction.