Need Help/Information

[TipJack]

Hello,

I have a 3-4 gallon Tank with airator, filter, marbles, heater, and I had had a castle in there but I took it out for a little bit.

I have 3 neon glofish, 1 guppy, and 2 Dwarf African Frogs. I believe they are all male.

I noticed yesterday that one of my frogs kept floating upside down and just laying there on the marbles, still upside down. I think I read somewhere that it's normal for some frogs to do that.

When I got home to check on him, my mom noticed that something was wrong with my green glofish. It's back tailfin is missing, (chewed off maybe?) and it's trying to swim but can't really do much except float and sometimes it can swim down but can't really go where it's trying to. I don't know if the other fish did it, or what, I read that the fish are maybe a little nippy but don't inflict damage on eachother, they are pretty active though. I also don't know what I should do with the one with no tail, will it heal itself so it will be able to swim? Or do I find a way to put it out of it's misery?

Thank you so much for your help, if you have any ideas please let me know.

 

[homebunnyj]

What you have there is kind of like six people living in a closet and going to the bathroom in a corner. It's unhealthy for one, and they will obviously fight for space for another thing. Death is a given in that situation. That size tank could maybe support one small fish. Actually I would use it for a betta fish only.

As to what to do, you need to remove most of the fish; maybe keep the guppy and a frog. You also need to change out the water, at least 30% every single day to keep them from being poisoned in their own waste. The ammonia level is most likely through the roof. Once a tank is well established, with a proper stocking level, you only have to do partial water changes once a week or so.

If you can get a 20 gallon tank you could keep all your fish. Even a 10 would be an improvement; it would be like the six people going from the closet to a one-bedroom house: still cramped but not so desperately bad.

 

[MissFishy]

Hey TipJack, I'm also from MI!

I agree with everything Homebunny is saying. You really need to read up on how to care for these fish and what a proper environment is, the way you have it now = death of everyone in the tank within a week or so due to ammonia poisoning. Take a look at the link in my signature, specifically "Cycling a Tank", "How Many Fish Can I Have" and "Tank and Equipment" pages.

As for the fish you have already, the only thing you can do for it is make absolutely sure you read up on cycling a tank and what that means. Same for the frog. Both of these issues are related to ammonia poisoning and over-crowding/aggression issues.

 

[TipJack]

I never realized that my aquarium was too small. I am REALLY getting irritated at the person who sold me the aquarium and the fish store. The person I bought it from, at a garage sale, said that they had 8 fish in it and it was fine. At first I just had a Beta and a frog, and then I went to the pet store and they said a mollie would do great in with the beta and frog, so I brought it home and the beta tried to kill it. So my friend took the Beta home, and I went back and got some more fish, which the person said "Yeah Betas don't get along with mollies, so try these ones instead, they go good with mollies." which was a guppy, platy, and glofish (the one who's bobbing around now) the guppy and platy died, and I figured it was because I didn't have a heater. So I got a heater and another guppy and this wierd little bottom dweller fish the guy said would do great, (again, I told him the size of the tank and everything, and the workers said 2 small fish per gallon, so I figured I was fine.) The guppy died, and then the bottom dweller fish got really weak and stuck to my filter and after I took the filter out it just didn't act right until it died too. I figured it was the filter, so I got a new filter (a less-powerful one) and I got the guppy, 2 more glofish, and the frog had been for my friend but we fell in love with him so I thought I would keep him. I got home, cleaned the tank out again, (I clean it completely once a week, and then make sure the temperature is good before I put them back in) and then put them in. That was Wednesday afternoon. Today the frog is dead and my little neon is just bobbing around, I still see it's gills moving but that's it. I feel just awful, and I'm so frustrated that no one had told me that I needed a bigger aquarium. I thought I was doing good by it, I love having fish but I don't know if my parents, after all of this, will let me get a bigger aquarium or not. The 20 gallon tank at wal-mart is good, but it's $40-50, I'd need to buy a new filter/heater, and it'll take up way more room and I have no idea where to put it now. I guess I'll just have to figure something out. I'll try cleaning it more often too, and definatly read up on cycling, I've never heard of it before. Again, something I think the fish store should have told me about.

I do have one more question though, what should I do with the fish that's just bobbing around, is there anyway he'll be able to swim again, or should I find a way to put it out of it's misery? I hate sounding morbid but I really don't want it to suffer.

Thanks again, if you know anyone in the thumb area that has a cheap tank for sale I might be able to.

Sammi

 

[homebunnyj]

Don't despair. You can either look for a used tank cheap (watch Craigslist and your local classifieds), or go back to keeping just a betta until you can save up some money for a bigger tank. And I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way not to listen to anyone at a fish store; they're either looking to make a sale, or just ignorant.

Stop completely cleaning the tank. Good bacteria grow on the hard surfaces -- inside the filter box, on the ornaments, gravel, and so forth. Those bacteria break down the waste into less toxic substances. Just do partial water changes. If the filter gets clogged, swish the filter media in some of the used tank water you just removed, then replace it in the filter box. Also, you need to feed only what your fish will eat in a couple of minutes, and only once every other day until enough beneficial bacteria have grown to be able to deal with the waste load. The fish will be fine, they will not starve, I promise.

 

[TipJack]

Thanks a bunch, the frog and fish both died yesterday, so I have the three fish and one frog, I took the castle thing out of there so they have a bit more room. I'll try changing only 1 gallon tonight when I get home from work. I had no idea about cycling, I and I was getting frustrated when I would completley clean the tank out and there would still be stuff in there. Now I know not to do that, thanks again!

 

[bmoraski]

as Judy said Dont despair.
most of us have been right were you are now.
and yes the store should of asked if you knew about cycling but they dont.
read up on cycling. and when a fish gets stuck to the filter intake it means hes not doing so well and they dont have the strength to swim away. its not that your filter is to big.
and continue to ask your questions here.
sorry about your losses.
well good luck

 

[littletankbigworld]

Never listen to people at the pet stores, for future information. Even the person at the garage sale was wrong. They will all tell you the tanks can keep more fish than they can handle, just so you'll buy more fish, more medication when those fish are sick, and replacement fish when the sick ones die. I'm glad you've found this forum. It's very helpful and will help you have a happy fish-keeping experience. Good luck!

 

[littletankbigworld]

Were the fish able to go inside the castle? Decorations can be helpful in a tank if they give the fish room to hide. Fish feel more comfortable if they have more room to hide.

Also, if you get a new tank, you may want to read up on fishless cycling.

 

[D'Cecilia]

wait a minute now, not ALL pet store workers are idiots, ahah
MOST are, but not all. ahah so waht you should do is just
read up ALL that you can before upgrading to anything bigger,
and always have this in mind "the bigger the tank, the EASIER
it is to clean".
and yes, we have ALL been tehre before, but it only took me
like a month to figure out that i had to get infromed, so i spent
like 2 montsh reading everyday something new or reviewing
thinsg i tot i knew and stuff like taht. you just have to read,
and when you thin you know it, read again.
ahaha
this is anice forum and they will help you, you can also try
AAPE (azaquaticplants.com) they are also very helpfull.


cheers.