So we got ds an aquarium and 6 fish for his birthday last week. Only 2 are still alive. We just keep telling him they're sleeping and scoop them out when he's not looking. :(
I just don't understand why they keep dying left and right. We originally put 3 guppies and 3 mollies in the tank, and now we're down to just 1 molly and 1 guppie. What a disastrous present. I feel like crap.
small tanks are harder to keep than larger tanks. It could be a million things. A sick fish, too acidic water so you would need to check the pH. Did you just put the water from tap then put the fish in? If so the chlorine levels may be up. If you do it again use distilled water that helps some. Or put tap and look up online how to start the cycle. It's not hard just too much to type here lol
clean it with bleach water... SMALL amount of bleach to help kill everything. Bleach desn't soak into the pours and allows fish to live later on. Many other cleaners will linger and soak in.
Quoting mrssummerlin:
I don't know a way to tell, but I'm pretty sure there is this solution you can get at the pet store to help prevent the problem in the future.
I can't remember the name though.
If the last two die I would clean the tank really well and get it ready again then add the solution and wait (I think it's an hour) before putting new fish in.
Quoting ChocolateJunky:Wow I've never heard of that! Maybe I should let the water sit after they're done dying off before I get any more. Is there any way to tell a sick fish from a healthy one? That's probably a silly question, but I'm new to this lol.
Quoting mrssummerlin:
One of the fish could have easily been sick and got the others sick as well. Happens a lot.
Get a Betta fish. I tried gold fish and they did not work out, but my Betta fish is awesome. His name is killer.
I've noticed that the day before they die, they hide in the plants and barely move. Then the next morning I'll find them floating and they're color is different. Kind of whiter, I guess. We did use the drops. From other responses I'm starting to think I may have gotten a sick fish. :(
Quoting Anonymous:
Fish are an easy way to introduce death. Also you need drops for your tank to soften water. Are the fish suddenly dead or did they turn whitish and swim upside down? If so it may be ick. They sell tablets for it. You treat the tank.
Before getting a pet, google how to properly care for them. I went from knowing nothing about turtles, to having a turtle my DH rescued, and omg, it was a mess getting everything setup for him, but I read like crazy to find out all I needed to know. They are some complex little creatures to care for.
Our petsmart fish never ever lasted. Do you have an aquarium pet store in your area? We got the same fish at a regular aquarium store and didn't have near the problems. They basically gave us a step by step guide to fish care. Those fish lasted for 2 years. Then we were gone for 2 weeks over Christmas. It was really cold. The furnace went out. We came home to dead frozen fish and pipes and a real mess : (.
Fish die fast. I used to keep them but to be honest it was more work than the dog. Good luck
Being a SAHM for the past 5 yrs has made me
- ChocolateJunky
on Dec. 12, 2012 at 5:00 PM