I have gotten these 5 little fish about a half an inch big and the guy at the store said they can survive harsh conditions, then why do the keep dying in fresh water?
2007-01-02 10:42:46 · 13 answers · asked by Aaron 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Test the water in your tank to make sure that the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels are low. Make sure that the pH and temperature is correct for the species of fish that you have.
Just because they can survive "harsh conditions" doesn't mean that they can live in any condition of water, and they will definately live longer and be healthier in better environment!
Also, read up about the type of fish you want to get online first and how to set the aquarium up.
Good luck.
2007-01-02 10:49:34 · answer #1 · answered by Earth vs Soup 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the water is from a normal tap in your home then it will have chemicals in it which fish generally can't live in for very long. You need to add these liquids you but from a pet shop to make the water ok for fish. Are they tropical fish? If they are tropical they generally have heated water and the water may have been just far too cold. In that case they will need a heater to survive even if they are so-called "hardy". Are they in a tank big enough for the amount of fish you have? If you have too many fish in a small tank they can also die. There are other things like you may be over or under feeding them. You might just want to research the kind of conditions these fish do well in, on the net, and then see whats going wrong. Hope that was helpful!
2007-01-02 18:50:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
All of the answers before me were good...and there is an assumption that they all die within a day or two there. If that is not the case and they die in a week or so... or just sooner than you thought... after you have prepped them and their water, not fed them too much, and not let them get too cold (filtration system is good, too)... one of the biggest mistakes I ever have made with fresh water fish was to clean their tanks too well! Sounds odd, but I never drain all the water out when I clean the tank. I always leave some water that they are used to (even if it is a 1/4 inch of pretty dumb looking water) because they have built up their own microbial system that helps them. If you drain out all the water, they will probably get sores and die... or get fish tail rot... their immune systems have been comprimised. These diseases come from algae-based things that you can treat with chemicals... but natural is always better.
2007-01-02 18:57:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They keep dying because u probably put them in the tank right from the bag. That is a big no no! That's how ours died. You should put the bag with the water and fish right in the tank and let it swim on top so they get the same temperature as the water. Then they can be and live very long. Just remember to clean the filter and change it once a month.!!!!!
2007-01-02 18:47:53 · answer #4 · answered by cutiepup456 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you using a de-chlorinator? If not, the chlorine in your water is killing your fish. Also, even for fish who can survive harsh conditions, sudden changes can kill. Make sure you set the bag the fish are in, in your aquarium to float for at least 20 min before you dump them in. This lets their water heat up or cool down gradually to match their new environment.
2007-01-02 18:48:41 · answer #5 · answered by kittikatti69 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you letting the water sit out overnight before you put the fish in it? Tap water contains trace amounts of ammonia, and while it can't hurt humans, it's enough to kill a little fish. You can buy some drops to put in the water that get rid of ammonia, but in my experience the best thing to do is keep a vase or bowl of water out on the countertop overnight before you clean your fish bowl, and refill the bowl with that water instead of water straight from the tap. Leaving it out overnight causes the ammonia particles to evaporate.
2007-01-02 18:51:17 · answer #6 · answered by fizzygurrl1980 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you cycle the water? If you don't use de-chlorinization, you fish will only last 1/2 hr. You can't just dump fish you just bought into a tank, you have to acclimate them to the tank water temperature by setting their bag/container in the water for a bit.
2007-01-02 18:46:36 · answer #7 · answered by chamelean75 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
-dont do any more water changes for another 3 weeks.
-do 15% water changes weekly after the 3 weeks.
-cloudy water will go away in 2 wks. the cloudy water does not hurt the fish and usually occurs for new aquariums.
-buy some java moss. this plant will help with ph balance and can be purchased from eBay and usually not available from your local fish store.
-get rid of the airpump. fish like stable not turbulant water.
*none of my fishes have died in the last 8 months using this method and i have 17 fishes in my tank.
2007-01-02 19:16:50 · answer #8 · answered by fordv 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If theres a petco around, you can have them test your tank water for free. Just put some of the tank water in a bag, and ask them to test the water, they'll test from chlorine to ammonia. I would always check my water before having fish in the tank.
2007-01-02 22:01:58 · answer #9 · answered by JEF 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do you clean the water and feed it enough you should check on that
2007-01-02 18:59:07 · answer #10 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋