need help with a fish?

Question

my son got a one gallon fish tank for his birthday. i bought him a little fish, one of the see thru kind with neon colors on the top and bottom. the fish just stays on the bottom and i havent seen him eat since we brought him home this past friday. i know the pet store people and the fish tank box said 1 fish per 1 gallon of water, but i think that fish is too lonely. do you think it would hurt the fish to bad to have another little fish in there with him? i think he would do better with a playmate. what do you think?

ok a light came with the fish tank on the lid, should i keep that on all the time?
and what about if i got another fish like the one i have and another smaller fish, like the real little ones, think that would make him feel better?

i called the pet store back and talk to the owner and she admitted the sales clerk sold me the wrong type of fish for my tank,
so i took the fish back, thank God he wasnt dead, and she gave me two new fish!!
thanks to all that wrote in to help me

Answer 1

You bought a painted tetra. Here are the possible problems:

1) This is a schooling fish and gets beyond lonely if not in a group of at least 6, it gets deadly depressed.

2) This fish needs a heater and a filter, I'm guessing with a 1 gallon kit you have neither.

3) These fish are artificially injected with dye which leads to a shortened life expectancy. If the fish lives, the bright colours will be gone inside 3 months.

4) You've overfed it

5) You plunked it into "fresh" water, and no it has a nitrate, nitrite or ammonia spike and is being poisoned with its own waste.

Basically who ever sold you this fish alone, for a one gallon tank is a complete idiot and now your son will pay the price of watching his birthday present die unless you go buy a proper tank with heater and filter, plants and some friends.

I don't recommend to put any fish in something this small. If you really feel you have to, get a school (group of 6 or so) of white clouds, zebra danios or a betta. None of these fish will be happy, but they will survive.

NEVER change all the water at once, only ever 20%. To it once a week. Only feed a few pellets, like 5 for one fish. Don't use flakes they'll mess up your tank. Take out all fake ornaments and don't use coloured gravel.

If you just buy a second painted tetra now and throw it in one will likely kill the other as the behaviour of any schooling fish goes haywire when not in a school.

Good Luck

Answer 2

The rule is one inch of fish per gallon. Not one fish per gallon. Your fesh is probably slugglish because it sounds as though you got a schooling fish. Schooling fish do best in groups of 5 or more. If they aren't in a group they get stressed out easily. Plus, I figure its a tropical fish and the temp of the water could be effecting the fish. 75 degrees F is a good average for most fish. Also I have no idea as to how you started the tank. Did you let is cycle for atleast 48 hours before adding the fish. If not the water quality could be stressing the fish. The fish may have been sick when you bought it or stressed from shipping. Obviously there are a number of factors that can be effecting this fish.

Did you get a neon tetra?

If the fish is small under a inch you can a try housing 5 neon tetras if that is what you have. But you are going to have to clean the tank weekly by emptying 25-50% of the water so that the ammonia and nitrates don't build up. This is where the one inch of fish per gallon comes in. Too many fish equals over crowding and excessive ammonia. If its the other fish I'm thinking you may have then forget it. Return it to the store and get a male betta. Actually if you can return the fish that may be the best option. Get a male betta because you really don't have much options with such a small tank.

Answer 3

Neons are schooling fish and technically it's recommended to have a minimum of 3 but ideally about 6 or more. In a 1 gallon tank I would not get more than 4. However, check the water quality. If there is too much clorine, or if there is ammonia or nitrite build up it can make the fish lay on the bottom, and he probably won't live long. Pet stores like PetSmart will test a sample of the aquarium water for you- ours does it for free.

Also, it can be helpful to provide plants for the fish to hide in and swim around in. Live plants are best but they can shed and make more work cleaning up the pond. Fake plants can provide the hiding places, etc.

If this guy doesn't make it, consider getting about 3 cory catfish and one betta. Bettas will fight with many kinds of fish, but they pretty much ignore cory catfish. They can live happily in small tanks like yours, and may live 2 years. The cories are very appealing and hardy little fish who will eat off the bottom of your aquarium and help to keep it clean. I've even had them lay eggs, although I never had any of the eggs hatch.

Also... do you have a heater and thermometer in your aquarium? Neons are tropical fish and should have water temp of about 75 to 85 degrees. If he's too cold he won't move much and will eventually die.

Kellie

Answer 4

I believe you have a painted glassfish.... and yes it is actually painted or injected with dyes. The kids just love the bright neon colors! Lots of fish are being painted, injected, tattoed these days. You can even get fish that say I love you on them! But stay away. I avoid bringing them into my store. They generally aren't very hardy.... especially the glassfish which I believe is actually a brackish fish in nature. The best thing for your tank is a Betta. Since they are so easy to keep, beautiful, and don't need a lot of oxygen to survive. Your glassfish would be much happier in a heated tank with some added aquarium salt.

Answer 5

That poor fish is gonna die. What you bought is a painted glass fish. It is a brackish fish wich means it needs salt in the water. Not just any salt, but synthetic sea salt. The fish also NEEDS a filtered and heated aquarium of atleast 15 gallons with 4 more buddies of the same kind since they are a schooling fish.

A 1 gallon is too small for any fish.
you need to read this one cycling too http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html

Answer 6

As tetras are schooling fish, it may be that it just doesn't know what to do with itself. Lonely, sort of. Also, it takes fish a while to settle in after a stressful move. Two days isn't really time to tell. If the fish is small, then you can get him a couple of friends and put them in this tank as a very short-term temporary fix, but as tetras ought to be in groups, you may want to think about six or so and get an appropriate size tank. Buy a tank for the grown size of the fish, not the size it is now. Also, people in pet stores, even if they are knowledgeable, usually don't seem to want to offer advice unless they are asked a direct question. I don't know why. In all my visits to aquarium stores, I only had one salesperson offer advice unsolicited. Needless to say, he is now my aquarium store of choice.

Answer 7

If you are talking about a neon tetra they usually live in larger tanks in groups. The only fish that I ever use one gallons for are betta. Your neon might be lonely, but I would add to the bioload on such a small tank, esp. if the fish turns out to be even bigger than a neon tetra. The rule is actually 1 gallon for every one inch of fish and neons get can about 2 inches. There are some exception such as with betta, but it is a pretty good rule.

Answer 8

Those are small fish, so I dont think another would hurt, but you should take a sample of your fish water to the pet store and have them test it. (they will usually do it for free) They can tell you if your water is pH balanced and if there is anything you need to add to the water to make your fish more active and happy. Also check to see what temperature the water should be for the fish. He may need warmer water. You can pick up a tank heater at the pet store and they arent very expensive.

Answer 9

sounds like you got a tetra? they like to school. get 3 to 5 but a gallon tank is really too small. you could try putting something in the middle they can swim around and then they would think it was a bigger bowl.
there are things you can do to make them happier but they really need a bigger tank -- gallons were made for bettas. you can try real plants like java fern or the anubias family. they are simple and easy to grow and move around -- you attach them to rocks and don't plant them in the gravel.

Answer 10

Hey, i got the same one i had like ummm 1 lil gold fish and 2 gupies and 1 lilttle frog well all of them died most cuz i was outa town for 3 days but 2 were still alive and it came wit everything besides a heater and i think fish need heat idk but yea iusely but that light that comes wit it on them for like 1 hour ever 4 hours or so but i would have like 2 fish or so would u really want to be in a little cage by ur self no of course not but good luck with your fish prombles. if u get 2 gupies a boy and a girl they will have babyes if u have enought coveer for the babyes or the pantents will eat them ! bye