This Saturday I went out and purchased a 10 gallon tank kit from wal-mart (with a heater and a filter), soem trees and stuff for the fish to hide in, 2 silver dollar's, 1 angelfish, 2 guppies, a algae eater, and 3 ghost shrimp. yesturday when I got home from work, everything was dead except for the ghost shrimp and 1 silver dollar (and the silver seemed lethergic and he/she's mouth was wide open).
The water was really warm so after I fished out the dead (they were also at the bottom of the tank and not floating) I turned the heater off, it was about 85 degrees out, and I'm not running the a/c this early in the year.
I am not sure if the silver is going to make it (I can't tell about the shrimp, they move too fast-so I'm assuming their fine).
we put them in distilled water (reccomended by the sales clerk) and I was feeding them tropical fish food twice a day, does anyone have any suggestions???
2007-04-03 06:25:35 · 12 answers · asked by Nicole E 4 in Pets ➔ Fish
Have you invested in a pH testing kit? I got mine from Petsmart, but WalMart may have them too. They are pretty easy to use (and I say easy because I am not into science at all, and could easily figure it out!) You'll need to find out what the suggested pH level for your fish is.
A thermometer for your tank is a good investment as well, so you can monitor the water temp suggested for your kinds of fish.
Also, when you added the fish, did you let them adjust to the water? By just letting the bags you brought them hom in float in the tank water for a couple hours, you can help them adjust. You don't want them to go into shock from a rapid temperture change.
I think Walmart may still have their fish policy... if it dies a couple days after you bought it, you can take the dead fish back and get a refund/exchange.
Good luck!
2007-04-03 06:32:55 · answer #1 · answered by sharielanette 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You put too many fish in at one time. You also have fish that would out grow a 10 gal very quickly. I would start over. If you are going to do something you should research it first. A 10 gal is nice but only for a few small fish. A tank needs to be established before fully stocking it with fish.
I would suggest returning the silver dollar and draining and refilling the tank. Let it sit over night and see how hot the water gets. It should be stable between 75 and 80 degrees. Then I would get 3 small fish such as guppies or danioes. Put those in for about a week feeding 1 time every other day. Then you can slowly add more fish.(2-3 small fish a week) Keep feeding only every other day for several weeks after you have added the last fish. You should only put 8 or 9 small fish total in a 10 gal tank. Then if you want to feed once a day you can, but only the amount the fish will eat in a few min.
I love fish and have over 10 large tanks. If you have any other question please e-mail me. Good Luck!
2007-04-03 06:39:07 · answer #2 · answered by lilith 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
pH and temperature weren't your problem. Even though 85 is a little high, it's not a problem for your fish. The problem was and is ammonia biuld up. Fish and uneaten fish food produce ammonia constantly in a tank. Once a tank ages, it has the bacteria needed that can break the ammonia down, but early in the life of a tank this bacteria does not exist. The only think for you to do about it at this point is a large water change (50% or so) to get the levels down and continue doing them on a regular basis until the bacteria catch up. Putting your fish in distilled water is not good for them, the clerk is entirely wrong on that call. Here's a link that will explain what is going on in your tank and give you more details on how to handle it for the next 2 weeks or so. After reading this if you have any questions feel free to email me.
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
MM
2007-04-03 06:48:40 · answer #3 · answered by magicman116 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Ok, you did a multitude of things wrong. If you are at all serious about keeping fish, do some research first. A simple book or a bit of time on the internet will help avoid costly mistakes. You need to look up the fish you want to keep, see if the are able to be kept in such a small tank, and if they are compatible with each other. Fish won't always live happily with each other. Also, you needed to cycle the tank, which you can learn about buy picking up a book. Simply put, do your research first, it's not as easy as filling a tank with water and throwing fish in.
2007-04-03 08:40:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Silver Dollars need about 20 gallons per fish. You are extremely overstocked. You shouldn't use distilled water.
Don't buy fish from Wal-Mart, they are kept in horrible conditions and prone to early demise.
You need to cycle your tank with a few small fish, like 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Then add about 3 more to make a nice small school. That's about all a 10 can handle...
Be wiser the next time. Read. It's not as simple as "just add water".
http://www.hagen.com/pdf/aquatic/bag.pdf
http://www2.tetra.de/tet_internet_import/import_data/The%20fascination%20of%20aquariums_GB_2006_T062048.pdf
Here two good free books.
2007-04-03 09:06:53 · answer #5 · answered by something_fishy 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All of the above suggestion are right on the money. But on a personal note, I have never had any luck with fish I have bought at Wal-Mart, everything else under the sun-sure, but never fish. I would stick to buying fish at a pet store in the future, the fish just tend to be healthier when they have people just responsible for caring for them, and not lawn and garden or toys!
Also Angle fish are best kept with just other angle fish. They are semi brackish so they need a higher sodium level and warmer water then other fish.
2007-04-03 06:59:11 · answer #6 · answered by marah p 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was probably a problem with your water quality. .Your tank will not be cycled yet if it was only set up a few days ago and you probably had too many fish for such a small tank.I would start over with one or two hardy fish after you research cycling your tank.It is better to use tap water treated to remove the chlorine than distilled water.
2007-04-03 06:35:10 · answer #7 · answered by Jackp1ne 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm thinking you had too many fish for a small tank like that. Fish give off ammonia, which is lethal to them if the amount is too large.
2007-04-03 06:33:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What was the water temperature? If you have a tank heater then you should get a thermometor and check and see what temperature is best for the fish that you buy. Good luck!
2007-04-03 06:32:36 · answer #9 · answered by Jessica 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
have the pH level of the tank water tested at a pet store and don`t be offended when they laugh at you for not knowing enough about fish and fish tanks be for becoming a fish killer
2007-04-03 06:32:13 · answer #10 · answered by RUSSELLL 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋