Why did my fish die?

Question

I had 2 fish and a frog in a one 1/2 gallon tank. The guy at Wallmart told me that it would be fine because the fish were small. Everytime a fish died, my frog got bigger. Did my frog eat the fish, or did the fish die because of cramped space?

Answer 1

They died of ammonia poisoning from there waste. ALL fish need proper aquariums with proper filtration. The guy at Wally World also cleans the toilets there. Not a great source for help... If you try again...

Common Glass Aquarium Sizes

5.5 Gallon 16x8x10 (128 sq. in.)
10 Leader 20x10x12 (200 sq. in.)
10 Hexagon 14x12x18 (127 sq. in)
15 Gallon 24x12x12 (288 sq. in.)
20 High 24x12x16 (288 sq. in.)
20 Long 30x12x12 (360 sq. in.)
25 Gallon 24x12x20 (288 sq. in.)
29 Gallon 30x12x18 (360 sq. in.)
30 Gallon 36x12x16 (432 sq. in.)
30 Breeder 36x18x12 (648 sq. in.)
33 Long 48x13x12 (624 sq. in.)
37 Gallon 30x12x22 (360 sq. in.)
38 Gallon 36x12x20 (432 sq. in.)
40 Long 48x13x16 (624 sq. in.)
40 Breeder 36x18x16 (648 sq. in.)
45 Gallon 36x12x24 (360 sq. in.)
50 Gallon 36x18x18 (648 sq. in.)
55 Gallon 48x13x20 (624 sq. in.)
65 Gallon 36x18x24 (648 sq. in.)
Petite body fish
1” per gallon or 1” per 12 sq. in. of surface
For example 20 long has 360 sq. in. surface area
360/12=30
Can a 20 long support 30” of fish? Probably not.
A 20 high has only 288 sq. in. surface area
288/12=24
Can a 20 long support 20” of fish? Probably not.
A 25 is also 288 sq. in. surface area
288/12=24
Can a 25 support 24” of fish. Probably.
I like to average the two for a more accurate capacity.
For the 20 long, 30 by surface area, 20 by volume averages to 25”
Can a 20 long support 25” of fish? Probably.
For the 20 high, 24 by surface area, 20 by volume averages to 22”
Can a 20 high support 22” of fish? Probably.
Why does the 20 long support 3” more fish that the 20 high?
A larger surface area allows a greater oxygen exchange, which is as important as volume of water.
Large bodied fish, such as gold fish you need to double or even triple these numbers, i.e. 3 gallons per inch and 36 sq. in. of surface per 1” of fish.
This is not the only consideration for fish tanks. Types of fish will appreciate one type of tank over another. For example, fast swimmers like Zebra Danios, Pearl Danios and Blue Danios will do best in a tank that is at least 30” long. They would be better kept in a 20 long rather than a 25. Giant Danios would do best in a tank at least 48” long. They would be better kept in a 55 rather than a 65.
On the other hand, slow, tall bodied fish like Angel Fish and Discus will do best in a deep tank. They would be better kept in a 65 rather than a 55. They, like other cichlids also need a bit more than the 1” per gallon and/or 12 sq. in. surface.

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.

Answer 2

To be honest, it could have been either.

A half gallon tank doesn't have a lot of room. Two fish and a frog would create a lot of waste and ammonia, so the ammonia could have killed the fish.

Did you find the fish, or have they just "disappeared"? Fish can jump out of a tank that doesn't have a cover, but your frog might have eaten them, either after they died, or before.

Do you know what kind of frog you bought? African dwarf frogs are usually safe with fish, but African clawed frogs aren't. This webpage shows an African dwarf frog photo and has a link to a page showing how to tell these frogs apart. I wouldn't try any other fish until you know which frog you have.

Answer 3

It's subjective. Maybe your frog has some virus that could kill the fish? Or maybe fish tried to attack frog? If the fish died nicely in one piece without any 'torns', it's very possible that the frog is not to blame. Well if you really want to know the truth, buy some more fish, put one in a new tank and the other one stays with frog. See what happens and update me =) I'm curious too.

Answer 4

You tank is way to small for even one fish let alone 2.Try upgrading to a bigger 5 gallon tank and your fish may do better.Your frog could have eaten the fish but in such a small space they wouldn't live long anyway.

Answer 5

Sounds like your frog ate your fish, and your tank is way too small. It should be 1 gallon for every 1 inch of fish. And please never get fish advice from Wal-Mart.

Answer 6

four gallon of water per inch of fish is the rule for setting up a tank this allows space for them to find there own territory and room to grow also en ought oxygen as they ex hail carbon witch stays in the water for along time also have an under gravel filter this makes friendly bacteria to digest waste you should start with a twenty gallon tank if you want to keep fish don't be fobbed off with cheep novelty tanks you should have a heater this keeps the water constant tropicals like 80 to 83 degrees & gold fish dont mind

Answer 7

... or, depending on the fish, the equipment that Walmart sold you to keep the fish in was totally inadequate.

Walmart has a despicable reputation among fishkeepers for the unethical practices they employ when they sell fish. Far better go to a reputable fish dealer, and before you even do that, find out what you can about fishkeeping from the web.

Answer 8

If the fish just disappeared the frog probably ate it.

Answer 9

I think the frog ate the fish or the fish died because it was old.

Answer 10

Odds are very good the frog has been eating your fish. They will eat anything that will fit in their mouths and you would be really surprised how much that can be.

MM