2.5 tank problems!?

Question

Ok..I have a serious question cuz I really dont know what to do so I need help.I got a 2.5 gallon tank for putting baby guppies into so they wouldnt get eaten by my Tropical fish in my main tank with my other guppies.I put the babies there and they did fine.After they got old enough to be in with the others I put my 4 tropical fish in the 2.5 so my guppies could have my one big 10 gallon tnak all to themselves.They were in there for a good 2 weeks and then I did my usual cleaning of the tank,siphend the water,put in new and put declorifier in the water.10 mins later 3 of my fish had died..all but my tigerbarb..and he was in shock for a good week after this .So I let the tank sit for about 3 weeks and then drained it again and moved my goldfish into it thinking that by now whatever was wrong was ok now. 10mins after that, my godlfish died :-( Poor Whiteboi. What is going on with this tank? For now I have it put up and away before it kills any other fish.Please help with this!!!!!

ok how do I disinfect my tank??

Answer 1

First of all, never do a 100% waterchange

you're only suppose to do 25% weekly partial waterchanges with a small gravel siphon

Your tank is definately to small for 4 tropicals, not to talk about a goldfish who needs a 10 gallon by himself for starters

It sounds like you didn't condition your water
or
the new water didn't have the same temperture
or
your tropicals died because you don't have a heater in there
or
you had high ammonia levels in there




Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 2

Alrighty to disinfect your tank I'm going to tell you one thing that you have to listen to: DO NOT USE A SMALL BLEACH SOLUTION! Using a small bleach solution on my ten gallon tank killed several of my fish and harmed several others. Instead, I would suggest using good old elbow grease with a little vinegar as a slight disinfectant. It's worked well for me in the past, and I haven't had a fish die from it yet. I would also suggest cutting down on the number of fish you put in this tank. Walmart sells perfectly good 10 gallon tanks for only 20 dollars (no hood included though which stinks), and that would be a good foster home for any baby guppies. That's all I have to share I hope it was enough.

Answer 3

2.5 gallons is way too small for 4 tropical fish, let alone a gold fish. I have a couple of 2.5 gallon tanks and each has a single Betta.

Moving your fish from tank to tank is very stressful on your fish, especially if the water quality is poor. Remember fish are very susceptible to disease when they are stressed. I also doubt that your 2.5 gallon is heated. That could also be a huge stressor and killer if you're adding your tropical fish to cold water. Gold fish, of course, are cold water fish.

It sounds to me that you need to plan out where your fish are going to live better and give them a constant home. You may also want to disinfect that tank and look deeper into your water quality to avoid any future loss.

Edit: BLEACH can be used, but you have to use it carefully. I have had to use it before, unfortunately, to clean out a tank. Believe me, it will surely kill anything harmful in your tank.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) can be used to disinfect an aquarium as long as you completely rinse and dry the aquarium several times. NEVER use other household cleaner, detergent or soap. Be very careful not to leave residual bleach in the aquarium. If you smell the "chlorine" rinse and dry until the smell is completely gone.

Remember, it is possible that there is something harmful in your tank that is killing your fish, but to me, this sounds like a bioload problem and you're overstocking your tank.

Answer 4

Most likely you are changing the temp, and/or water chemistry too fast. Try and keep the new water the same temp as the old. Also try doing more water changes with less water.

PS- 4 fish in a 2.5 gallon tank is too much. Your 10 gallon tank can take 5-10 fish, while a 2.5 gallon tank 1-2 fish.

Answer 5

It sounds like death by cold water or a water problem. You can't just fill an aquarium with water and add conditioner and drop in your fish. You have to soak them first in the bag for 15-30 minutes, then add some tank water slowly over the next 15-30 minutes to acclimate them to your tank. And on top of that it doesn't sound like your tank has ever had the chance to cycle.

Answer 6

Take your water to your local pet store, and they will test it and tell you what is wrong with it.