My daughter got one of those 5 gallon complete set fish tanks for her birthday. It has a filter and hood light (which we keep on all the time). I got her three neon tetras to start and they are still thriving, HOWEVER, every other fish we've purchased has died. Not right away, but usually within about two weeks or so. I have not had the water tested yet, but I will soon. We've gone through guppies and danios (six total). I hid the food to make sure she is not overfeeding. The water is clear. I'm wondering if the filter (even though it came with the tank) is creating too much of a current for the larger fish. They seem to always be swimming against it. Any ideas?
2007-10-29 07:46:21 · 10 answers · asked by Janet A 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I think the main reason your other fish dies is because you don't acclimate them properly
danios are the most hardiest fish i have ever had and can even survive a cycling process
I'm surprised your neon tetras didn't die, because they're extremly sensitive
I would get 3 more neons if i where you, because they like to be in schools of at least 6
acclimate them properly and you shouldn't have a problem
the following article describes acclimating in detail
http://www.fishlesscycling.com/articles/acclimating_you_new_fish.html
Also you might wonna get a 25watt heater for your tank which keeps the temperature stable
The light is suppose to be on 10-12 hours during the day and should be turned of for 12-14 hours at night
Also a partial waterchange of 25% weekly with a small gravel siphon is required to keep your water healthy
and top off with conditioned water
Hope that helps
Good luck
EB
Feel free to email me
2007-10-29 20:22:15 · answer #1 · answered by Kribensis lover 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They need their light turned off for one. I think they are supposed to just get 8 hours of tank light per day. Do a partial (20 to 30%) water change although a 5 gallon would be pretty hard to get a gravel vacuum into. Replace the water and add Stress Coat. Then add about a teaspoon of Aquarium Salt. It comes in little milk cartons and says right on the packaging that it is for fresh water fish so don't be afraid to use it.
Finally, being that this is such a small tank, maybe you could just keep a school of neon? The healthy way I had always heard was one inch of fish per gallon of water so you at least want fish that won't mature to over an inch.
2007-10-29 08:38:24 · answer #2 · answered by joanie m 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd try to get some hardier fish like corydora catfish, smaller species of loaches (black kuhlis, yo-yos, and etc.), or some platies.
Guppies and danios aren't that hardy of a fish, and if there's something wrong with the water, that's what they could be dying from. The neon tetras (if the water is bad) are still living through it since they've grown used to it.
2007-10-31 13:38:17 · answer #3 · answered by Meg J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the problem is that a 5 gallon tank simply cannot have the bioload for many fish. I would not advise you add any more anyway, so just enjoy your neons, or get a 55 gallon tank, in which you can have a school of 15 and other fish as well.
2007-10-29 11:14:19 · answer #4 · answered by FishRfine 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you putting them in straight tap water?
Most fish do fine in dirty water, but few survive tap water with added chlorine and flourides.
Next time you fill your tank, let the water sit for 24 hours to burn off the chlorines and some of the flourides. Add a couple of drops of water dechlorinator to neutralize whatever is left in the tank.
If you are impatient, you could try filling the tank with distilled water and let the filter run through the cycle for 5 hours, and then add the fish. It takes a couple of weeks for the biota in the bottom to develop to healthy levels, but after that, only add distilled or tap water that has sat for 24 hours as needed.
But never again put fish into straight tap water.
2007-10-29 08:36:49 · answer #5 · answered by enn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something might be wrong with the water so you should deffinitly get it checked. Petsmart does water testing for free, just bring a sample.Also you could have too big of a filter make sure the size of the filter is right for the tank. Talk with someone at the pet store, they are usually very hepful.
Good luck!
2007-10-29 08:01:31 · answer #6 · answered by stacey<3 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
By all the time, do you mean that you keep the light on at night as well as the day? Because that could be stressing out your fish and causing them to die. Turn the light off at night, fish need to sleep too. You might also want to get an air pump if you don't have one, to keep the water well oxygenated.
2007-10-29 08:24:57 · answer #7 · answered by eyesoncekill 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suggest the first thing you check your is your water quality ammonia, nitrites, nitrate, pH and hardness. Then if the water quality is fine check the requirements of the fish you are putting in the tank. Neons like soft acid (low pH) water not all fish do, so if your water is very soft and your pH is low neons will flourish.
2007-10-29 19:43:55 · answer #8 · answered by guppylover 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not 100% for sure, but I think that tetras can be aggressive to other fish. Look them up on the Internet for more information. They might be being aggressive and might be why the other fish are dying.
2007-10-29 07:55:17 · answer #9 · answered by k monster 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
most fish get sick woithin 2 weeks of getting them so it might be poor living conditions at the pet store
2007-10-29 08:10:16 · answer #10 · answered by § Elijah § 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋