Brand new to fishkeeping and aquariums.

[annielauri]

Hi all, brand new fish person here. I got a 20 gal tank. Bought my first few fish. They said I could start with about 5, which may be right or wrong? I am not sure. Anyhow, I got 2 mickey mouse platys, a red swordtail, a dalmation molly and a silver molly. They seem to all be getting along fine in the tank, but the silver molly is spazzing out like she is hyped up on crack. She has been staying in the bubble wall most of the time, could she be getting too much oxygen? She keeps chasing the other molly around too, and I think that one is getting tired. Is she just an aggressive fish? I told you, I know nothing about them, so don't laugh at me please!

 

[WaterPond]

sounds like the tank needs to be cycled first...
common from ammonia poisoning for fish to spazz.

here is an atricle about the fishless cycle.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=52

I would say, take the living fish back to the pet store, then cycle your tank.

Welcome to AA

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA! You'll find tons of great information and people here to help you out!

In the very least get a good, chemical test set (such as the aquarium pharmacuticals master test kit) and keep a daily check on your ammonia and nitrite levels. If either get above 0.5ppm while you're keeping fish, do a Partial Water Change (PWC). In addition to the article on fishless cycle (which I highly recommend), there's also an article on the Nitrogen Cycle, that will help you to understand what's going on with the water in your tank.

 

[theotheragentm]

First, let's address general health of fish. Like these guys are saying, measuring with a good test kit is the only way to know what your water conditions are as far as ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Stable, clean water conditions are what the fish are looking for to keep healthy and happy. Set them at a good, steady temperature with a heater. Check out liveaquaria.com to read up on fish. Do frequent PWCs, removing chlorine and chloramines from the water and trying to match the water temperature of the tank.

Since you have a livebearers you have a whole set of other things to learn about. Do you know how to sex the Mollies? The same would work for Platies and Swordtails. The anal fin (underside, rear most) on the fish looks like a tube on males. Males may chase other males away, but they also follow females around endlessly, trying to mate with them. Do a quick read through the general discussion forums and you'll see about these baby making machines and how to best situate them as far as ratio of males to females and good stuff like that.

Good luck. Welcome to AA. Ask lots of questions.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Hi, annielauri,
Welcome to AA! Your new tank is going to have to go through a cycle during which it will grow the good bacteria you need to keep ammonia and nitrite levels (caused by fish urine) low enough for your fish to survive. During the cycle your fish will be vulnerable, because the bacteria aren't there yet, and levels of ammonia and nitrite can quickly rise to levels that will kill your fish.

Some people do a "fishless cycle" to grow these bacteria. You can find links on the site that will describe how to do that. It is also possible to cycle your tank while you have fish in it, but you need to be willing to do some work.

You will need to test your water daily and, as mentioned above, do partial water changes using a dechlorinator whenever your ammonia or nitrite levels go above 0.5. You may be changing part of your water every single day for a while. The entire cycle will take about 6 weeks usually. After it is complete (when ammonia and nitrite levels STAY at zero, and you are measuring only nitrAte), then you can reduce partial water changes to once every week or so (normal maintenance of a fishtank).

Fish can go spazzy if ammonia levels are rising and starting to burn their gills. Otherwise, some fish just really like to play in bubbles. As was stated above, a male molly will pester a female molly CONSTANTLY for sex. Most people try to buy two or three females for every male, just to make sure the females get some rest.

You need to get a testing kit that tests for ammonia and nitrite at the very least. A nitrAte test kit is also very helpful, so you can see where you are in the cycle. If you keep your fish during the cycle and don't do partial water changes, they will likely die from ammonia and nitrite poisoning.

Do some searching on the site to learn more about the cycle and how it works. You have somedecisions to make: You can return the fish and do the fishless cycle, or you can commit to the work of a cycle with fish. Good luck, congratulations on your new tank, and keep asking questions!

 

[annielauri]

I did about a 25% water change this morning. Then I bought a test kit. Neither ammonia or nitrite are showing. I also tested the ph and it was somewhere between 7.2 and 7.6. I am hoping the water change did some good. Since the water change, my water is all cloudy and ugly though. Should I test again 1st thing in the morning before I go to work? Or will it be ok to wait till tomorrow afternoon? I did it at around 7 pm tonight. I am not sure how fast the levels can change?

And selfishly, I want to keep my fishies now that I have named them all. They better make it too or I will feel horrid.

 

[neilanh]

Once a day is probably good enough for now. If you stay diligent about checking and changing water when you need to, they should make it. Although if you are getting 0s, I can't explain the one fish spazzing.

At some point the ammonia (then eventually the NO2) are going to start to spike. When that happens, don't be surprised if you're needing to do a 50% water change every day (or even twice a day). You don't necessarily have to vacuum/stir things up every day, but changing out the water will be necessary.

Did you test the NitrAte as well? It's also good to test water straight from your tap to have a good idea of what you're putting in the tank when you change water.

 

[SparKy697]

The cloudy water may be bacteria that is trying to "find a place to live". I would avoid mixing up the substrate for now and keep an eye on the water parameters. Can't over state the need for a good de-chlorinator. There are a few out there, you will find most people here use a product called Prime. If you use this product it is safe and recommended that you dose enough for the whole tank, even though you are only changing half of the water. Which brings up another point; if you are going to do a water change at this point in the game I would do a %50 change each time. To be honest, a %25 water change really does not provide much help. You are trying to dilute toxic chemicals to the point where they will not harm your fish. If you were sitting in a tub of acid and were to dilute it so that it would stop burning your butt, how much of a water change would you ask for?

 

[7Enigma]

I did about a 25% water change this morning. Then I bought a test kit. Neither ammonia or nitrite are showing. I also tested the ph and it was somewhere between 7.2 and 7.6. I am hoping the water change did some good. Since the water change, my water is all cloudy and ugly though. Should I test again 1st thing in the morning before I go to work? Or will it be ok to wait till tomorrow afternoon? I did it at around 7 pm tonight. I am not sure how fast the levels can change?

And selfishly, I want to keep my fishies now that I have named them all. They better make it too or I will feel horrid.

What test kit did you buy? And please as previously stated, add dechlorinator and make sure the water you are putting in is the same temp as the water in the tank.

 

[annielauri]

I got the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit. I also have been using a dechlorinator. Aquasafe, and made sure that the temps were even with what was in the tank when I did the PWC. I am running the tank at about 79.

 

[7Enigma]

I got the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit. I also have been using a dechlorinator. Aquasafe, and made sure that the temps were even with what was in the tank when I did the PWC. I am running the tank at about 79.

Awesome, your doing everything great! Keep on top of the PWC's as your ammonia and nitrIte levels get above 0.5ppm and try to get some seed material if you can. Gravel from the LFS, a hunk of filter material (even filter squeezings if you can, just bring a bag of tank water and ask them to squish the filter in it), or at worst case buy a couple plants. It doesn't really matter what kind, they are coated in bacteria and will help to absorb a small amount of ammonia.

 

[BrianNY]

You're getting some terrific advice annielauri. The fish you've selected will all do well together. Mollies can be very sensitive and require a little extra care. They do not do well if water conditions are changed too quickly. So, what you might be seeing is the result of a sudden temperature or pH change. Mollies are quite prone to fungal infections and shimmy. It's always a good idea to compare your tank and tap pH prior to doing a water change.

Until your tank fully cycles feed very sparingly. The more you feed your fish, the more waste they will produce. All of your fish (especially the mollie), will benefit from adding some aquarium salt to the tank.