PLEASE HELP! Neon tetras sick? Dwarf frog died! New at aquariums!

[ErinMcG]

erin, I like that you suggested the turkey baster, i knew what i was thinking i still needed to buy but couldnt think what it was called! How long do you suggest waiting to suck up the extras?

Also, because i am down to one neon tetra, ill ask you guys and the store tomorrow, in a week (or however long it takes to solve the problem) do you think i should get it two new companions? It seems happy with the two danios so i think i might be okay but im not sure. I definetly want to focus on the problems first but just thought id ask for when i am ready.

A turkey baster is much easier for a wee tank. It lets you get the poop and the left over food really easily. What is your substrate like? (gravel?) You can use the baster to stir up the substrate before you change the water. This will often send a bunch of debris (like food and poop) up into the water so you can see it. Then you can suck it out more easily. Oh, and the usual guideline is to suck out anything they haven't eaten after 2 mins.

A neon would really like to be in a group of it's own kind. Now, we know this not because we can apply human judgements about boredom, loneliness, etc, but because tetras kept in large groups of the same species of tetra often live longer and are healthier. This suggests that their wee bodies are less stressed.

If you don't want to rehome the fish that you have, please consider not adding more. Although they would be happier in larger numbers, that just isn't a good idea for such a little tank. If you do want to rehome them and are looking for something more suited to your tank size, have a think about shrimp. They are actually really cool and there are some awesome shrimp tanks on this site. You could also look on YouTube for some shrimp tanks to see what they look like.

If you haven't gone to the fish shop yet, when you go, please ask them to give you the exact readings on your tank. You would like to know the numbers for your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH, if possible. My guess is that you will have high ammonia and 0 for both nitrites and nitrates. But, if you do have some of these, then it could mean that your tank is cycling. If the ammonia is high and there are no nitrites or nitrates, then I believe that means cycling is not happening yet. Also, if possible, ask them to do the tests with the drops rather than the test strips. The strips are notoriously less accurate.

High ammonia, by the way, is really any ammonia (ammonia is toxic), but most people that I have seen on here get concerned when it is above 0.25 parts per million (someone please correct me if I am wrong!). So, if your reading is 0.3, for instance, you would want to do a 50% water change right away. If your reading was 1.0, then a 50% water change will bring you to 0.5 and a second water change will bring you to 0.25. A lot of people seem to suggest to multiple partial water changes rather than one big 100% change. I think this has to do with the beneficial bacteria, but I am not certain. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in on this.

 

[Scott F]

a 1.5 gallon tank with 6 occupants equals .25 gal per fish / occupant.

That's the human equivalent of having 4 people live with you in an average size walk in closet and not being able to leave.

While the retailer of the tank itself might claim that it's ok, it's really not, and whoever sold you the stuff should have known themselves.

For what you have I wouldn't go less than 10 gallons. Happy is healthy. Best I can tell you is imagine being one of the fish and then apply the situation to yourself. If it wouldn't make you happy...it probably won't make your fish happy either.

 

[sings4life]

I went to the store and they gave me tons of information about my fish that me and my mom didnt even know. They were very informed and i actually got to talk to the owner! He gave me a new dwarf frog for free and walked around with us as he pointed out different things that would be helpful for my tank. We've also switched to flake food. My fish were freaking out over it, ive never laughed so hard! They are so happy now! My tank is also alot clearer today. My ammonia levels are at 0!!! I think that i got the sick fish out before it affected the rest. Both died sometime last night. Im off to the store to get a turkey baster to remove some yuckys from my tank. My store owner also suggested two new neon tetras in a few weeks when everything settles down. My lone tetra is very happy with the two danios right now.

 

[paytertot]

No offense here, but are you reading our posts?

 

[Scott F]

I went to the store and they gave me tons of information about my fish that me and my mom didnt even know. They were very informed and i actually got to talk to the owner! He gave me a new dwarf frog for free and walked around with us as he pointed out different things that would be helpful for my tank. We've also switched to flake food. My fish were freaking out over it, ive never laughed so hard! They are so happy now! My tank is also alot clearer today. My ammonia levels are at 0!!! I think that i got the sick fish out before it affected the rest. Both died sometime last night. Im off to the store to get a turkey baster to remove some yuckys from my tank. My store owner also suggested two new neon tetras in a few weeks when everything settles down. My lone tetra is very happy with the two danios right now.

So these people are cool with, literally, stuffing 6 fish into a 1.5 tank ?

Really ? *shudder*

 

[Billbug68]

Someone is oblivious...

Please take the advise everyone is giving you on HERE. It is extremely cruel to the fish, they will just continue to die...

 

[sings4life]

Im not getting more fish right now. I have two danios and a neon tetra in the tank right now. I did take the free dwarf frog since he does dwell mostly on the bottom anyways. I did a 50% water change as i was sucking out all the debris with a baster. My water is much clearer now.

I am reading what you guys are saying. I am taking everyones advice into mind and i did buy a testing kit. I really appreciate all the advice given. I plan on buying a 10 gallon tank when i move to another apartment that allows it in about a year. I dont think im going to get anymore fish for some time because i dont have the money. If these fish live and stay happy, i will be happy. If they die, ill switch to only dwarf frogs. But i cant just return them and i dont have anyone to give them to. So that suggestion is not going to be happening, sorry.

Thanks for the advice and tips for cleaning. I appreciate it and I've started a notebook of tips, tricks, and instructions for when i do get my bigger tank. Thanks for everyone who were thoughtful and detailed in their responses to my post and understanding that im still learning the lingo.

I dont think ill be posting here ever again but i will stay a member to be in the background reading posts and gaining information for my future tank. Thanks for everything.

 

[paytertot]

You don't have to be so rude, we only want what is best for your fish and to be quite honest we know what we're talking about and the advice you've been given IS correct. It's your choice to do what you want but I don't understand why you're saying "i don't think ill be buying more fish" when we've told you you can't without having unhappy unhealthy fish. I hate to lecture you but nothing irritates me more than blatant apathy or ignorance toward a hobby that impacts other life. Research is key in this hobby. I hope you will do your best to remedy the problems you have and will certainly face.

 

[ErinMcG]

Sings4life, please know that we are only trying to help. It must hard for you because you are getting such conflicting information and that has to be difficult to sort out. Who do you trust? Your mom, who has kept fish before, but at a time when people knew a bit less about it; the friendly and knowledgeable people in the store who really want you to buy stuff, but also don't want you to fail, because if you fail you might not buy more stuff; or a group of strangers on the Internet who talk about fish a lot?

I know that it may seem as though we are somewhat radical or over the top at times. It felt that way to me when I got started. But, the one thing I remind myself is that the people here genuinely care about the fish. Most of your commenters are not here to make you happy with their advice, they are hoping to make your fish happy. It's a different focus. We aren't invested in having you spend more money on livestock, we want to help you care for what you have and if that won't work, then to help you look at your options to make sure those fish have the best lives possible for them.

Sometimes, we care about the fish so much that when we get frustrated, we forget that we are speaking to another human being who may be as confused and frustrated as we are. We don't understand why you aren't taking our advice, because from our perspective, our advice is good and the other advice that you have had is poor. But, we also don't always remember that you don't know us and that we are asking you to trust us. And while we are at it, we are telling you that you have done things wrong and so on. That can't feel good. I am sorry if we come across as rude at times. You have continued to be polite in spite of your frustration and confusion.

You have information from which to make your decisions. I am glad to know that you are considering a bigger tank in the future. If you can find a 3 gallon on Craigslist or something, that would be a good start for now. I seem to remember that you said it was the biggest you can have in your apartment. If you do get a 3 gallon, it will help your current stock a bit, but I wouldn't add more. Wait until you can have the 10 gallon. And while you are waiting, do your research and make your plan so you can have an awesome 10 gallon with balanced stock and a good environment. If you do choose to add more fish to your current tank, you will take flak from people here. Again, it's because they care about the fish, not because they are attacking you. Please keep reading here - you will find a lot of really good information and you will even see that you are not the only one to have made these mistakes. When you are ready, I hope that you will post questions again. You can trust people here to give you the best answers they can, even if they aren't the answers you want to hear.

 

[jimsz]

Sings - even if you do not post - make sure you read here often. You'll learn a lot.

A year ago I bought a 10 gallon tank (a smaller tank than I wanted but the store employee assured me it was easier than a 20 gallon tank).

I listened to them, bought into what they were saying, took it home, filled it and 3 days later started stocking it. After a couple days the death march began and the fish store simply gave me new fish. Thinking it was odd I dug into reading where I found out about cycling, over stocking, etc. The people here know what they are talking about.

Once the small tank successfully cycled, we stocked the 10 gallon. The maintenance on the small tank seemed constant but to be responsible we had to do it.

A couple months later we moved up to a 40 gallon tank, did the move and since we now have some knowledge behind us have had very few problems in the year since. A couple fish have died in that time but I am confident it was not a poorly maintained tank that caused their death. We do 50 - 75% water changes every week, regular testing (the numbers are consistent) and are migrating towards live plants a little at a time. This coming summer if we can make room and solve the water change logistics we will move to a 75 or 90 gallon for one last increase in size.

A fish store's business is to sell you fish and more often, accessories/food/etc. The members here are the opposite, they care and know about fish and there is nothing in it for them other than to be of assistance.

 

[LyndaB]

I think my only frustration right now with this is that i've NEVER heard of cycling in my life and all my family members have had a tank at some point in their lives for 10+ years and never heard of it either. My mom thinks i'm over thinking what I need to be doing for my tank.

You've been given some excellent advice. I suggest you follow it, if your ultimate goal is a healthy tank with vibrant fish.

When I was a kid, 50 years ago, we kept goldfish in a small bowl, changed the water when we remembered, and fed the fish about 29 times a day. Our fish died more often than we changed underwear. Ok, maybe not quite that often.

It's because we didn't know what we were doing.

Just because people you know or are related to have had fish for a long time and the fish have lived, it doesn't mean that the fish were thriving. That's what our goal is as fishkeepers.

 

[GNarnian]

I
I dont think ill be posting here ever again but i will stay a member to be in the background reading posts and gaining information for my future tank. Thanks for everything.

Sings, would you like it if you had to live in a bathtub your entire life? Where you couldn't get out to stretch your legs, and had to drink water that you pooped and peed in? You are literally posioning your own fish... :-(

I know that all the fish you got are cool and you want more, but fish need more space than that.

 

[Abrams96]

Just to be sure as I haven't seen anybody mention it. But make sure you are using conditioned water when you are doing your water changes. Unless you are on a well. You should be testing your water source before dumping it in the tank. And get your water as close as possible to the same temperature of the tank K or you will be seeing large temperature in a tank that tiny which is also very harmful to your fish