Freshwater fish from Walmart/New tank setup

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Kfer95

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Mar 11, 2021
Messages
8
Hello everyone, have some questions I was wondering if the wise community here could help me with. Long story short, I tried to upgrade the office fish to a bigger tank (30 gallon to 50 gallon) and was unaware that moving them from the border line septic tank they lived in, to the new clean one, could harm them. They went from the old tank with No3 content of 200+, to the new one which was about 20. Started out with a good size pleco, bala shark, bronze cory, two tiger barbs and a clown loach. I am now down to the Pleco, cory and shark which also has popeye (I quarantined it when it first happened, then ended up moving them back to the old tank after the second died). So, I guess my questions would be the following.
1. Once I finish partial water changes on the tank they're in to lower the No3 levels, do you think the ones I have left would be robust enough to reintroduce to the new tank?
2. I've treated the new water (I have two boxes of "Tetra complete water care kit" and Tetra Aquasafe plus whichever you all think is better), hardware is set up, temperature matches, and once I test the water, am I missing anything?
3. How do you treat popeye in a Bala shark preferably in the same tank as other fish (One Eye bulged and completely covered in white, the other still functions and only effected a little)?
and 4. Are walmart fish worth buying? I've heard rumors that due to their living conditions and how they source them, they are pretty much guaranteed to die asap. My closest actual pet store is just under a half hour away one way, I don't know if they would survive the ride back.


Any help is appreciated, just trying to give these little ones a good home and I feel like a serial fish murderer :(
 
A half hour ride for tropical fish is no problem. I wouldn't even worry if you had to ride a couple of hours, providing the fish are properly bagged or whatever container is being used. As far as Walmart fish, well, hard to judge but I'd rather get them even from a pet store or better yet, a local tropical fish place, though they are almost difficult to find anymore. Even pet stores can be questionable. I'm lucky to have a big box Pet store near me that takes excellent care of their tropical fish, not something I see in many of those big pet stores. Good luck.
 
With the fishies I wouldn't ever get from walmart. I bought ONE fish and he wiped out my 40 fish with a fungus and parasite all except a platy and my pleco. All of my fish I bought from a pet store are dead. The ones I bought from breeders are SUPER healthy. I actually have 4 bettas in the mail being shipped to me as we speak. Just spend the extra $30-$60 on shipping and order from a breeder or get from a local breeder which I have done aswell.
 
With the fishies I wouldn't ever get from walmart. I bought ONE fish and he wiped out my 40 fish with a fungus and parasite all except a platy and my pleco. All of my fish I bought from a pet store are dead. The ones I bought from breeders are SUPER healthy. I actually have 4 bettas in the mail being shipped to me as we speak. Just spend the extra $30-$60 on shipping and order from a breeder or get from a local breeder which I have done aswell.


I can't speak of how you introduce your fish into your tank but quarantining questionable fish or any fish from any store/breeder is always good practice. For decades (I literally mean decades, Im an old guy) I have purchased all my fish from the big chain pet stores after the mom and pop fish stores went under, and never had a wipe out. You never know what is in the water but a good visual of the fish being purchased along with the other fish in the tank is a good start, quarantining the new fish and having a well established tank to put them in is key for the "new" fish health and that of the ones residing in the main tank.
 
Quarantine

I can't speak of how you introduce your fish into your tank but quarantining questionable fish or any fish from any store/breeder is always good practice.

I quarantined him with the fish I bought with him but some how it spread to my outer tanks.. But just saying its best to by from a trusted breeder:fish2:
 
Back
Top Bottom