keeping a fish alive in five gallons

[onesadmom]

My daughter was fascinated by the aquarium at her school, so we bought her a tetra minibow 5-gallon tank with filter and light (no heat) for her birthday last month. We also got a small fake plant, a castle-cave thing, and some gravel.

So far, the experience has been a disaster. Initially, we had 3 small (1-inch each) calico goldfish in the tank. They did great for one week, then died all at one time. They turned a little white and seemed "flaky."

I took the water to the pet shop and the sales lady said the ammonia level was too hight. So we cleaned the tank, conditioned the water, and my daughter chose a 1.5 inch fantail goldfish. He did great for a week, then died unexpectedly this morning (with the same symptoms).

My daughter is devastated, and I spent the better part of Easter burying her fish, explaining fish "Heaven," and drying tears.

Please help me choose something that has a fighting chance. Or give me some advice on what to do with my tank (add heat? go tropical? what?). I have no aquarium experience, and unfortunately am doing my research after-the-fact. After cruising the internet tonight, I have read that goldfish (or any fish) are hard to maintain in a small aquarium.

Thank you!

 

[astroguy]

Hi and welcome to AA.

You definitely need to read about the nitrogen cycle. Click on the articles link at the top of this page. Look also at faq.thekrib.com.

A goldfish will not be happy in a 5g. I suggest one single betta splendens (siamese fighter). They fare OK in a 5g tank. However, in the mean time, your main concern will be the nitrogen cycle. You need to have you tank cycle. We propose in general the fishless cycle with ammonia chloride. If you really want to have a fish like the betta, make sure that the ammonia and nitrite level *never* go more than 0.5ppm. Buy liquid tests kits for these two compounds.

One thing you will have to learn is not to overfeed. This is one of the main reasons fishes die. Uneaten food will rot and produce additional ammonia (which is unwanted in the nitrogen cycle!). Make sure you give a small pinch of flake food 2x per day. The pinch has to be ~the size of a small pill, nothing more. The fish *will* beg for more, but no more!

Do you have a power filter to clean the water? In general they come with the tank as a kit. Betta need warm temperature. If they stay inside and it is a good 73-80 deg F, there is no need for heater. If it gets cold, then you do need a heater.

Read the links, and if you have additional questions, come again here!

 

[Fruitbat]

onesadmom...

Welcome to Aquarium Advice! I would guess right off the bat (no pun intended) that your daughter's aquarium didn't have a chance to progress through the Nitrogen Cycle. Basically what happens is that the fish produce waste which breaks down releasing ammonia (which is toxic to fish). If the appropriate bacteria are present the ammonia is broken down into nitrite (note the 'ite' ending) which is also toxic to fish...though not as bad as ammonia. Again with the proper bacteria the nitrite is broken down into nitrate (with an 'ate' ending) which is much less toxic.

Because goldfish tend to produce a LOT of waste...the ammonia level in your water built up before the populations of bacteria that could carry it through the rest of the chain were available. The goldfish died from ammonia toxicity that resulted from their own waste.

What I suggest is that you might consider some White Cloud Mountain Fish (called White Clouds in most fish stores). These are small, colorful fish that will do quite nicely in your 5 gallon tank with no heater. You can easily get away with 4 of these little gems in a tank that size (I know...other folks will disagree....but I'll stick by my recommendation). If you haven't already done so...I also suggest that you change about 50% of the water in your aquarium and then wait for a week or so before adding any new fish.

My daughter went through a similar trauma with her 5 gallon tank when she first set it up (she's 10) and lost some nice guppies. Now she has a beautifully cycled tank with Beckford's Pencilfish, some guppies and 3 Corydoras that are all in great health!

 

[Hypostomus]

If you don't feel like getting a heater, there's always the option of M. opercularis, the paradise fish. Care is otherwise similar to that of a betta, but make sure the tank is very thickly decorated to keep the fish's "interest" up.

 

[CiRXSi]

Do you know anyone else with a healthy aquarium? If so, while you're waiting that week for you to do your research, you can do this. Take the filter cartridge out of your power filter that came with the kit, and put it in your friend's tank. Your filter will collect some of the "good" bacteria from the other tank, and then you can place this filter in your daughters, and you will have a good jump start on the cycling process. JUST MAKE SURE that this other tank is free of any possible diseases. If not, you could put these diseases right into your tank. If you don't know anyone with an aquarium, then definately purchase a liquid (not dip-stick) water test kit. Test your parameters everyy other day until they have settled where they should be at. Good luck, and keep us posted.

And of course, Welcome to AA onesadmom

 

[flipz]

I took the water to the pet shop and the sales lady said the ammonia level was too hight. So we cleaned the tank, conditioned the water, and my daughter chose a 1.5 inch fantail goldfish. He did great for a week, then died unexpectedly this morning (with the same symptoms).

My guess is the pet shop lady told you ammonia was too high, and by "cleaned the tank" you mean you completely dumped the water out and started over? You just restarted your nitrogen cycle unfortunatly.

So, like everyone else said, just read about cycling your tank. Don't let the pet store person tell you that adding "cycle" or a similar product will completely cycle your tank... it won't. And don't do over 50% water changes. Also I would look into getting a gravel vacuum.

Good luck! Fish turn very expensive, very fast! Haha

 

[Menagerie]

[center:55466b5f48] Welcome to AA, onesadmom!! [/center:55466b5f48]
Looks like you've been given great advice so far!

 

[malkore]

If you don't feel like getting a heater, there's always the option of M. opercularis, the paradise fish. Care is otherwise similar to that of a betta, but make sure the tank is very thickly decorated to keep the fish's "interest" up.

Ok, I keep M. opercularis, and while they can survive without a heater, they do prefer normal tropcial fish temperatures. I personally wouldn't keep one in an unheated tank, unless I lived in a warm climate, year round.

 

[onesadmom]

Dear fish friends,

Thank you for the great advice. I have let the tank "cycle" for a week while we've been away; when I did the water change before we left, I replaced about 30% of the water, then have let the filter run, light off, for a week.

I have done a good bit of research and will apply your suggestions. I'm planning to purchase some water testing equipment today and learn how to read it before we get a fish (or two).

Your suggestions for fish species are great. Unfortunately, I know no one with a tank. But I have been readng the postings and I feel a little more confident now.

My daughter is doing better, but the last two weeks have been heartbreaking! I wasn't prepared for this fallout!

I'll keep you posted, and thanks again!

 

[grimlock3000]

You can not cycle a tank without fish or something else in it to produce ammonia

I would reccomend getting a heater for the tank and a male Betta. A Betta can be happy in a 5g and they are great to watch. When you get the fish, try to get some rocks or filter media from a healthy established tank in the store. The rocks of filter media would be full of good bacteria and you would not have to worry so much about ammonia and nitrites. As you have discovered, 5g tanks are very limiting to your fish selection and also equipment selection. Also, smaller tanks are much more vulnerable to water quality problems. Generally you would want a 10g tank for a selection of tropical fish.

 

[flipz]

Just like grimlock said, a tank doesn't cycle just by being setup and with a filter on. You need to have some sort of fish in there to move the cycle along, or look into fishless cycling which is something most people do so that you don't just kill fish. Try using the search link at the top to find out more. Good luck.

-brent

 

[Menagerie]

There is an article in the articles section on cycling.