Im such a bad mommy .

[shayshine]

hey guys im new here, i have a 15 gallon hexagon tank with small gravel, a fake log and some fake plants I hope to get some live plants and a Q tank soon but can't immediatly. I've had my aquarium set up ab a lil over a month. a top flowing filter a heater keeping the water between 72-80. I started out with 5 guppy, 3 male, 2 female. woke up next morning after putting them in the tank 1 male was missing, then 1 famale and 1 male so i went to petco they oked the water and we brought 3 glass catfish with eventually died. then I got 1 more male guppy and he died, leaving me my origional 2 males and 1 female, i recently bought a 4 inch dragon fish, ab a week after that my female started swimming more labored, hard breathing andonly one gill was moving and her eye was buldging and cloudy. sooo now i have 2 male guppy and a 4" dragon fish. my dragon fish seemes to be very active and I haven't seen him eat any of the shrimp pellets i put in there. my guppies seem to be happy so im at a loss. help what am i doing wrong

 

[emerald76]

1- the dragon fish should be rehomed if it is what I think it is a dragon goby- will eat small fish and get huge
2- the tank isnt cycled yet
There is an article on fish in cycling in the articles section

 

[shayshine]

aww

thats sad i tried to read everything on them before i got one they had several of them in tanks with guppies, and what i read is they were almost bottom feeders?

 

[CoryFan]

Hi & welcome!!

I am sorry to hear about your struggles. We can definitely help!

Do you have a testing kit? If you share your readings for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate we can help a lot better. Liquid test kits are more reliable ::hint::.

Here is an article on cycling:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html

 

[HN1]

Welcome to AA!

This may apply to your situation. Beware of the advice to add. I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

 

[shayshine]

no i don't have a car but i hope tonight m hubby will take me to go get a few things. hes given up and washed his hands of them. so now im a single mommy lol

 

[shayshine]

i let the tank run for 3 days before adding fish but i didn't check it before adding them so sad, im waiting for FPS (fish) protective services to come knocking at my door. I got them because i was lonely in our apt and they are entertaining, but i feel way less confident now that ive lost so many.

 

[HN1]

LOL... don't beat yourself up. Most of us started out right where you are now. Cycle your tank properly, do regular water changes, add slowly, and always take the advice from the "fish people" at chains with a grain of salt. There are some great ones, but they are unfortunately a very small minority.

 

[Billbug68]

When you go out be sure to pick up a liquid test kit so you can test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph. Don't rely on the store to test your water. They probably don't have a clue. The test kit is definitely a must and will save you money and casualties in the long run. Get your kit, test the water, post the readings on here, and we will help you through the process of making your aquarium safe for fish! Good luck, I hope we hear back from you soon! After everything is safe your fish will make great company!

 

[CoryFan]

Hey, how's everything going?

 

[shayshine]

Happy healthy and fat.

ok guys so guppies seem to be my forte. I have 2 males my origional males and 2 new females, I'm glad to report Romeo and Juliet( named because he obviously thinks he it all that ) and Skittles and Starburst are a happy family now. both girls just dropped a batch and i didn't know till i saw a few lil bitties swimming around. R and J are red and blue and SandS he is orange and Yellow and she is all bright yellow, she is the biggest guppy i have ever seen. about 3 iinches long looks like a baby bass almost. I still need to get some water testers,I'll keep you guys potsed, when they get big enough to decide the ones im going to keep ill give a few away.