Quote:
Originally Posted by Guffy
"Get guppies! They're easy! You just dump them in." I was told. And stupidly I believed it. A google search for the question of how much to feed them lead me on a long journey of "OH MY GOD I AM GOING TO KILL MY FISH". (I knew to use water conditioner to remove chlorine, that I needed a filter and a heater. And... That I needed to feed them.. And not much else. Because. You know. I took the advice of someone that I later found out feels it's perfectly acceptable to just buy new guppies every month or two. *cringe*
I've had them for a week now and no dead fish yet. I now know about cycling the tank. I have filter media from an established tank that is in the filter. I have live plants which apparently like to consume ammonia. I'm doing daily water tests and so far the ammonia is at zero. I dosed the aquarium with stress coat.
I also found out that apparently the pet store sold me a guppy with fin rot, which has improved in the past few days when I was trying to find out what it was. I'm trying to find out if I should dose the aquarium with antibiotics or not if the fin rot seems to be getting better? (All three of my fish are seeming better. When I first got them they were having a seriously hard time swimming in the current of the filter- now they play in it and explore the tank.
I'm seriously annoyed with myself for just taking the advice of this "fish person" without looking into things myself. My excuse is that my sister had an aquarium when she was growing up and did the same thing- swapped out fish whenever they died. I had no idea fish had a longer life expectancy.
Anyway.. I'm looking forward to learning everything I should have learned BEFORE I bought fish. :/
*edited:
I have a 10-long (I'm told it's called)
3 fancy male guppies
5 ghost shrimp
Aqueon Quietflow10
Small airstone w/ a pump
Small heater (keeps tank at 75)
Gravel at the bottom
Lilies, java fern and some tall grass-like plant that were grown in the tank before it had fish. (The tank was growing plants for a few months before we got fish.)
|
Hey, don't beat yourself up. You made a very common but an understandable mistake!!. You would imagine you can trust what the 'fish person' tells you but unfortunately that is not always the case. I don't like bashing
lfs because we can't/shouldn't do that. There are many, many good, knowledgeable staff who work in these stores and i think they get a raw deal. I'm not suggesting you are doing this but you are rightly pointing out a problem that new people to this great hobby have. I would suggest you try and find a local independent store, if possible. I find these so much easier and better to work with. The staff also usually share the passion that we have for our fish and it is in their best interests to 'help' as they need our trade when trying to compete with the 'big boys'. I have a great relationship with my
lfs, he is very knowledgeable and will not just sell any fish to anyone. He asks for info for their tank and then recommends what they can purchase. When i first set-up, before i found this forum, he refused to sell me fish before i cycled correctly or sell me non-compatible fish etc etc. It really pays to get to know the staff. He even calls over for a cup of tea on his way home and drops me in treats(samples) or delivers fish. I live in a small town, 5 mins from the store!!!. I know this is not possible in a large town or city but you can still build a good relationship with them...
The best thing is that you realize that we, the customer, also have to educate ourselves on what we are putting into our aquariums. That is one of the joys of this hobby, gaining knowledge and learning from mistakes.
It is good news that you didn't lose any fish. A good tip that someone gave me is, if your at the store and need info on anything Aquatic, just google it or use the mobile app for this forum. It pays to do your homework before going and avoid the impulse buy at the store(especially fish!!).
Joining this forum is the best thing i have done, after buying my tank of course..haha.
You sound like you are on your way to having a happy, healthy Aquarium. You will get great help from people on this forum and there are many very experienced, knowledgeable and helpful people on here who are always more than willing to help out anyone, especially new comers....
Never be afraid to post a question, even if you think it might be silly, as other people might be wondering the same but don't post, so you might not be the only one getting help. That's what this forum is all about, helping and sharing our passion...
Best of Luck with you new hobby(obsession!!), hope everthing works out well with your new tank..... Ian
I'm starting to become fond of these guys.
Linear Mode
