I need help Please

[Nova]

I did a very dumb thing.
I bought a 10 gallon tank for my daughter's birthday.
I did not know about the cycling process,so I rushed out in my haste and bought her 3 mollies.
The water is cloudy and one of the poor babies does not look so good..
I did order and kit for all my tests today it should be here by Monday..
What can I do in the mean time to save these fishes life's.They are so cute and I feel like a murderer at this point..
I really do need help and I have been reading this forum for hours and I understand so much more now..We need a quick fix please!!
Thanks so much for any help you might can offer..

 

[Megalofyia]

You can do some partial water changes.

 

[Allivymar]

There is no "quick fix" but there ARE some things you can do which may help. Number one is WATER CHANGE!! Since you don't know the levels of ammonia, etc, its hard to say how much. I'm going to pull a number out of my hat and say 50% right now, 50% tomorrow. Then when you test on Monday you can figure out how much more you need to change. What you want to do is dilute those ammonia/nitrite levels. You'll need to make sure the tap water is treated for chlorine/chloramine (which are prob in your water supply; tis the stuff I'll be you bought with the tank to get the tap water ready for the tank). Make sure its near the same temp as the tank as well.

Unfortunately, it may not help. There may be an issue with the fish themselves (besides the probable ammonia poisoning). You never really know what the true health is of the fish when you get them. They may look fine in the fish store tanks, but they could be carrying something and not showing signs yet. Tis why most of us have quarantine tanks; we put the new fish in em to observe them for a couple of weeks before putting them in with the rest. In your case however, number one thing is to get some untainted water in there so your guys can breathe.

And yeah, feeling guilty makes lots of sense. I think we all do when our fish are in distress/die. But you've made a mistake many of us have made initially. I have no doubts that won't happen again. Theres a nice article here in the cycle: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html . When have some time, peruse it. It will explain the cycle better then me LOL

 

[tkos]

Yes, start doing water changes right away. All is not lost yet. Make sure to use a good dechlorinator.

 

[Nova]

Thank you I have been up almost all night reading about this.I wish I had taken the time to do this before hand..The one mollie is dying now and I fear all is lost..I have done some water change but not that much will do more now..
I also have marplex to take out the chlorine out of my tap water..
I will learn from this and do my research before adding another fish to this tank..It's to sad to watch them die and my 8 year old saying mom help these fish..

 

[Allivymar]

Actually, I would suggest getting her involved in understanding whats going on and why. 8 yr olds are at a great age to learn about the process and ins n outs of fish tanks; tis a nice responsibility as well. Breaking down the cycle into easily understood bits isn't hard, and you get to use the words pee and poo LOL I'm sure that will go over well. Check your lfs (I think its the July issue) for Aquarium USA magazine. They had a great article on beginning fishkeeping for kids.

 

[Nova]

One more thing before I go should I still feed the remaining two fish once a day?I just did a 50% water change..Made sure the temp was the same as the tank also..
Also how often should I do this water change? :|

 

[Allivymar]

If they've been eating the past few days then, no, I suggest you don't. Whatever they miss will be rot and be converted into more ammonia. They won't starve as long as they were eating previously.

Watch them today. If the don't look any more comfortable, try a water change this eve. If they seem to be holding on, I would wait till tomorrow. Water changes can be stressful, although ammonia levels are much more dangerous. Its hard to say exactly since those levels are unknown.

 

[Nova]

Thanks once again..I lost the one we called peaches.But the other two are holding thier on as of now..I really did know know any of this until I found this forum..
Thanks for all the help I will keep you updated about blackie and pchang..She named the fish.. 8O

 

[Vanilla Magilla]

Actually, I would suggest getting her involved in understanding whats going on and why. 8 yr olds are at a great age to learn about the process and ins n outs of fish tanks; tis a nice responsibility as well

I agree. I have an 8 YO also and did explain the whole process. Although the test kit has some serious chemicals, my daughter loves to test her water. It has to do with the changing colors and charting what the level is. Kids are sponges at this age. Enjoy it.