Mistakes made with your first tank

[jessipanda]

As a kid, I won goldfish from a fair. Enough said?

As an adult, I did a lot of research and haven't lost much. Mostly made typical mistakes like over feeding (have a kid that likes to help) but nipped that in the bud before any casualties. My kid has helped me learn a lot and has learned a lot as well.

My problem is I can keep sensitive fish like rummynose alive in my hard, alkaline well water without any issues....but guppies? Pfft...the only guppy that has survived in my tanks was the only one born in one. At almost a year old, she looks horrible...poor thing. She's happy though! Eats like a pig, loves attention, and even gets in my hands when I'm working on the tank lol.

 

[bhimrulez]

Last week i had put total of 12 small fishes(8guppy+2neontetra+2sowrdtails) in a 5 liter bowl and 6 guppy died;( ....again i bought few guppy and have put the water from the local water can supplier....again I added few gud guppies and most of them are getting sick...i dont understand what is causing them not to eat food and some kind of infection of thier skin

 

[bhimrulez]

sick guppy

 

[Toad]

Bhimrulez, I'd make your own thread for the issues on your tank, you're much more likely to get answered.

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[gilpi]

Overfeeding

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[rachelstar]

Warning- Do not make the mistakes I did when starting!!![/COLOR]

I made many serious mistakes when I started keeping fish that lead to the death of many pets and great heartbreak on my part. In spite of reading a lot of books on the subject, I just didn't learn but through experience.

Here's what went wrong and what helped.
1. Trouble with cycling and understanding when my tank is fully cycled. I finally discovered API Perfect Start at Petsmart. Used this easy kit to set up the new tank and finally had success. A product like this is well worth the cost.

2. I was misinformed through some information on the internet and from the people at the pet store. I was expecting too much from the people at the pet store- they were not fish experts! I ended up with incompatible fish that fought, stressed, and injured, and killed each other. I thought (through the internet) that I could safely have a tank full of male guppies. Wrong- they brutally fight and kill one another. I also tried 2 mollies and a gourami. Pet store told me that was good. Wrong- Gourami was stressed to death. This was all very traumatic for me and of course, for my fish that were supposed to be happy and healthy.
I finally had success getting just one pet fish. As a beginner, it's easier if there's no possibility of fighting.

3. Objects in the tank were hazardous, poisoned and killed my fish. Again, I trusted the internet and things went wrong. My fish were fighting and I had to get them separated. Internet said "create a divider using plastic craft canvas." So I cut pieces of this plastic to be my "tank dividers." My fish shortly developed what I now believe was septicemia. They were poisoned by the plastic dividers, and I never made the connection.
Do not ever put anything, even something small, into the tank water that was not designed for aquariums. Even if the internet says otherwise. Also do not put anything with sharp edges into the water, even if it was made for aquariums.

4. I was following the feeding instructions on the fish food which said to feed my fish whatever they could eat in 3 to 5 minutes. This ended up being way too much food. My fish were developing swim bladder disease. A better suggestion I found online was to feed portions only the size of the fish's eyeball, because that's how small their stomachs are.

5. My filter that came with my aquarium was "eating" my fish. Fish were sucked in and killed and it was awful. Stupidly I tried to prevent this by covering the intake with some mesh and a rubber band. Violated rule #3 - if it's not designed for aquariums, it isn't safe to put in the water, no matter how small it is. Never violate rule number 3. I found out online that many people were having the problem of fish getting sucked into their filter. Unwilling to deal with the risk ever again, I removed my filter. I know this piece of advice is never one you'd get from books, but it has worked for me. Rather than a filter, I change about a fifth of the water every 3 days. It's more work but at least I'm not worried about my fish getting devastating injuries from a filter.

6. Maintaining water quality and temperature is always important. I've found Stress Zyme + to be a wonderful product which I add weekly.

7. Keep the basic medicines on hand, you never know when you'll need them. Products I've used with success are API Melafix for bacterial infections, Tetra Parasite Guard, and Jungle Ick Guard. My heater is National Geographic 50 W.

8. A variety in diet is good for your fish. My goldfish's diet includes goldfish granules, Omega One Green Seaweed, TetraFin Goldfish flakes, and Omega One Freeze Dried brine shrimp (which I feed in tiny portions)

9. Too much water current is a bad thing. If your fish won't swim or are getting pushed to the sides of the tank, take a look at the water current. Is it too strong for them? When I was trying to keep my guppies, I didn't realise they could not withstand the current produced by the bubble wall. A bubbler is a great thing for fish but make sure that the water current is gentle enough for them to swim comfortably. For my goldfish, this means having a bubble wall on only one side of the tank. When I tried to put a bubble wall on the second side as well, she was overwhelmed by the pressure.

10. I do not use gravel for my goldfish, after hearing that some goldfish will try to eat gravel. I did not want to take the risk of my goldfish getting a piece of gravel stuck in her belly. So I found some larger decorative aquarium stones at Pet Smart

11. May your fish live long and prosper

 

[TMaier]

I'm STILL making mistakes. I do something stupid at least twice a year. But it's always something new.

 

[flchamp89]

I'm STILL making mistakes. I do something stupid at least twice a year. But it's always something new.

Better than me....lol. Im lucky if I can survive a day

 

[toolman]

+1 for daily[emoji23]

 

[RileyBlue]

Oh my gosh, my first tank was in 1990, I was 10. 10 gallon tank. We filled it up, put the little corner filter in, with the separate charcoal and floss and went to the pet store. I ended up buying 3 angelfish, 3 neon tetras, 2 platies, 1 catfish (probably a cory), a PLECO, and a kuhli loach.

Once a week, I'd net all the fish out, put them in a bowl (with nice clean water), dump out all the water, rinse the gravel, wash the plants, wipe down the glass, replace the filter floss and charcoal and put everyone back in the new sparking clean tank. Only lost the cory. And an angelfish when it jumped out.

After a few months of this, my dad's fish-keeping buddy saw the tank and gave us a 40 or 50 gallon tank he had sitting around. He also told us to get a gravel vacuum and just clean the gravel and put new water in after. I'm sure my fish thanked him.

 

[Laser]

Warning- Do not make the mistakes I did when starting!!![/COLOR]

5. My filter that came with my aquarium was "eating" my fish. Fish were sucked in and killed and it was awful. Stupidly I tried to prevent this by covering the intake with some mesh and a rubber band. Violated rule #3 - if it's not designed for aquariums, it isn't safe to put in the water, no matter how small it is. Never violate rule number 3. I found out online that many people were having the problem of fish getting sucked into their filter. Unwilling to deal with the risk ever again, I removed my filter. I know this piece of advice is never one you'd get from books, but it has worked for me. Rather than a filter, I change about a fifth of the water every 3 days. It's more work but at least I'm not worried about my fish getting devastating injuries from a filter.

Have you thought about using a sponge filter?

My first tank I had a 20 high and I put 3 dwarf gouramis in there. I ended up taking all of them back to the store.

 

[ashleykw]

Oh my gosh, my first tank was in 1990, I was 10. 10 gallon tank. We filled it up, put the little corner filter in, with the separate charcoal and floss and went to the pet store. I ended up buying 3 angelfish, 3 neon tetras, 2 platies, 1 catfish (probably a cory), a PLECO, and a kuhli loach.

Once a week, I'd net all the fish out, put them in a bowl (with nice clean water), dump out all the water, rinse the gravel, wash the plants, wipe down the glass, replace the filter floss and charcoal and put everyone back in the new sparking clean tank. Only lost the cory. And an angelfish when it jumped out.

After a few months of this, my dad's fish-keeping buddy saw the tank and gave us a 40 or 50 gallon tank he had sitting around. He also told us to get a gravel vacuum and just clean the gravel and put new water in after. I'm sure my fish thanked him.

Sounds a lot like what I used to do when I had my first fish!!! I was probably 9 or 10 as well, had a beta and an ADF. I think I must've had a 5 gallon. No filter, no equipment, nothing. My parents knew nothing about fish, they just bought gravel and one ornament with a bubbler, but no air stone or pump to go with it. When the water level would start to get low from dehydration , I would simply add more water. My tank only had half a lid!!! Only after a few weeks I would grab the fish and frog with my bare hands and put them in a cup, then transfer them to the mop sink where I'd let them swim around (like I thought it would be like the same concept as taking your dog to the dog park, more free space to roam) while I emptied out the tank, rinsed the gravel and scrubbed the sides and ornament with the clean sponge. Then I'd use my hands to put them back in the water and they would be good for another few weeks. This beta lived for about 3 years. The ADF, I can't remember. But I seriously cannot believe I used to do that. Those poor animals.

 

[OnTheFly]

I can't possibly remember them all but here are a few memorable bonehead moves.

1. Saw the biggest oscar in my life at LPS, easily 14in and a couple pounds. Put him in a 20G aquarium I had set up an hour ago. He didn't live a week.

2. Tried to raise tadpoles in my turtle tank. The turtles were very pleased.

3. My father trumped my dumb moves when he brought home three small channel cats for the community aquarium. I remember the day of fish carnage well. I was about 6yrs old and they wiped the tank out completely while I was at school.

 

[rachelstar]

Have you thought about using a sponge filter?

My first tank I had a 20 high and I put 3 dwarf gouramis in there. I ended up taking all of them back to the store.

I think a sponge filter is a really great idea, thank you.
I'm going to look into it next time I'm shopping for pet supplies

 

[MrBetta]

Had an arrowana way back in 90's. Was doing 100% wc and feeding him cockroaches & insects. Then 1 day after feeding him with live fish he went rip. After a decade i finally got back my interest in fish keeping so i setup a 3.5g but overstocked it that caused a mini cycle. And That lead me here. I make mistakes, i learn from them & I move on. ?

 

[Blue_trillo]

I tried to keep a common snapping turtle.

Found him behind the house about the size of a quarter. I tried to setup a 30% land, 70% water tank with fish in the water etc. Nothing doing, the turtle ate all the fish and ripped the land/water setup apart until I finally gave up on it.

I read up on the common snapping turtle, how it should eat mostly vegetable matter and needed to be able to get some sun outside of the water .... entirely wrong, he never in the 2 years I had him took a single plant, not strawberries, lettuce or anything else I offered. He would also not take cooked meats, so he ended up getting fed raw fish and chicken. He also didn't ever come out of the water, not even once in 2 years.

I let him go when he hit about 8" in shell length. They aren't handleable, not even a little. Dern thing could reach that neck around to just about the back legs. Once he became sexual mature (posturing with rampant erection, hilarious) he also got bitey, and it was release time. Also the dern thing climbed out of the tank once by getting a foothold of the lamp clamp and ended up in the basement, thankfully the cat didn't find him first.

Do not recommend. Pretty though.

 

[Toad]

I'm surprised the tank lasted that long, my stepdad had one the size of his hand maybe, thing ripped all the sealant out of the corners and tank leaked everywhere.

 

[ColoradoMollies]

I didn't start so terribly long ago, so I can remember all my rookie mistakes very easily. 1) I bought the lies that betters don't really need clean water, filter, or space. 2) I added too Many fish at once. 3). I tried to get away with changing water without a "vacuum" tube (don't do it). 4). I overfed my fish and the water was nasty stinky. 5). I bought used supplies such as filters without first considering how I would get replacement parts (like filter cartridges). 6). I lost SO MANY ghost shrimp by not minding water temp and ph for them (only cared about the fish), yet I find them SO valuable for keeping a tank clean and clear....

I could go on and on!

 

[Blue_trillo]

I'm surprised the tank lasted that long, my stepdad had one the size of his hand maybe, thing ripped all the sealant out of the corners and tank leaked everywhere.

I guess I got lucky. I had some small gravel set in that might have helped.


Baby

 

[Carrie1]

Oh lort I could probably write a book on past present and future mistakes lol. My first tank was a 20 gallon long that I got after my daughter won a few goldfish at a fair. I tossed them all in the uncycled tank. I then decided I wanted more fish so I went and got several mollies, platys, and wait for it....an oscar ughhh lol needless to say they all died fairly quickly especially without water changes. After that I did tons of research and learned about cycling and proper filtration and stocking. I still make mistakes which is a good thing because it keeps me learning!