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chaimonique

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
15
Location
Buffalo, NY
Hello All
I bought my daughter a 1gallon tank for her 8th birthday as I just wanted her to get acclimated to taking care of fish. The guy at the fish store told us we could have up to 4 fish in the tank. I cycled the tank and bought two goldfish the next day. I haven't had an aquarium in over 10 years so after floating the bag for an hour I dumped the bag...that didn't go over so well as we lost one the next morning. My daughter cried her head off so I promised her we would get some more fish after school. I took her to the store and she loved the neons. I informed the fish guy that we had a gold fish in a 1 gallon tank at home and he convinced us that we could put them together. I brought them home, floated the bag for an hour (as they instructed). I then netted them into the water. They were swimming around great at first, even the goldfish seemed delighted to see them as he wasn't swimming much before. The next day one of the neons began swimming in circles, upside down floating to the bottom and just acting really crazy. I found out after googling that he was not well. None of them would eat and I couldn't figure out what to do. I wasn't convinced that they had ick but wanted to try something to help them. I did discover that I had very hard water and the pH was too high. I also thought that maybe the 1 gallon tank was a bad idea so we bought a 10 gallon tank. I bought some pH decrease and some salt. By the time we got back from the pet store with the supplies the crazy neon was dead and shoved under the rocks with the goldfish hovering over the body. I called CSI and I am waiting for them to investigate the scene. I left them in the tank because I didn't want them to ruin the new tank and the next morning the goldfish was dead. I removed both the neon and the goldfish and put them in a cup leaving the other neon alone in the tank. I treated the water with pH decrease and some salt lml at a time and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per day. I think that may have worked because the neon is slowly coming back to life. He is swimming a little and eating a little. I keep testing the water but it just won't come down the way I want it to. I am still treating it. The new 10 gal tank on the other hand has great perimeters and is ready to go. Temp is 74, 0 Nitrate, soft water, 80 alkalinity, and roughly 7.2 pH. Since the Neon is doing better I was wondering if I should transfer him to the new safer tank. I would also like to begin introducing new fish as well. I was wondering if this would be a good idea and would also like to know what fish should we put in with our neon. I was told we could have up to 10 so I wanted to introduce more neon since he is a schooling fish and maybe a bottom feeder, algae eater, and some fish that would swim high. Please help us out..we don't want to send any more bodies to the morgue.
 
Welcome to the forum. I have moved this post to Freshwater General Discussion.

First of all, it was a really good move to get the 10g tank. I know pet stores will sell you 1g tanks, but they really aren't good for fish.
Here is a guide to read about getting an aquarium started:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html
This will tell you about cycling your tank. Since you already have fish, you will have to do a fish-in cycle which is explained here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html
The guides explain it better than me, but basically cycling is just building up a colony of beneficial bacteria that will break down the ammonia in fish poop and turn it into a less harmful substance. Your goldy and neon probably died because there was too much ammonia in the 1g for them. But, your other fish will hopefully be fine in the 10g with some water changes.

EDIT: Also, you don't need the salt or the pH down. Fish can adapt to a variety of pHs and consistency is much more important than any specific number. Your pH is just fine.
 
Ok firstly, welcome to AA :) have you heard of cycling? you need to learn about cycling your new tank, this link should help http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html
I would also advise you to buy a liquid test kit such as the API freshwater master test kit which has tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The liquid test kits are the best to use as test strips are inaccurate. You're currently seeing 0 nitrate on whichever type of test you are using as your tank is not cycled. You may also find these links helpful:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html
Have a read and don't hesitate to ask questions :)
 
For stocking, you can do a school of about 6 neons and a platy or guppy as a centerpiece fish. There is no rule about how many fish can be in any given tank, there are a lot of variables, so its best to focus on the needs of an individual species.
 
Yeah, don't use the pH down. Changing pH levels is one of the surest ways to kill fish. Also, it is not recommended to keep goldfish and tropical fish together. Goldfish are coldwater fish and tropical like it warm. You would be better off going for small fish like the neons.
 
Move him asap. Put him in a bag, float the bag in the new tank for 15 minutes, add some water from the new tank into the bag, wait 15 more minutes, add more water, wait again, net the neon out and put him in the new tank.
Since you used the pH down in his old tank, he needs to be acclimated to the new tank. :)
 
Welcome to AA!
This might sound like a stupid question but, do you have a decent filter and heater in the 10 gallon? Tropical fish need heated water, usually between 76* and 84*. The filter will aid in the groth of the benificial bacteria and keep the water clean for the fish. Gold fish shoudnt be in any tank smaller than a 20 gallon and that is just for one goldie :)
 
What I just did was took out about 20% of the water from the 1 gal tank and put some water from the new tank into a sport bottle and it is dripping into the 1 gal tank. Should I not be doing this..and to answer your question ccross, yes I have a heater and the current temp on new tank is 74. It also has a biofilter. Will putting the air stone in the new tank help bring health bacteria from the old tank?
P.S. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!
 
Thats a perfectly fine way of acclimating the fish. :) There is more than 1 way to do it, I just listed an easy way. Lol.
 
Only thing I haven't figured out (mind you this is just based on what I have been reading here) is how long to do this for and what to do once it is done...do I just net him into the new tank or do I still have to do a bag transfer?
 
With that method, you do it until the volume of the new tank water had doubled the volume of old tank water. An estimate is fine, it doesn't have to be an exact science. The whole point is just go get the fish used to the new water chemistry so it doesn't go into shock.
 
He seems to be withstanding the water change ok...he is being his usual bashful self...what types of signs should I be looking for that would indicate that he is in distress?
 
When I am done with the chemical acclamation, do I just net him into the new tank or do I need to float him in a bag first?
 
Just net him in. The purpose of floating the bag to acclimate the temperature, but since you have been moving the water around, he should be used to the new temperature.
 
Ok since the new guy took to the tank well we took our dead fish back to walmart and got 5 more neons....we acclimated them to the water as we did the other guy and they seemed to take to it well....they were all dead when we woke up this morning...uggggh
 
Don't get discouraged! It will be well worth it once the members on here help you figure everything out. Just a suggestion do you have anywhere besides walmart to buy fish because the fish in all the walmarts iv been to aren't taken care of and are usually sick to begin with
 
Yes...I only started there because it was late and the goldfish I purchased originally were from pet smart and they died as well. I agree...when we were in the store last night the guy was filling the bags with tap water...I asked him to fill mine with the tank water...he went to knot the bag with no air...I untied the bag and gave it some air....I am wondering if I should euthanize the remaining neon and start a new with fresh water...I am not sure if he is alive because he is healthy or by default...the 5 that were dead this morning was kind of eerie...I know they say not to feed the fish right away but I am wondering now if they were hungry....starving even....they didn't show any signs of distress last night and seemed to die rather quickly...very unhappy at this point....there was another customer there who was exchanging fish as well so maybe that should have been a sign...we were talking and she told me she has a mature tank....I wonder if I would bump into her again when I return with my dead fish for a refund
 
I would (before you get anymore stock) is Get a Freshwater test kit. I use API , not the best But I like it. Don't Use the Strips they are Worthless...

Test your Tank and your Tap water. Something is not right. Post your Results.

I would look at using SeaChem Prime for your Water Dechlorinator.

Unless I missed something in your postings but I apologize I did Read it fast.
 
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