Trouble with new fish/tank

[Nikki0264]

So I recently decided to dabble in the fish department after many years of no fish at all. I live in a small apartment so i acquired a nice sized 5 gallon aquarium with a nice filter. I let the tank cycle for about a week or so before adding any fish.

Knowing 5 gallons is fairly small I went to the fish store only anticipating two small fish such a guppies or platy's. After a lot of discussion with the sales woman, i purchased one balloon molly, a sunfire platy and a swordtail koi. The woman who helped me at the store assured me that these 3 fish would get along and be suitable for my 5 gallon tank.

Now a few weeks later i seem to be having some trouble with my fish. Originally the fish seemed to get along well. I did try to incorporate my small Betta in the tank but this did not go well so he was removed (i only left him in the tank for about 10 mins.) After removing the betta the fish seemed happy, got along and were very active.

Now Ive noticed that the only fish out is my swordtail koi...he/or she seems overly active and frantic, always looking for food. My balloon molly never comes out any longer and just hides at the bottom of the tank. HE will occasionally come out for food but once he encounters the other fish, he generally hides again. This molly was the most brave and active fish when originally entered into the tank.

My sunfire platy is also beginning to act timidly. He seems to hide a lot, will come out for food and does not hide from the koi. I noticed this morning however that the sunfire play has scales missing...maybe bite marks?

Im not sure what the problem is here...it seems to me that maybe the koi is being a bully here? Any help would be great. The water seems a bit cloudy this morning to....help!!!

 

[BigJim]

Welcome to AA!

Have you tested your water parameters? If not, get a liquid test kit that can test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I recommend the API Freshwater Master kit.

If you only let your tank run for a week, I'm fairly certain it's not properly cycled. You didn't have an ammonia source to start the cycle, and if you did, a week isn't long enough with a new filter. My 20L took about 5 weeks with me adding a pretty heavy load of ammonia to the tank daily during my fishless cycle. In the meantime, you should probably do a 50% partial water change (PWC) every day to keep your ammonia levels in check. It sounds like your fish are stressed, which will happen when your tank is cycling.

I'm really hoping you have a koi swordtail and not a swordtail koi. (If there is such a thing.) Any koi would outgrow that tank in a matter of weeks.

Don't get discouraged. There is a lot of conflicting information out there to confuse you. I've found AA to be pretty useful, hence my membership. If you have more problems, feel free to ask. No question is a stupid question when you're trying to learn.

 

[Nikki0264]

Thanks BigJim! I am planning on going to the pet store this evening to get a water test kit... so I"m actually on the same page with you there. A PWC change is probably a good idea and i will give that a whirl soon. I actually keep a jug of water nearby for tank changes.

I'm glad to know that the fish may be acting this way do to stress vs. social problems. I hope that once my tank finishes cycling they will resume to their active happy selves. Im trying not to get discouraged but it is frustrating sometimes. I never had this problem with my other tanks in the past...i guess i was just lucky then!

And in regard to the swordtail...its not an actual koi fish like those found in ponds. It looks similar to the platy but with a longer tail...I may have the name wrong but the name on my receipt and on the tag at the store said sword-koi. The woman who sold me the fish said that he would stay under 2 inches full grown...similar to the other two fish i purchased.

In regards to my sunfire platy....im not sure why it looks like hes been bitten, or if maybe he just hurt himself on the rocks but i am worried about him healing properly. Has this happened to other people's fish before? Ive never come across this when i had fish/tanks before.

Do I maybe have too many fish for the tank? Could that be causing a problem? Just wondering. Thanks for all your help!

 

[BigJim]

It sounds like you've got a pretty good idea of what you're doing already. Avoid the test strips and get a liquid kit. Liquid is much more accurate.

A 5g is a pretty small system that needs frequent maintenance to stay healthy. My wife's 5g has been up and running for a few years and I do a 70-80% PWC weekly to keep the water parameters where I'm comfortable with them.

Glad to hear you have a koi swordtail. I like their orange-white colors, but haven't found them for a reasonable price. If it's a male, 2 inches might be a reasonable estimate. If it's a female, 6 inches is about their max size. Either way, you may end up re-homing a fish or two due to size. Balloon mollies stay on the smaller end and platies do too. Expect 2-3 inches. Upgrading to a 10g or a 20L or bigger is always a good way to go too.

I think you're at your stocking limit, but I don't think it's causing your problems. I really think your tank is just cycling. Personally, I wouldn't keep these fish in a 5g, but everyone has to start somewhere. Even bettas do better in bigger tanks.

Keep an eye on your platy. A tablespoon of freshwater aquarium salt can help the healing process. Fish can be pretty resilient. One of my khuli loaches got all scraped up one night. I think my raphael knocked a piece of slate on top of the khuli while digging. Probably half of the khuli's 3 inch body was white instead of black and striped. I thought he was a goner, but he healed and is fat and happy in my tank.

 

[Nikki0264]

Thanks for all of your advice...you've made me feel so much better about the situation.

I also love the koi-swordtail..he has very pretty coloring as does my platy..nice oranges with good accents marks on each. My balloon molly is just white but adorable when hes not so skiddish. My koi wasn't too price about 5 bucks.

Im looking forward to the fish and tank acclimating itself and for them to all get back to their happy swimming selves. Thanks for your help.

 

[Halthe]

A 5g is a pretty small system that needs frequent maintenance to stay healthy. My wife's 5g has been up and running for a few years and I do a 70-80% PWC weekly to keep the water parameters where I'm comfortable with them.

If you're maintaining the tank, wouldn't it be fair to call it YOUR 5g?

Nikki,

Hope your fish are doing better! Remember that PWC's are always a good idea.

 

[Nikki0264]

Thank Halthe.... Im going to do a PWC tonight and check my water levels. Hopefully in a few weeks the tank will be ok, the fish more active like when I first got them and everything back to normal. Ill keep you updated. Thanks again!

 

[ampa one]

welcome to AA

 

[Nikki0264]

RIP little Molly....

So i haven't done my PWC change yet...i plan on doing that tomorrow.

I did test my water last night however..everything was in the safe range, my PH, nitrate, nitrite and hardiness were all ok. My Alkalinity was a little low however.

And today my balloon molly was found dead . I guess its a work in progress but hopefully it'll work out soon before any of my other fish die! I had a feeling the molly was a goner when he started acting odd a few days ago. My platy is acting a little weird but still eating so im not too worried. And the koi-swordtail is doing wonderful....hes a little frantic lately but hes very active and eats a lot.

Hopefully the PWC will help with everything...ill retest the water after that and see how its doing. Hopefully there will be no more deaths along the way......

 

[BigJim]

Did you test ammonia? What were your test readings? If you're cycling, you'll see ammonia levels, but not any nitrite or nitrate yet. If you don't test the ammonia too, you can get a false sense that your tank is ok.

Sorry to hear about your molly.

 

[Nikki0264]

I bought a multi-test kit for fresh water aquariums. It doesn't look like it actually tested for ammonia. Looks like ill head back to the store and buy a kit for that to see hwo things are going.... Thanks.

 

[mfdrookie516]

get a liquid test kit... it sounds like you have strips, which are perfectly fine for ph, but not ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate

 

[Nikki0264]

And then there was one.....

So my sun fire platy was found dead this morning ....

Looks like its all up to my koi-sword tail. He is a little frantic but is active, seems happy, and is eating just fine. So hopefully he lives for a long while.

I did a PWC today... I changed 2 out of the 3 gallons, hopefully this helps with the cycling process...or whatever is going on in there.

In regards to the water testing kits. I do have the strips as a test kit, luckily they test for everything except ammonia. It tests for nitrite's, nitrate, PH, Carbonate and General Hardness, as well as alkalinity. I plan on buying an additional test kit this evening just for ammonia. That way ill be able to test all variables.

Thanks everyone for all of your help.

 

[mfdrookie516]

the problem with the strips is that they are not accurate... you need to invest in a good liquid test kit (api master fw test is a good one) so that you can have accurate results. i've tested strips myself and found them to be inconsistent and had false results 4 of 5 times i tested them.. just an fyi

 

[BigJim]

+1 on the API kit. It's a little bit of sticker shock, but when you figure how many tests you get out of it versus the strips and the strips general unreliability, it's worth every penny. I've been going on my kit for about 18 months with several tanks.

 

[Nikki0264]

Thanks for the advice. Ill have to invest in the water kit when i head back to the store then. Does the water kit also test for ammonia as well? Thanks!!

 

[Nikki0264]

I looked it up, all set with the ammonia questions. Thanks!