[ML]

Hello everyone

I just got an 10G aquarium for christmas, and currentll have 2 Balas and an albino Redfin shark. I started out with 2 pictus catfish because the morons at walmart told me they are a good beginner species. both died within 3 weeks of fin rot. the two balas are doing fine, hanging out with each other and eating fine, but the red fin i have only had for a few days. im beginning to understand more but when i first got him he didnt move from a little nook on the edge of a pirate wheel. the next day he was nestled underneath the heater and didnt move all day. he just sits there and does nothing all day long. is this normal for his species? i read that albinos dont like the light so i removed one of the hood bulbs to cast more shadow on part of the tank. he moved around more but still isnt swimming around like the balas. Also he looks like hes got fish scoliosis. his back is arched all the time.

anyone have any advice?

 

[susankat]

That isn't normal behavior, the problem is your tank isn't big enough for the fish that you have, The balas will need a huge tank when they get bigger and need to be in a bigger group. The shark will get to about 5 to 6 inches himself and needs to be in at least a 40 gal tank.

It also sounds like your having ammonia and nitrite problems because the tank is too small for the fish that you have.

 

[ML]

so basically the only fish i can have in my tank are the little tiny ones you see at the pet store that are so small you cant even see their eyes?

better start saving for a bigger tank then...

 

[jshank]

I don't know how redfin sharks are but I used to have a red tailed one and now I have a rainbow one and they both didn't do much during the day. They stayed in a cave thing I had and didn't come out til the lights were off. I added more plants and cover places and he will come out a little more now but mainly stays in his cave. I figure its pretty normal. It seems happy so I am guessing yours works the same way. It also seemed like when I added more fish he would swim around more. With your tank though that isn't really an option. Anyways I wouldn't be to worried about it.

 

[djrichie]

Also with a smaller tank it really important to monitor the waters Ammonina and Ntrates and nitrites levels in your tank, they accumilate faster in a small tank. Small tanks are alot more work. Do you have a good liquid freshwater testing kit, if not get one asap. I notice that you stated you got the tank for Christmas, taking that date and the current date it is not possible for you tank to be completely cycled, about 4 to 5 more weeks and that should be complete. This may be why the fish is acting strange the levels are dangerously high, this would also explain why the fish spain is now curved.

 

[Xanthius]

Hi there . . . just bought my grand-daughter a ten gal. I think that you might want to start over. First water evironment has to be established. It needs to sit after you add bacteria, conditioners, etc to it. Let filters all run during such. Some say that you can add a fish to it to get going but I'm not sure on that one or what fish is good to start enviroment with. Maybe someone here will know. I took established water from my tank and put in my grand-daughter's tank so it was ready to go first thing.

Of course you probably have gravel, filters, air, heater, and such. For a ten gal. you are looking at small fish only. You need to find out the size that fish will grow to before putting them in tanks. My grand-daughter has colorful neons, small guppies . . . all schooling fish. I suggest that you do some research on small fish [via the net] . . . maybe you'll get ideas on what you'ld like . . . and what is involved about the species you pick . . . like care of, feeding, what conditions they like . . . etc. If you go bigger tank . . . same thing goes. Once environment is established and you have a down pack routine . . . having fish and enjoying them gets easier. Oh . . . make sure that you get fish from a reliable place. I am not thrilled about Walmart as reliable. Best place to get info on fish is on a site or researching the net.

Good luck and hope it all works out for you!!!

X

 

[ML]

when i first got the tank i set it up and let it run without anything in it at all and just let the filter run for 8 days before getting any fish. the guy at the Fish store in town(an hour away) told me that it should be fine, but i forgot to mention that i live in the woods, so my water comes straight from the ground. i wasnt sure which water to use, the hard groundwater or the softened tap water. i started out with the hard water, but 2 of my fish died within a week or so, so i went to the softened water and the balas activity increased, as well as the water clarity. I agree that getting 4 fish to start was a bad idea, but i live so far away from the store and its so fricken cold up here that i figured one or two wouldnt make the trip.

since i guess its ammonia and nitrite in the water, how does one solve this problem? is there chemicals to add? should i just flush my fish and start over again?

 

[Xanthius]

Hi there . . . I hate to just flush a live fish. Maybe do some research on it and see how it'll work out? They make test kits to test water for nitrates and such. They are not usually too exspensive. Your tank may be already ecologically set after all you've gone through by this time. Test it and see. I too have a water softner and use that water. Water from outdoors may have too many metals in it for certain fish such as tropicals . . . believe it or not. The issue with your current fish is that it probably will get too big for your tank and you can't add smaller fish because they may get eaten. Maybe you know anyone that wants this current fish? Sometimes pet stores also will take [or take back] fish from people that are too big for their tank [or whatever the reason is].

So test water, check on this fish status and decide on what to do with it, get small fish or bigger tank. ;0)

I am sure others here also can suggest more helpful ideas.

Take care . . . X

 

[Fishboydanny1]

DO NOT FLUSH THOSE FISH!!! if you do, they WILL die, but if you try to fix the water quality already in the tank, (or take them back to the store) they could live....

 

[Nature neil]

As it is such a distance to the store, I would suggest you try and get some plants in the tank, anything that lives in ponds of streams is fine, I know its winter so they will be hard to find but as soon as you add them they will start to take up the nitrates and ammonia from the water helping you cycle it. In doing this you will also add bacteria and microbes which will help cycle the tank much faster, Good luck don't give up and don't be put off by the size of your tank, there are some fascinating and brilliant small fish like peacock gobies, killifish, Panchax and cory cat fish to name but a few

 

[gunnie]

I agree that you probably have a water quality problem, and the fish you have in your tank are too big for your tank. If you have a PetSmart close by, go on their website and print the page that shows the master test kit by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Take the page with you, and PetSmart should honor the online price, which is around half of what they charge in the store.

Next, post your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels in your tank. That will give us some idea on where you are at with your cycle. In the meantime, you should probably do daily water changes to keep the fish from getting sick. Once you have some stability going on, then you can figure out if you can trade in your fish for other ones more suited for your tank, or get a bigger tank. Please post your readings ASAP.

 

[ML]

yeah i dont think that there is a petsmart within 150 miles of my house. the closest pet store is a private store called PetNorth, and im not sure the extensiveness of their testing kits. ill check out surrounding towns tomorow

 

[gunnie]

In that case, see if that master test kit is available at your local store, and post your results. You can also simply order it online, but it is vital that you have one if you want to keep your fish healthy.