Have fish, don't know what 2 do. Fear might die!

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

I just got these fish, don't ask how, just know that if I hadn't taken them, they would have surely died.

I don't know what kind of fish they are, how to take care of them. I have a bowl, some food, and some small blue rocks (gravel??).

Please, click on the link below to see a pic, and please let me know what kind of fish they are, and how to take care of them given my equipment.

What should I feed them? How often? How much? What else should I know about taking care of these fish? How do I clean bowl? How do I transport them while cleaning bowl? What temp water? What kind of water? (Is brita filtered tap water good, okay?). Is it okay for them to be in dark? Basically I don't know anything, and if I don't learn soon, I'm afraid they might die!

Click here to see pic:

Pic of Fish

Sorry, that's the best photo I can do for now. I've been told it's a goldfish, but I'm not sure. The second fish is always at the bottom, and I can never get a good pic of him, I'll try more tomorrow. Here's a description of the fish:

Fish in pic: Spends most time near surface, with mouth open at surface of water, or swims around. Fairly active. Has a reflective side of body.

Other fish: Is white, or silvery. Spends MOST time at bottom of tank, sometimes swims to surface really quickly, and goes back down to bottom. Takes a split second. Has a few wiskers near mouth (kinda like catfish) and has very red eyes (just the pupils) and a slightly red head. His eyes look kinda "buggy". Been called a bottom feeder by people who saw him, but that's all they know.

The two fish do not interact, and are not violent. There used to be three fish, one died, and the white fish with red pupils was found next to the dead fish. Before that fish died, it would swim around with the fish in the pic. They looked pretty much like the same fish, but the white one with the red eyes is obviously a different fish. That's all I know about the fish, and their habits.

Please, help me as much as you can!

Thanks,

IIIsynthtaxIII

PS: I will try and get some better pics up tomorrow when I put the fish in the bowl.

 

[William]

Its hard to tell from the picture but the first one looks like it could be a female guppy. Buy tropical fish flakes, a heater and a larger tank if you can afford it also buy a filter for the tank. Brita filtered water is OK but I suggest you buy some dechlorinator as the brita may get expensive. Don't start cleaning the tank yet and get them into a new big tank ASAP. I am not sure how large your bowl is but it sounds quite small a 5 gallon tank is probably the minimum for these two fish.

Feed the fish as much as they can eat in about 2 minutes - Always underfeed and never overfeed because that will pollute up atank (espeically one as small as a bowl) in no time.

Why do they have to be in the dark? They don't need excessive amounts of light but would you like to be caged in a dark room?

Please get back soon and all the best with your new arrivals.

P.S. i think the "catfish" you talk of could be a corydorus.

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

I don't want to keep them in the dark, however I live in a one room apartment, but I don't mind a bit of light for them. And I'm not sure what the temp of the water should be. Maybe when you see the pics you'll be able to let me know more!

I have added a much better quality picture of my fish, so please check it out again:

My Fish

The bowl is pretty small, and I won't be able to get a larger one for maybe a few weeks (I'm a student, no modes of transportation, or money for that matter). The bowl is about 1 gallon, the standard size you would get from wallmart.

I do have some tropical fish flakes, and that's about it. (Other than the gravel)

Thanks a lot for your reply, and I really appreciate it - but I don't know anything about how to take care of these little guys, and I'm getting really attached, so please, let me know EVERYTHING I should know!

Thanks so much,

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

I have also just added a pic of the bowl to let you see how big it is, and the type of food I have. So, when you click on the link, make sure you find where it says next, and there are two green arrows, and click on the next one to go to the next page to see the other pic.

Awaiting your reply!

Thanks!

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

To me it looks a bit like a bronze corydoras.

btw don't think that bbq Pringles would be a suitable diet

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

creamcheeseandlox,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I wasn't gonna feed them any, but after I got back from class, the can was empty...

So, how do I care for a bronze corydoras? What kind is the other fish, because they can't be the same fish, they have different bodies, and it has wiskers and red eyes!

Please keep it up with the help!

Thanks!

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Is this the same fish as yours (Albino Bronze Corydoras)

 

[William]

The other fish you have is a platy. They are both tropical fish so like I said I would buy a heater and a 5 gallon or so tank and a filter too. This could be expensive however...

Try and get them second hand! They'll be much much much cheaper - use your local ads paper or ebay.com .

Their temperature should be mid 70 degrees fahrenheit for both of them.

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

If it is that one then try this link:


http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/cory-aen.htm

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

Wicked, yeah. that's the exact same fish...

(I was kinda hoping that it was a pirahna - don't know how to spell that one).

But yeah, that's the fish. So, do you have one? What should I do with it? When will I know if something's wrong?

Thanks a lot man! I really appreciate it. One down, one to go. But I still have to learn!

Thanks.

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

no havent got that one myself though I do have dwarf corys.

Check out the link I gave you, most of the info should be there.

http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/cory-aen.htm

Also for the platy as identified my William:
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/platyvar.htm

 

[William]

That is your other fish. A platy. They come in many colour forms so don't be put off if yours is not the same colour it has the exact same body shape.

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

I really haven't gotten ANY money, but I will do what I can. Umm, should I leave the fish near a heater instead of buying one? I can get a cheap thermometer and see if the temp is right. You said mid 70? How many times a day should I feed them? Should I break up the flakes, or leave them big?

HOW do I clean the tank, replace the water, how often, things like that I really need to know.

And, thanks a bunch guys. My fish owe you their lives!

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

Yeah, one in that pic looks a LOT like mine.

Should I do a generic search for Platy, and anything I read about them will apply to my little fishies?

Thanks.

IIIsynthtaxIII

 

[Thomas A. Anderson]

Feed them as much as they can eat in a couple of minutes. It is better to underfeed than to overfeed. In a small tank like yours it could get high values of ammonia and nirtrItes.