New Guppies Not Doing Well And Some Beginner Questions

[Auxe]

So i have a few questions about guppies and mine in particular.
 
I bought a few guppies the other day and 1 is already dead and another is not looking well. The tank is a small 2.5 - 3 gallon tank. I was told that this was enough for them. This tank was also sitting for awhile and I cleaned and rinsed thoroughly before using it. There are three artificial plants and a rock in the tank with them. There is also a filter that is meant for a 10 gallon tank on the tank currently. 
 
The dead fish and the one not doing well, both have issues floating. He floats near the top and floats vertically at times. He does still swim. Looks like he is struggling though
 
Questions:
1. What may be wrong with my fish?
2. How can I prevent this from happening more?
3. In looking around i see a lot about cycling and live plants, do guppies need this or will they be ok?
4. Is this filter putting undo stress on my fish?
5. What else may I have missed in setting up this tank for my fish?
6. The food I have says to feed them twice a day, is this too much for these little fish?
 
Please let me know if there is any other information you need.
 
Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[Asteria]

Have you cycled your tank?

 

[snork6]

Questions:
1. What may be wrong with my fish?
 
They are dying because, 1. your tank isn't cycled 2. your tank is way to small for them
 
2. How can I prevent this from happening more? -
 
You can prevent this from happening by 1. buying a 5 or more gallon tank and following the information on this topic to make the perfect tank. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first
 
3. I'm looking around i see a lot about cycling and live plants, do guppies need this or will they be ok? -
 
your tank has to be cycled or they will die, the live plants dont rly matter it's more of what the person wants.
 
4. Is this filter putting stress on my fish? -
 
 The filter could be but that isn't your main concern
 
5. What else may I have missed in setting up this tank for my fish? -
 
everything listed above, also never listen to people at your LFS if it is a chain store they will tell you anything to sell you fish.
 
6. The food I have says to feed them twice a day, is this too much for these little fish? -
 
yes that is the right amount of food.
 
 
let me know if you have anymore questions

 

[Auxe]

 
Questions:
1. What may be wrong with my fish?
 
They are dying because, 1. your tank isn't cycled 2. your tank is way to small for them
 
2. How can I prevent this from happening more? -
 
You can prevent this from happening by 1. buying a 5 or more gallon tank and following the information on this topic to make the perfect tank. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first
 
3. I'm looking around i see a lot about cycling and live plants, do guppies need this or will they be ok? -
 
your tank has to be cycled or they will die, the live plants dont rly matter it's more of what the person wants.
 
4. Is this filter putting stress on my fish? -
 
 The filter could be but that isn't your main concern
 
5. What else may I have missed in setting up this tank for my fish? -
 
everything listed above, also never listen to people at your LFS if it is a chain store they will tell you anything to sell you fish.
 
6. The food I have says to feed them twice a day, is this too much for these little fish? -
 
yes that is the right amount of food.
 
 
let me know if you have anymore questions
 

Is it too late to cycle this tank? I reread the page you linked and saw that it can take a few days to cycle a tank.
I woke this morning to another dead fish, which i feel terrible about. 

 

[Munroco]

It can take a while to cycle a tank. There is a shortcut if you know someone who has a fish tank. You can get some of their mature filter medium and put it into your own filter.
 
I'd say though if you want to keep fish you need a bigger tank for sure.

 

[snork6]

 

 
Questions:
1. What may be wrong with my fish?
 
They are dying because, 1. your tank isn't cycled 2. your tank is way to small for them
 
2. How can I prevent this from happening more? -
 
You can prevent this from happening by 1. buying a 5 or more gallon tank and following the information on this topic to make the perfect tank. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first
 
3. I'm looking around i see a lot about cycling and live plants, do guppies need this or will they be ok? -
 
your tank has to be cycled or they will die, the live plants dont rly matter it's more of what the person wants.
 
4. Is this filter putting stress on my fish? -
 
 The filter could be but that isn't your main concern
 
5. What else may I have missed in setting up this tank for my fish? -
 
everything listed above, also never listen to people at your LFS if it is a chain store they will tell you anything to sell you fish.
 
6. The food I have says to feed them twice a day, is this too much for these little fish? -
 
yes that is the right amount of food.
 
 
let me know if you have anymore questions
 

Is it too late to cycle this tank? I reread the page you linked and saw that it can take a few days to cycle a tank.
I woke this morning to another dead fish, which i feel terrible about. 
 

I would say it is to late to cycle the tank. If you want guppies you need a bigger tank. A thought I had was you could cycle that tank and use it to hold fry if you plan to still go with guppies.

 

[Blough]

 

 
Questions:
1. What may be wrong with my fish?
 
They are dying because, 1. your tank isn't cycled 2. your tank is way to small for them
 
2. How can I prevent this from happening more? -
 
You can prevent this from happening by 1. buying a 5 or more gallon tank and following the information on this topic to make the perfect tank. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first
 
3. I'm looking around i see a lot about cycling and live plants, do guppies need this or will they be ok? -
 
your tank has to be cycled or they will die, the live plants dont rly matter it's more of what the person wants.
 
4. Is this filter putting stress on my fish? -
 
 The filter could be but that isn't your main concern
 
5. What else may I have missed in setting up this tank for my fish? -
 
everything listed above, also never listen to people at your LFS if it is a chain store they will tell you anything to sell you fish.
 
6. The food I have says to feed them twice a day, is this too much for these little fish? -
 
yes that is the right amount of food.
 
 
let me know if you have anymore questions
 

Is it too late to cycle this tank? I reread the page you linked and saw that it can take a few days to cycle a tank.
I woke this morning to another dead fish, which i feel terrible about. 
 

We usually recommend a fishless cycle, which is much more humane. How many do you have left? I suggest getting something about five to ten gallons, a heater, and an AP testing kit. Read this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/433769-rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-i/  
followed by this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/433778-rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il/
good luck with your guppies.