Thinking I Need to Rehome My Fish

[Kinz]

I absolutely hate to think this but I honestly don’t know what else to do anymore besides just start over. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and really think they’re suffering for it and at this point, I don’t know what to do anymore. My only main problem rn is that I just don’t know how to go about it? I’ve had them all for months, and they all have some kind of issue, so idk if a pet shop would take them in the first place. I don’t really want to dump their issues on someone else but I also know they’ll just die in my care.

I have a vertical 15 gal tank (which I now know isn’t good for corys or glofish tetras) with plants and snails, four cory cats (again, which I now know cannot, as the pet store told me, school in groups outside of their own kind, so I have an albino, bronze, and two peppers), and five fairly aggressive glofish tetras. I’m really attached to one of them cuz I’ve had him for years, but he’s also the one that gets picked on the most. The bronze cory has a nip in his tail I just noticed, the green glofish does too and I think he’s got fin rot? At least the beginning of it. I added API stress coat yesterday, but honestly I think it just freaked them out more and my two peppers are now flashing. They’re all very obviously stressed (aggressive behavior and erratic swimming most of the time), and no matter what I’ve done, nothing has made it any better.

I’m not saying I want to give up on this tank, but more go into it with an educated idea on how to put a smaller community in this specific tank, cuz I kinda had to get glofish before since I had one already. It’s obviously not working. I don’t want them to die, so I really just wanted help figuring out what to do with them. Should I take them to a pet store? Is there a website for this? Should I just ask this forum if there’s anyone near by? Am I just overreacting all together?? Any kind of help would be appreciated.

And if I do rehome them, advice on the type of fish I should put in here would be nice too. Some kind of smaller fish and a bottom feeder would be ideal.

PH: 7.8
Ammonia: around 0-.25 ppm have never been able to get it down
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0-5 ppm hard to tell.

Individual specifics just in case:
Purple Glo: very aggressive to both glos and the corys, tore their tail a while ago but it’s not infected or anything
Green glo: also aggressive but not with the corys, they’ve got the nipped tail that I think has fin rot. Also swims spastically often.
Pink glo: swims weird sometimes, not as aggressive as the others
(The three above have long fins in case that’s important)
Yellow: spastic sometimes, chases the others occasionally, but as the smallest they’re usually just the one getting chased.
Blue: hides a lot, gets chased but sometimes fights back

Two peppered corys: they flash often and stick with each other, sometimes come up to the top but they don’t gasp for air. I think they have some white spots but it’s their scales, not ich or anything. Read somewhere that was a sign of stress.
Albino cory: very spastic. Zips around erratically at random intervals then just sits somewhere for a while. I’ve caught them flashing one time in the months I’ve had them and that was it.
Bronze: just saw today that their tail was nipped, probably by the purple glo. They’re usually the calmest of the bunch, but I’ve noticed they’re a little freaked out today.

 

[Kinz]

We might know someone who can take a cory or two, but honestly I don’t know if they have corys, I just know they have a freshwater tank and have had it for as long as I can remember. Either way, someone I’ll have to call and ask alongside pet stores nearby. They definitely don’t have glofish though.

 

[Radar363]

I'm new to this site and have not kept fish in too long but is there any chance you could get another tank and separate the fish?

 

[Kinz]

I'm new to this site and have not kept fish in too long but is there any chance you could get another tank and separate the fish?

I don’t have room for another tank, nor the money to get another. Otherwise I’d do that in a heartbeat. I’m still living with parents and my room is fairly small as is. Add on the maintenance already conflicting a bit with my school schedule, I really can’t afford to deal with another.

Plus our water PH is just naturally 8 ish, which is pretty high, and I know that’s part of the reason the corys aren’t happy. There’s only so much peat moss can do for that unfortunately.

 

[Radar363]

I don’t have room for another tank, nor the money to get another. Otherwise I’d do that in a heartbeat. I’m still living with parents and my room is fairly small as is. Add on the maintenance already conflicting a bit with my school schedule, I really can’t afford to deal with another.

Plus our water PH is just naturally 8 ish, which is pretty high, and I know that’s part of the reason the corys aren’t happy. There’s only so much peat moss can do for that unfortunately.

I see. I wish you luck. It's encouraging to see a responsible pet owner trying to do what's best for their little friends.

 

[Tacocat]

I absolutely hate to think this but I honestly don’t know what else to do anymore besides just start over. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and really think they’re suffering for it and at this point, I don’t know what to do anymore. My only main problem rn is that I just don’t know how to go about it? I’ve had them all for months, and they all have some kind of issue, so idk if a pet shop would take them in the first place. I don’t really want to dump their issues on someone else but I also know they’ll just die in my care.

I have a vertical 15 gal tank (which I now know isn’t good for corys or glofish tetras) with plants and snails, four cory cats (again, which I now know cannot, as the pet store told me, school in groups outside of their own kind, so I have an albino, bronze, and two peppers), and five fairly aggressive glofish tetras. I’m really attached to one of them cuz I’ve had him for years, but he’s also the one that gets picked on the most. The bronze cory has a nip in his tail I just noticed, the green glofish does too and I think he’s got fin rot? At least the beginning of it. I added API stress coat yesterday, but honestly I think it just freaked them out more and my two peppers are now flashing. They’re all very obviously stressed (aggressive behavior and erratic swimming most of the time), and no matter what I’ve done, nothing has made it any better.

I’m not saying I want to give up on this tank, but more go into it with an educated idea on how to put a smaller community in this specific tank, cuz I kinda had to get glofish before since I had one already. It’s obviously not working. I don’t want them to die, so I really just wanted help figuring out what to do with them. Should I take them to a pet store? Is there a website for this? Should I just ask this forum if there’s anyone near by? Am I just overreacting all together?? Any kind of help would be appreciated.

And if I do rehome them, advice on the type of fish I should put in here would be nice too. Some kind of smaller fish and a bottom feeder would be ideal.

PH: 7.8
Ammonia: around 0-.25 ppm have never been able to get it down
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0-5 ppm hard to tell.

Individual specifics just in case:
Purple Glo: very aggressive to both glos and the corys, tore their tail a while ago but it’s not infected or anything
Green glo: also aggressive but not with the corys, they’ve got the nipped tail that I think has fin rot. Also swims spastically often.
Pink glo: swims weird sometimes, not as aggressive as the others
(The three above have long fins in case that’s important)
Yellow: spastic sometimes, chases the others occasionally, but as the smallest they’re usually just the one getting chased.
Blue: hides a lot, gets chased but sometimes fights back

Two peppered corys: they flash often and stick with each other, sometimes come up to the top but they don’t gasp for air. I think they have some white spots but it’s their scales, not ich or anything. Read somewhere that was a sign of stress.
Albino cory: very spastic. Zips around erratically at random intervals then just sits somewhere for a while. I’ve caught them flashing one time in the months I’ve had them and that was it.
Bronze: just saw today that their tail was nipped, probably by the purple glo. They’re usually the calmest of the bunch, but I’ve noticed they’re a little freaked out today.

I think that you if you want to keep these fish you should get a new tank(preferably taller as this one is not doing it for them.)(you don't necessarily have to make 2 separate tanks, just have a long one(someone who knows more might correct me though)) Additionally, the combo in this tall tank is very bad. Because of your aforementioned lack of space/money you might have to rehome them. Also, are those Anubias in the substrate? You should take them out as it rots their roots/rhizomes.

 

[otterblue]

You could take the ones that are healthier to your local fish store or pet shop and they may take them. At the very least, that will give you less fish to care for and worry about (and less aggression in your tank). After the ones you've kept recovered you could rehome those or keep them and then start over with some new fish. I have a tall tank too and it's frustrating to work with at times.

 

[Kinz]

I think that you if you want to keep these fish you should get a new tank(preferably taller as this one is not doing it for them.)(you don't necessarily have to make 2 separate tanks, just have a long one(someone who knows more might correct me though)) Additionally, the combo in this tall tank is very bad. Because of your aforementioned lack of space/money you might have to rehome them. Also, are those Anubias in the substrate? You should take them out as it rots their roots/rhizomes.

This is the tank I’m stuck with, so I’m trying to rehome them I just don’t know how or if I even can. I know these fish do better in a long tank but I can’t get another or replace this one so soon after getting it.
And I think so? If gravel counts as substrate. They would float up though, where am I supposed to put them?

 

[Kinz]

You could take the ones that are healthier to your local fish store or pet shop and they may take them. At the very least, that will give you less fish to care for and worry about (and less aggression in your tank). After the ones you've kept recovered you could rehome those or keep them and then start over with some new fish. I have a tall tank too and it's frustrating to work with at times.

Yeah I should have gotten a long one lmao.
I’m thinking I can get a store to take at least three of the four corys (it’s just a matter of when can I get the time to do it honestly). Idk if they’d take any of the glos besides the yellow maybe, cuz the blue one is 3-4 years old and the long finned ones all have tail issues rn, but wouldn’t having too few cause aggression too? Not that it would necessarily make a difference at this point I suppose.

 

[Tacocat]

This is the tank I’m stuck with, so I’m trying to rehome them I just don’t know how or if I even can. I know these fish do better in a long tank but I can’t get another or replace this one so soon after getting it.
And I think so? If gravel counts as substrate. They would float up though, where am I supposed to put them?

The anubias you should superglue to a piece of hardscape such as that beautiful piece of wood there.
Also, there are fish that do well in a tall tank so you could try and get credit for these fish and get some tall fish instead.

 

[Salt]

Is there any way you could get an inexpensive storage tote to keep some of them until you can give them away but yet remove them from the stress of all being together?
I have guppies that are breeding like, well, guppies....
And I have resorted to a storage tote on my back porch now that it is not so hot in Phoenix until I can sort them out and decide which ones will go back to a local fish store willing to accept them.

 

[Kinz]

Is there any way you could get an inexpensive storage tote to keep some of them until you can give them away but yet remove them from the stress of all being together?
I have guppies that are breeding like, well, guppies....
And I have resorted to a storage tote on my back porch now that it is not so hot in Phoenix until I can sort them out and decide which ones will go back to a local fish store willing to accept them.

I’d have to get a filter/heater for them as well, since it’s very cold up here and in the house. Plus I’m kinda swamped with school work so getting anything is already kinda difficult.
We do have a little 5 gallon (it was my old tank that I used to keep glos in until recently), but for some reason it’s PH has stubbornly stayed at like 8.2, so I don’t want to put really any fish in there, especially a cory or glo. It’s honestly baffling me at this point— that sucker has more peat moss in its filter than my 15 gal, which PH dropped to 7.8 pretty dang fast. It might just be old, or something with the plants (the remaining ones at least, two of them are practically dead)? I don’t really know.

 

[Kinz]

The anubias you should superglue to a piece of hardscape such as that beautiful piece of wood there.
Also, there are fish that do well in a tall tank so you could try and get credit for these fish and get some tall fish instead.

Oooh I’ve never heard of that! Is there a specific kind of glue to use? I probably couldn’t do it now, since moving that wood is difficult and scares the crap outta everyone, but that’s definitely something I’ll do later.

And yeah, I was looking at people online that just had a tiny type of fish in the same tank I bought. I’d love to have corys again (with an actual successful school) but I don’t think the skinny bottom is good, plus my PH is naturally pretty high for sensitive fish. Kinda why I wanted to start over— look for fish that actually can thrive in the tank and water I have rather than trying to make it work for fish who really just can’t. Something I’ll really look into later when I have these guys sorted, but any suggestions on fish to look into would be cool.

 

[FishNturt808]

If you are on Facebook, there are usually local groups that would have members in your area that would possibly be able to take your fish, or some of them at least.

 

[Radar363]

If you are on Facebook, there are usually local groups that would have members in your area that would possibly be able to take your fish, or some of them at least.

That's a good idea, even if someone could house them temporarily in a quarantine tank.
Also, someone might have an unused long tank they would be willing to donate to replace the tall one, but I'm not sure if those fish would do any better in a longer tank together as I had Corys but never kept glo fish.