URGENT: MY DALMATIAN MOLLY JUST DIED SUDDENLY AND I NEED TO KNOW WHY

[carligraceee]

It won't have helped, but it's not the main cause of the stress.

Okay so my fish are doing really well. I am going to do a water change this weekend but just a small one to start out.

They are eating now (I crushed up some freeze-dried brine shrimp and only put as much as I saw them eat), if I saw any still on the top I scooped it out.

This is getting better. Thank you guys so much!

 

[FishGuest5123]

No water changes during a cycle will just mean your ammonia and nitrite are going to sky rocket before the bacteria needed grow enough.

But I give poor advice, so what do I know.

You are correct , NC! In a fishless cycle you can allow the numbers to keep climbing but not in a fish in cycle. This is cruel. Why didn’t you move filter media from old tank over or do a fishless cycle and leave the fish in the other tank until cycle complete on new tank?

 

[FishGuest5123]

Haha...

I just stuck a couple clumps in the sand and it took off like crazy. I mean...it'a been maybe 6 months now, but, there is a lawn in that tank that is gettin pretty thick.

I did the same thing and it’s going to town!

 

[carligraceee]

You are correct , NC! In a fishless cycle you can allow the numbers to keep climbing but not in a fish in cycle. This is cruel. Why didn’t you move filter media from old tank over or do a fishless cycle and leave the fish in the other tank until cycle complete on new tank?

Hey man.
I am NOT cruel.
I am new to this whole thing, I have never had a tank with a filter.
So, I bought a new tank and since it was bigger, I decided to buy a filter with it.

Again, I am NOT cruel. I did not cry for hours just to have someone call me cruel for not knowing how to do it.

I have NEVER done water changes, I always moved my fish and cleaned the entire tank out, rocks and all once a week. I am not used to having to only change half the water.

 

[carligraceee]

You are correct , NC! In a fishless cycle you can allow the numbers to keep climbing but not in a fish in cycle. This is cruel. Why didn’t you move filter media from old tank over or do a fishless cycle and leave the fish in the other tank until cycle complete on new tank?

The tank I was using to hold them was my friend's Christmas present. I am giving it to her in a couple of days but at the time had thought I was giving it to her the next day. I couldn't keep them in.

I also went to Petsmart and spoke to a specialist there. He told me to put them in, if I lose a fish it is okay, he said it happens all the time with new aquariums.
He said not to change the water yet and let the cycle run through with the fish first so I wouldn't start the cycle over again by adding uncycled water (I am no longer taking that advice and changing the water this weekend).

I have heard dozens of people's advice and am trying to pick what works best for my fish now. They are doing really well but I am noticing the water could use some changing, so I am changing it.

 

[Kyle E.]

@Deanasue meant no disrespect by that post. I think you are doing the best you can under the circumstances and as long as you do water changes when the fish start acting sick then you should be fine. It is not the absolute best situation for the fish but it is not the worst either.

I did the same thing and it’s going to town!

NO FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What lighting and fertilizers are you using in that tank may I ask? And substrate as well? Mine refuses to grow lol.

 

[CassCats]

I think @Deanasue meant the purposely done practice of fish in cycles.

You yourself aren't cruel, you didnt know first hand. And I'm sure if the petsmart worker knew what he was talking about and told you the proper options, you would have picked a better option if you knew.

 

[Fishiemang]

Now....fish in cycles will sometimes cause bacteria blooms, which will make the water look like crap. It will be cloudy, and you will be tempted to change it. The best advice in that situation is.don't. Let it cloud up. It will not harm the fish. That just means there is enough food in the tank.for the bacteria to multiply. They are going to town on the num nums for them in there. Changing the water will only slow the process to a.crawl, because you get frustrated that the water looks good when you done, only to wake up the next day and it looks like crap again.

Let the tank just hang out for a couple weeks. It will be fine. Most here by now know I got tanks that ain't seen a water change in years now. At least in the structured ways spoken of.

 

[mark4785]

Fish-in cycles should never be performed unless the fish tank has an abundance of plants, constant daily water testing for the presence of ammonia and nitrite and an observance of the fishes behaviour for food spitting, rubbing against objects, reddened gills and fin rot which all are symptoms of ammonia poisoning.

The cloudy water that has been spoken of often occurs in a bacterial bloom caused by an mini ammonia spike. Sometimes it can be harmless but sometimes it can cause a plummet in dissolved oxygen which will kill all fish.

 

[mcordelia]

@carligraceee I hear you it can be confusing when folks with different viewpoints give you somewhat conflicting advice!! Sounds like you are on the right track though, once your water tests start to normalize (I saw a few posts ago that you were getting a water testing kit, what is it reading?) You can probably start sleeping more easily at night and not worrying about your fish all the time, and then this hobby will become loads more fun

Sounds like you've learned a ton in just the few days since you've first posted, so that's great news! As you continue to learn and find your way you will be able to discern for yourself what is junk and which philosophy of fishkeeping best fits your personality and beliefs

Keep up the good work!!!

 

[Fishiemang]

@carligraceee

As you continue to learn and find your way you will be able to discern for yourself what is junk and which philosophy of fishkeeping best fits your personality and beliefs

Junk?

This is the kind of peanut gallery commentary that has potential to get under someone else's skin, and subsequently create friction.

Experience is never junk. To claim something someone suggests is junk...well....that is a junk statement. It serves no purpose other than to put someone else down, and potentially turn off a new learner to information that may ultimately lead to a breakthrough for them. Try not to discount another individuals experience, simply because it doesn't jive with your "philosophies".

There is a grain.of.wisdom in everyone's ideas. Whether harmful or beneficial, there is something to learn from it all. It's never "junk".

 

[FishGuest5123]

Hey man.
I am NOT cruel.
I am new to this whole thing, I have never had a tank with a filter.
So, I bought a new tank and since it was bigger, I decided to buy a filter with it.

Again, I am NOT cruel. I did not cry for hours just to have someone call me cruel for not knowing how to do it.

I have NEVER done water changes, I always moved my fish and cleaned the entire tank out, rocks and all once a week. I am not used to having to only change half the water.

Whoa, pardner! I didn’t mean YOU were cruel. I meant the situation was cruel. The advice the lfs gave you was cruel. You’re going through a lot. I apologize for the confusion.

 

[mcordelia]

Wasn't talking about anyone specifically, I think it's natural that in the information age most humans categorize information that they come across as either "useful" or "not useful/junk". Ain't nobody got time to investigate every claim that on first glance they evaluate as not worth their time.

 

[FishGuest5123]

@Deanasue meant no disrespect by that post. I think you are doing the best you can under the circumstances and as long as you do water changes when the fish start acting sick then you should be fine. It is not the absolute best situation for the fish but it is not the worst either.

NO FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What lighting and fertilizers are you using in that tank may I ask? And substrate as well? Mine refuses to grow lol.

It came as a “surprise” plant when I ordered some crypts. I just stuck it in the sand under the LED lights and fed it a little Excel. I am just starting to see my black thumb turn green. Lol!

 

[the_lock_man]

I think @Deanasue meant the purposely done practice of fish in cycles.

You yourself aren't cruel, you didnt know first hand. And I'm sure if the petsmart worker knew what he was talking about and told you the proper options, you would have picked a better option if you knew.

I agree wholeheartedly with this.

What the Petsmart bloke said was exceptionally poor advice. It is not OK to lose a fish.