Will my fish survive??

[Buglet]

I had written in another post about how I inherited 3 small (less than 1/2 inch) mollies, a small guppy some type of pleco.

When we got them (rescued them from flushing!) I had nowhere to put them so had to buy a small (2 gallon) tank and put them right in without cycling. I have read up on cycling and water testing.

I got them on Saturday night, and put them in the tank on Sunday. The water has looked clear since then and they look healthy. I have been doing 10-15% partial changes every day. Yesterday I tested the water and everything is fine...0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, small but safe amt. nitrate, ph neutral.

I have not breathed a sigh of relief at all because I am concerned that the worst just has not happened yet (ammonia & nitrite spikes).

Advice/opinions please?

 

[wrs]

that tank if way overstocked, the plecos going to grow to at the least 6 inches, but its most likley a commen pleco and they get to be like 20+ inches. Mollies will get agressive in such a small tank. GET A BIGGER ONE. At least 15 gallons for the mollies and guppies, and the pleco will mostlikley need 70 gallons because in such a small tank it will not be able to grwo right and get stunted. Id say bring them to a store, one that hold them for you, while your getting a bigger tank etc and letting it cycle. They should survive though, because when i had my first tank, i thought it was cycled but it really didnt and my guppys didnt dye or anything in there.

 

[Buglet]

I realize the tank is way too small. Here is part of my orginal post so that you can see how this situation occurred:

"Now on to the new fish. We inherited yesterday 3 tiny mollies (about 1/2 inch...1 black, 2 orange/black), a tiny guppy, and a cleaner fish. They came from Wal-Mart and it was a situation where we could take them or they were going to be flushed down the toilet (long story). They came home with us in the Wal-Mart bag. I know nothing about mollies or guppies or cleaner fish. Right now we have a pretty limited budget for pets (we also have a dog, cat, and bird and try to take care of all of our animals as we would like to be taken care of, and we generally won't take on new pets that we can't afford, but I could not bear to see these cuties flushed!!) I went and bought them a 2-gallon tank kit with undergravel filtration and bought them tropical flakes for food. They are set up today and looking good. My concerns are as follows....1) I heard that the cleaner fish (promethius? sp) will get very big (like 2 feet). Is this true? 2) How big will the mollies and guppies get? 3) I *know* a bigger tank is in order, but how long will it be before it becomes a necessity? As I mentioned, our pet budget right now is tight. 4) Are there other major things I need to know in order to keep these guys healthy and happy? I am already getting attached to Sanjay Gupta (the guppy), Kurt, Krist, and Dave (the mollies) and Sucka (the cleaner fish)."

 

[wrs]

you should really get a bigger tank ASAP. but if you cant afford one i really dont know what to say. But if you could maybe give them to a friend or relative that has fish for a while to get everything settled with the fish tank, etc.

mollies get to be 6 inches
guppies about 2

and apart from a bigger tank there doesnt doesnt seem 2 be anything else they need.

 

[cutecotton]

about your cycling question, i doubt a 2G tank needs to be cycled anyways becuase it's too small.

so you have four fish in the 2G tnak right? 3 mollies, 1 guppy and 1 pleco?

Like the others said, a pleco that looks tiny right now can grow up to 2 feet...i've seen it in petstores and i'ts scary as hell The only solution to this is to get a bigger tank, probably a 10-15G for the mollies and guppy would be fine (you can add more if you wanted to), and there would be no place for the pleco...maybe a petstore or a friendw ill be ablet o take him off you that is unless you plan to et a 70G tank for it..

And yeah, i know setting up a tank (even a 10-15G) is quite expesnive you'll need another filter, another heater, water conditioner, let it cycle, and all that other stuff. It certainly is an expensive hobby

 

[wrs]

WALMART. has a 10 gallon tank with everthing youll need to start a aquarium for only $40.

29 for $100
and a 55 $158.

 

[limelight]

I have never really worried about cycling my fish tanks.... I guess I am lucky and the water that we get in our taps has very little chlorine, and the ph is spot on. I would not pannic with the fish at the moment. Your tank will be fine for the mollies and the guppies. The pleco, well, you will need to find a new home for it soon, as they do grow quite large. But if it is small now, then you have a couple of months to either save for a new tank or find a friend to give them to.

Good luck with your fish, I am sure they are very grateful that you saved their lives!!!

 

[Buglet]

Thanks cutecotton.

As I mentioned I knew NOTHING about any of these fish and only took them so that they would not die. Of course, now they are my responsibility to keep alive and well.

So far I have spent about $50 on them. I have no qualms sbout spending more, but it can't be this month. This month alone we have spent over $1000 on vet care for our dog.

The pleco, now that I have found out how big he gets, will have to find a new home. Why in the heck someone would have bought him without knowing that is beyond me.

I just want to do what is best for these fish until I can get a newer, bigger tank set up.

 

[Buglet]

Thank you wrs, for your advice. I would like to save and get the biggest tank I can so that I can eventually add some friends for the mollies and guppy.

I don't really see the sense in buying a 10-gallon setup if, in three more months, I will want a 50-gallon setup.

I would rather do it all at once, and do it right. As I mentioned, this was kind of an emergency situation.

 

[wrs]

you could probly keep the pleco in a 50 or so for a while. At my LFS they have a display of fish thats not for sale, an african ciclid tank ,and its only 55 gallons so its less then what the pleco would need but it seems to be okay. But its kinda always in the same place whenevr i go there.

 

[Buglet]

Thanks wrs, but I think the best place for the pleco is a new home. I am going to see if I can find a store that will take him.

 

[wrs]

thats good, but its sad because you said you were getting attached to it.

 

[Buglet]

Yes, but I really feel like my main objective is to do what is best for these fish. I don't have the space or the resources to have a 70g tank just for him--he would be much better off with someone who can take care of him properly.

I will take a picture of him before he goes to a new home though

 

[wrs]

will you show us the pic when you take it? I love pleco pics because theyre so cool because theyre so ugly, lol.

 

[Buglet]

sure...as long as I can figure out how to post it!