worried about new fish

[SpanishFish]

i have just brought 6 new fish....3 r pentazona barb and the other 3 r either platys or swordtails... the barb r swimming around happierly however the swordtail or platys r almost always at the top of the tank! is there anything wrong with them? plz help!

 

[WILDER]

Can you post water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph, what size tank, and how long has the tank been set up.

 

[debiasir]

its hard to say if there is anything wrong until we see stats, but my live bearers chilled at the top of the tank for about 2 days and then the third day there were swimming around like they owned the place. It may be a case of they are nervous in there new environment and will take a small amount of time to setlle in and relax

 

[BOD]

ne one who reads this go into chit chat and look at this post fish to go with guppies?

 

[wrs]

platties are top dwellers, nothing odd with the being at the top.

though I must say that your 4 gallon tank is WAY WAY WAY to small for those 6 fish.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Am i right in thinking your tank is 4gallons? And do you remember me saying that it was too smal for any other fish?
If they are in the 4gal with the guppy not only have you deliberatly gone against advice, also you have knowingly put too many fish in your tank.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Yes I think you are right to be worried. I understand that you have a 4 gallon tank. The usual stocking rule is one inch per gallon for slimbodied fish.

Now pentazona barbs grow to 3.5 inches, so 3 of those would make 11.5 inches.

If you have platies that would be 3x2 inches = 6 inches. If swordtails 3x4 inches= 12 inches.

So either you are overstocked by 11.5+6=17.5= just over 300%, or if you have swordtails 11.5+12=23.5= nearly 500%.

Incidentally, you should NEVER buy a fish (or accept it as a gift) without knowing what it is, as different fish have different requirements. Swordtails are strong fast swimmers who need good-sized tanks (at least 20 gallons). And by the way, I would not be happy if my platies spent all their time hanging at the surface. They are surface-feeders, but they are also very inquisitive creatures who like exploring when in good health.

It looks to me like you have 3 options:

a) take those fish back to the shop and get a betta, the only fish who will be happy in such a small tank

B) upgrade quickly to a much larger tank and be prepared to work very hard with water changes while the new tank is cycling

c) prepare to bury your fish

I wish I could be more helpful, this is very negative, but it is difficult to offer anything better under the circumstances. Of course, I may have misunderstood your posts and these fish may in fact be in a much larger tank. In that case, please ignore all the above and just post us your water stats and size of your tank and we will take it from there.

 

[BOD]

meh y does no one bother to read posts properly....it would save a lot of time....

post in chit chat ----as i sed b4---fish to go with guppies?


bascially i have them now...

 

[Bloo]

BOD I do not mean to be rude, but perhaps people are tired of giving advice (when asked) and then being outright ignored. What's the point of asking in the first place when you're just going to go ahead an do whatever you want anyway (or your friend for that matter). That, plus the fact that they might find it difficult to read your postings, as you write in "text speak" or whatever it's called. I'm sorry to say, but when I see a post like that, I tend to ignore it ) purely because it's to much of an effort to read and understand.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Sorry, Bod, you have me totally confused. I did go into chitchat as advised, but it did not make this post any easier to understand.

Please bear with me and explain once again- is it or is it not the case that somebody (yourself or Spanish fish) is keeping 3 pentazona barbs and 3 platies/swordtails in a 4 gallon tank. If this is indeed the case, then I stand by everything I have said on the topic. If not, well please explain clearly what is going on, here.

I still maintain that it is totally irresponsible to acquire fish without even knowing whether they are platies or swordtails, as different fish have different requirements.

 

[BOD]

sorry bloozoo2 from now on i shall write properly lol! and what i ment was that this post was to be ignored because the situation has been resolved....obviously that did not come across clear enough... and what i was trying to say is...that by going into fish with guppies post first would have told them that there..and they would or dwarfgourmi would have not had to waste there time trying to give advice..i was only trying to save people from wasting there time on this post...

i hope that explains this a bit more and sorry if i gave you the hump no offence intended to anyone what so ever i stand by the name of this forum and wosh other people would to sometimes 'THE FRIENDLIEST FORUM AROUND'....ill shall stop waffling pants now hehehe...


and also you must realise its not me going against advice and 'doing what i want' as you put it, i am trying to help a friend who got a bit confused about fish...it was only her second day with fish you must remember that you were not perfect in your second day at fish keeping .... she had some bad advise from a lfs so that is why she ended up with 6 fish i hope this post and the other one now explains this situation better...

 

[dwarfgourami]

Good- all's well that ends well.