Scared Lil Fishies

[wolvie89]

Hi all
 
I am new to owning fishes but I've googled and asked many people before actually getting one set up. I have two fish.. One is an angelfish and the other is a small red tail shark.  They are both scared and always hiding and while I understand they may be scared, I am just worried that they aren't eating.
 
Here are more details:
- i checked the water before adding fish and had the tank sitting and cycling for over a week before i added the first fish (the angel)
- i also added some snails to get the bacteria going
- angelfish was scared and kept hiding in the corner near the heater. Sometimes when i was far i would see him swimming about then as soon as i approached again he would retreat back into his lil corner (lol)
- i put fish food in and walked away..when i came back the snails were all over it
- i wasn't sure if he had eaten so i dropped a few more flakes on top of where he was hiding...
 
 
4 days later i got the lil red tailed shark
- this lil guy i think is scared because he's so little and the angel looks scary (and so do i)
- i see him swimming around every now and then but not much...he's usually hiding
- I changed from flakes to the tablets that drop to the bottom of the tank..this just changed into mush
- i have no idea if the angel OR the shark even had a bite of it before the snails got to it...
 
It is now 3 days after that - 
 
- angel fish is still in his lil corner sulking
- i did 2 water changes in the last 4 days because i was scared that the food i was dropping in was rotting and poisoning the water
- I still dont know if anyone apart from the snails are actually eating anything...
 
 
Is there anything i can do?
 
I would love some help on this please
Thank you so much
 

 

[bluesword23516]

I would stop changing the water.  Water changes can be very stressful to the fish.  Turn off the lights and just let them be.  No fish wants to starve so they probably are eating some food, check the temperature that the fish like to be at and make sure your tank is that temp.  If you have one of the stick on thermometers it doesn't read very accurately.  Try to get an in tank glass one. 

 

[wolvie89]

Hi there...Thanks for your help. OK I'll stop changing the water so often. THe temperature is definitely okay because i have one of the intank thermometers and i put it away from the heater. It is reading a stead 25degrees.  I'll see if they improve... 

 

[Blondielovesfish]

to the forum (nice to see another Kiwi).
 
What size is your tank?
 
Could you get a picture?
 
What brand of food are you feeding them?
 
Do you notice any change in behavior once the lights go out?

 

[ech0o]

Probably an uncycled tank too, could be adding to their stress.   1-week is not going to cycle a tank, the beneficial bacteria that consume the ammonia from fish waste, take weeks upon weeks to establish, unless you take some filter pads or something from an already running tank.   1-week of a few snails in an aquarium would barely be enough to even start a cycle, let alone have a tank fish ready.
 
Also, red tail sharks need quite a lot of room to feel comfortable, they are not meant to be in small tanks, what size is the tank?

 

[Ninjouzata]

What sort of decorations do you have, as well as the questions above?
Imagine if there are no hiding places then that probably isn't helping either
 
And to touch more on what Ech has said, you may want to read this to get a better idea of what cycling is http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/

 

[wolvie89]

hi all
 
Thank you for your comments.
 
I have a 70L tank and lots of hiding places.. I had my water tested before adding fish and it was fine (apparently)
 
I have noticed that the shark has come out of his shell a bit but the angel is still hiding. The shark seems to be swimming around quite happily at times but as soon as get closer he hides..lol...
 
I leave the lights off at night just to give them some night time and when i come in the morning, both angel fish and shark are swimming about...
and again as soon as i turn up...they hide.
 
I'm not worried about them hiding...i just hope they are eating well.. I have no idea whether they are eating at all..
 
Thanks again for your help... 
 
Also PS; when i bought the shark, i told the store all the specifications of my tank and they said it was fine. He is only a lil baby one. Now that I see how big he grows I might have to get a much bigger tank this time next year for him and the angel fish. 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Keep in mind that the LFS want your money, so it's very common for them to give out bad advice. The people here only want what is best for you and your fish.
 
I hope you plan on upgrading in the near future, as the angel needs a minimum of 30g, and the shark needs a 40g, IIRC. I believe I've heard others say they need a 55g.
 
I recommend you get your own liquid test kit ASAP so you don't have to rely on your LFS testing the water for you. By the way, were they testing your water with liquid or strips?
I'd also recommend you getting rid of your fish and doing a proper fishless cycle. This will be much better for any future inhabitants and will give you time to figure out what you want to stock the tank with.
 
What are you feeding the fish?

 

[wolvie89]

Hi there
 
THey were testing it with some kind of liquid which changed colour...
 
I am alternating feeding between flakes and the tablets that drop to the bottom.  The flakes are called Nutrafin Max  and the tabs are called NovoTab by a brand called JBL.
 
The LFS (which I assume are the shopkeepers) I go to here in Christchurch, NZ tested the water twice..First they said it was not ready so i waited another week and then I got them to test again and they said i could get one fish but to come back and test again. Theres still stuff that adds good bacteria that they said I put in everyday..Is that not the case? I was adding API stresszyme and still am..
 
When you mean getting rid of my fish and do a proper cycle..do you mean put them in another tank? cos won't I have the same issue then..it won't be cycled enough. I've grown quite attached to them already despite the angel hiding all the time lol... If they die or get sick (which i hope and pray they won't), I will cycle the tank and start fresh for a month before getting new ones..

 

[Ninjouzata]

Glad they are testing with liquid but still recommend you get your own liquid test.
 
Yep, LFS stands for Local Fish Store, if you hover over a word that has a dotted underline, it'll show you what it stands for.
 
Most of this bottled bacteria that they sell doesn't work, and am really not sure if the one you're using does.
Even if it does, you would have needed to add ammonia to give the bacteria something to work with, if I'm not mistaken.
 
I mean bringing the fish back to the store so that you can do a fish-less cycle.
 
These fish don't belong in your size tank so it'd be for the best, unless you plan on upgrading your tank size for them.
Perhaps you'd consider getting a larger tank, and fish-less cycling that, and moving them into it?
 
Not trying to badger you about it, just want whats best for them They could be hiding just because it's a new tank, and are still getting used to it.
If you could get your water tested again, and have them write down the exact numbers, that would be helpful.

 

[wolvie89]

Hi..no thats fine..I dont feel badgered lol.
 
At the moment they are still very small but I will upgrade to a 200L tank for them (52gals)..The shark is still shorter than my thumb.
Once i get the big tank I will fish cycle it for at least a month or longer before adding them. By that time I should have more experience with them too (hopefully)
 
The LFS said that in addition to adding the bottled bacteria, i need to add the snails and a bit of food so that the bacteria can work on it. So i cycled one week with adding the bacteria and then another week by adding a bit of fish food (just once) AND the bacteria. Then i added the first fish 
 
I will buy those water testers you recommended although I've only seen one in the stores and thats the same one that I saw them using in the LFS. tHey did it right in front of me. But I will definitely buy one because i would like to test it more often.
 
I've grown quite attached to these fish so I would really like to keep them..
 
GOOD NEWS: THe red tail shark is swimming away like a torpedo and i caught the angelfish snacking on his food while i was hiding

 
In any case, I'll still keep an eye on the water testing..like you said..
 
Thanks everyone and please keep giving me tips and suggestions..its all very useful
 
 
 
 
 

 

[b3cca]

No they mean that you are now basically going to be starting a Fish in cycle and it would be safer and easier to return the fish to the shop and fishless cycle your tank.
 
Leaving your tank running empty for a week will have done nothing to help apart from let any chlorines evaporate so of course your will have tested 0 ammoina and 0 nitrites as there hadn't been any fish or source of ammonia in it.
A snail or one pinch of food for one day won't do it
 
Without a test kit you cannot really fish in cycle or know what conditions are like for the fish and I would do some fairly large daily partial water changes until you get a test kit.
Also read thru and understand how to do a fish in cycle.
 
Yes the daily PWC may annoy the fish a little but it's far better than having them burn with ammonia or suffer brown blood disease

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Just curious, what is the LFS called?
 
It would be best if you could get your own test kit, the API master test kit is pretty reliable and what I use. Be careful where you buy from, as I have seen it for sale as expensive as $90. There is a seller on TradeMe that sells one for $50 which is the cheapest I've ever seen it, the seller is reliable and is who I purchased my kit from.
 
Have a read of the cycling link in my signature, it gives you everything you need to know. Bear in mind that ammonia can be hard to find in NZ so you might have to order it online or use a dead shrimp for when you cycle your upgrade tank (which is what I do). I have heard of people having success using the cloudy ammonia from countdown, although I've never tried it myself, if you do go down this route, make sure to not shake the bottle and let it stand for at least a day before using.
 
If you can get the upgrade tank ASAP then that would be good, otherwise the fish may become stunted which is very painful for them and can lead to longterm health effects.
 
Next time you're at your LFS, tell them they have misinformed you (you may need to ask for the manager) and ask them to take the fish back. They should comply. That is if you don't think you can upgrade them in the near future.

 

[wolvie89]

Hello Leonie
 
Nice to meet another Kiwi too
 
The LFS I went to was Animates in Tower Junction. None of the other ones do water testing etc. 
And thanks for the advice. I'll certainly look around before buying the tester.
 
Thanks again
Regards
Sandra

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Ah, thought it might have been Animates. Almost all of the animates I have visited are unreliable and just trying to make a profit. I'm sure there are some good ones out there, but IME animates isn't the best.
 
If you are able to get to Redwood Aquatics, I've heard good reviews about them (I'm in Tauranga so never personally used them) so they might be worth a try. Here's their website.
 
I found a cheaper test kit for sale on TradeMe, you can find it here.
 
Next time you're at Animates, bring a water sample with you and ask them to test it, make sure to ask for the exact results, get them to write them down and the post them on here. Make sure you get one of the people hanging around in the fish department, as they're slightly more knowledgeable.