At Least Want To Know What Happend....

[fishcoop]

Well, about 3 weeks ago, I got a 2 gallon tank,I put a female Albino Shark Fish, and a male goldfish in the tank. I fed them well for about a week, and my Albino Shark fish was at the top of the tank (still alive) so I got worried. 2 days later, my albino shark fish flopped out of the tank, and stayed out of it for about 5 min.
I found it, put it back in the tank, and it was still alive! I put new water in the tank, I checked the water from before and after the water change, only a 2 degree differnce (So it can't be the water change)
2 days later my Albino shark fish was dead. So I'd like to know, what happend?
P.S. My goldfish was fine.

 

[Wills]

Hi there are many reasons why your shark may have died, a 2 gallon tank is tiny and not suitable for any fish at all only shrimp. Albino Sharks (depending on what it was, did it have a red tail or was it shiney?) get usually to about 6 inches but even as a baby it would have been cramped with the goldfish.

When a tank is first set up unless you are prepared and can control the water via water changes large amounts of toxins and poisons develop from your fishes poo. Like I say if you dont control these with water changes the fish basically get poisoned. High levels of these chemicals will cause fish to jump out of tanks as well so again an other factor. Over time though a natural cycle will occur and a series of bacterial colonies will develop in your filter (if you have one) and will break down these toxins into harmless chemicals which we as fishkeepers remove with waterchanges.

Additionally goldfish are very messy fish and contrary to popular belief are not suited to life in a small tank. The ones that survive in small tanks are suffering and their owners are lucky they are alive, goldfish get to about a foot long with the fancy ones staying around 6 inches. However both types poop a lot and as a result pollute the tank water in the way i described above with poison basically. Goldfish need a tank starting around 20 gallons for one fish then a further 10 gallons following that.

I would suggest to rehome your goldfish and set up your 2 gallon tank as a planted tank with shrimps maybe a few snails maybe even a dwarf frog but definatly not fish.

Wills

 

[Assaye]

Does the shark look like this?

Tropical fish (the shark) and coldwater fish shouldn't be mixed. The temperature of the water is important to the health of the fish and so putting goldfish in warm water or tropical fish in cooler/cold/room temperature water will often cause problems. Larger coldwater fish such as goldfish (yes, goldfish do get big and no, there is no such thing as a "mini" or small variety suitable for a 2 gallon tank) will produce a lot of waste and make the water extra toxic extra fast. They can often cope (but not thrive) under these conditions but smaller fish and most tropical fish will really suffer. Plus goldfish can be right bullies, even when small.

From the sound of things, your tank wasn't "cycled" either. This is a word we use to mean building up a sustainable eco-system in a fish tank. This requires a lot of care and attention and is essential for the health and survival of the fish. An un-cycled tank (usually one that has been newly set up and is under 2 months old) will quickly become a death trap if you put fish in without considerable care. This is because when the fish poo and wee there isn't a proper eco-system of bacteria in the tank to nutralise the toxic chemicals produced by the fish. Some fish will survive this process (called a "fish-in cycle" because it uses the actual fish to help grow the bacteria) but many fish will die and all fish will be harmed unless the cycle is conducted with daily water tests and very large water changes to keep the chemicals diluted until the bacteria can grow. Please read the information here - there is a full description of what the cycle is, how it works and how it is managed.

Do you have a filter? Is your tank heated? What temp is it? Are you using dechlorinator/tap water conditioner? Any medications?

A fish that jumps is normally a sign of two things - a tank that is too small and water that isn't good for them.

The shark (depending on what species it actually is) will probably require a tank that is around 30-40 gallons, if not more, as they get to around 6 inches (sometimes bigger) and need a lot of space to swim and establish their territory. Goldfish (even the smallest varieties) need 20-30 gallons just for one. They should also be kept in small groups as they are very sociable and so you'd really need a 30-40 gallon tank just for a pair of fancy goldfish (the ones with the long fins and compact bodies). A comet, common or shubunkin goldfish (the ones with shorter fins and straight bodies) get much, much larger and would need a 30-40 gallon tank until they got to about 4-5 inches and then would need to be moved into a large pond.

A small tank will stunt the fish, causing organ damage and generally make their lives very miserable. It almost inevitably leads to an early death, and a painful one at that.

Summary of some things that could have gone wrong -

+ Poisoned from un-cycled tank
+ Damage from the jump and from being out of water
+ Sick when purchased
+ Stress of being moved to new home
+ Bullied/stressed by other fish

Check out the link I posted - you've really rushed into fish keeping and it sounds like you have been lied to and badly advised by the shop you got your fish and supplies from. It's great that you've found this forum - let us know if you need anymore help or have any questions!

 

[fishcoop]

I think it was jumping out of the water, and sick when I got it, because it didnt move when I first got it

 

[Assaye]

I think it was jumping out of the water, and sick when I got it, because it didnt move when I first got it

That might well be the case. However, the point still stands that you have totally rushed into this and you need to get your water tested for ammonia and nitrite ASAP. These are toxic chemicals that come with an uncycled or newly set up tank. Fish will jump or be lethargic for a number of reasons, stress and illness included.

Check out the link I posted.

 

[Curiosity101]

I think it was jumping out of the water, and sick when I got it, because it didnt move when I first got it

^^ Please don't ignore the great advice given above, you wanted a reason and the most likely answer is that how you have kept it resulted in it's death. 1. Fish don't often jump out of tanks unless they're really desperate (with the exception of things like hatchetfish) 2. I've had quite a few mishaps where both fish and shrimp have ended up on the carpet and haven't lost one yet once it was returned to water.

 

[Big_eyes]

Has to be the most obvious troll thread ever!