Daynarita

Daynarita · Nov 15, 2011

Hi guys, I'm new into fish. Well not new I've always had a male betta for as long as I can remember but in a little bowl with a fake plant and some gravel.

I got my last guy a 5 gallon half moon tank - filters, trees, decorations. he lasted for a really long time I thought he deserved it... he only lasted about two months longer, it was a really slow painful death - a death hang.

I took like a 2 months break and decided to get some mollies for the first time. At the local pet chain they had female bettas so I got her instead and she was in the basic gold fish/betta bowl. I finally decided on the mollies on Friday so I got the bigger tank set up and ready for the mollies & got them on Sunday. no sooner did I get them when my sisters friend said he was FLUSHING his fish that night he was done with them/ he couldn't take care of them (the horror). So I have them now too. So I have 3 mollies -(black, spotted & a mickey mouse), an upside down catfish and 3 baby tetras. Today my fish knocked over the bowl & lost all the water - and I saved my female betta the only way I could think of I put her in the tank with the others... I feel like my tank is probably just enough space to house these 8 little guys. Are this fish ok together, i think someone might of attacked my male mickey mouse mollie but I'm not sure - because i didn't really study him before? should I look into get a new tank soon? I don't really know much about what I'm doing - I just didn't want to see those tetras and the catfish dead...

suggestions?

colleen0309 · Nov 16, 2011

Good morning and welcome to the forum! :good:

First of all, you are very over stocked in that little 5 gallon and a betta should not be kept in a little bowl with no filtration or heater. I'm not trying to discourage you, but you have alot of work to do. First of all, you need to read everything you can in the beginner's resourse center of this forum, especially the section on fish in cycling. You will need a liquid test kit. But until you get the test kit, you will need to do atleast one large (75 - 90%) water change a day to keep the ammonia and nitrites from poisoning your fish. You tried to do a very nice thing. If you can, you should try to rehome some of those fish.

Daynarita · Nov 16, 2011

HI Colleen thanks for answering me. I have to change 75% if even if I have a filter +heater system set up? What size tank do you think I could get to house all these guys? The dumb guy at the pet store told me that the betta could be in the bowl without a heater or tank...

I really think I'm going to try to keep all the fish I'm in the process of hunting down a tank some 20/30 gallons for good prices... I will in the mean time get a kit like suggested and read the beginners resource center...

crazyforcordoras · Nov 16, 2011

Welcome to the forum. The female betta may have attacked the molly. I really enjoy this forum. It is stuffed with useful info.

colleen0309 · Nov 17, 2011

The only reason I suggested such large water changes so frequently is because your filter is not cycled( The good bacteris colonies that eat the waste the fish produce have not had time to grow yet). Until you get a test kit, you don't know what the levels for ammonia and nitrite are. These are poison to the fish. The only way to remove them, until the bacteria colonies can keep up with them, is to do large water changes. Once you get a test kit, you can test the water and decide how big and if a water change is necessary. until then, you are flying blind. Most pet shop people will tell you anything to get you to buy something, and others are just misinformed. I think a 20 or 30 gallon tank shoul be good for those fish. I'm not sure about the whiptailed catfish,I don't know much about them, but the rest should be ok. Good luck, and remember, research everything. That's the key. The more knowledge you have, the better off you will be.

Daynarita · Nov 19, 2011

Hey I just wanted to update everyone. I got a 20 gallon tank. Did some water changes in the other tank while I wait for the larger tank to be ready... have a test kit now as well. My dad is helping he used to keep a 175 gallon tank, he making my cycle the tank for like a week. I'm hoping it can be ready sooner like 5 days so these fish can get up properly.

The tetras no longer exist. I don't know who has been picking them off and completely eating them but there is not a trace of them, no bones... fins - NOTHING.- the Mickey Mouse Molly is looking sort of fat... fatter than when I got him - I'm thinking he's got something to do with it. At first I thought it was Dr. Hannibal Lecter - the upside-down catfish but I separated him for the bunch and the last was gone...

colleen0309 · Nov 21, 2011

Good to hear you got a bigger tank, but unfortunately it will probably take longer than a week to cycle your filter. A fishless cycle can tank a month or more.