Frustrated

[NinjaSmurf]

Alright, maybe I'm a little ranty because it's late (almost 2am) but I can't get my tank out of my head. I'm getting kicked out of my house at the end of the month, which means moving my twenty gallon female betta tank. It also means upgrading into a thirty, because I don't have a stand for the twenty (it's on a kitchen counter). All in all it doesn't sound bad.

Thing is, things aren't working out in my tank. I had six bettas and everything was good, then one disappeared. Okay, you know, things happen. Well, now one is almost wasting away and another looks like it's got two weird prongs sticking out of her gills.

I just really feel like giving up. This is my fifth or sixth time trying to create a community tank and it's starting to look like it's going downhill again. Maybe it's just the stress of getting the boot, but I am feeling like just shutting down and getting two goldfish and just that. I understand why my first tank didn't work out, but it's just like no matter how I get set-up it always fails. Either my fish die randomly, or one goes crazy and kills the others, a random act of god, or they get sick and wipe everyone out. I've honestly only had luck with guppies, and while I like them, I want more than just that.

Have any of you guys just thought about just packing it in, or just settling for a simple 'basic' tank with a few fish and leaving it at that? Or am I just nuts?

 

[GAB99]

n order to helpmore effectivley we will need more than just one disappeared and one has 2 prongs sticking out of it. though the prongs might be a worm? ask wilder in emergency.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I've already tried looking it up, it could be a lot of things, gill flukes, other parasites, etc. So far it seems the best I can do is treat her in a salt bath, crank up the heat and add some meds for any other possible infections. The one that disappeared is almost guaranteed dead, unless she moved out and got a condo when I wasn't looking.

I'm not going to just let them die, I'm just to the point where I don't know if I want to keeping trying to have this kind of tank.

 

[GAB99]

yeah post this in the emergency forum

 

[rebrn]

I understand your frustration. I have 3 tanks now (2 with fish just added recently and one still fish less cycling) But about 10 years or so ago I had a tank and all the fish kept dying so I gave up. 10 Years later I tried it again, added the first fish and it died within a few hours, started over, the second fish was doing great then somehow got out of the tank. Now I know the first time (10 years ago) I new nothing except what the LFS told me which was completely wrong, they never told me anything about cycling water changes, dechlorinator, so basically I added water and fish then wondered why they died. When I started again, the first fish that died in a few hours was a neon tetra, again trusted the LFS, I kind of new about cycling, but still not much, so that one was my fault too. The fish that jumped out, was during a fish-in cycle and he was doing fine, I just didn't cover the openings on the back of the hood good enough. And yes I did feel like giving up, but I continued through and things seem to be going good so far.

It sounds like you have experience and know about cycling and all the basics of how to keep a tank, you just have run into some bad luck. My first thought would be your LFS. Perhaps you should try to find a different place to buy your fish, I have a few near me, but to be honest, all but maybe 2 I would not buy fish from because I just don't trust the health of their tanks. Perhaps your fish are coming to you sick and that is why you have been having these problems. I would definitely see if you could find a more reliable store with healthy tanks. I know they can be hard to come by, but that might be a good place to start. As for you having a fish that went crazy and killed the other fish, and please don't take offence to this as no disrespect is intended, are you sure the fish were compatible? Even if they were, perhaps, again this goes back to the LFS where you got them, the fish were stressed out. If they were living in questionable tanks (health wise I mean) before you got them then they may have been stressed out. Now I am relatively new to fish keeping, so not sure if that would play a role or not, just a thought.

I wouldn't give up just yet, post the problems you are currently having the the emergency section and I am sure you will get some great advise on how to deal with the problems you are currently having. After that, try to find a different fish source, maybe you will have better luck.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I'll post about the sick fish in emergency, I'm just at my wits end.

Rebrn, I wish the problem was so simple. I've been dealing with tank problems for years and at different locations (moved a lot). Over all I've gotten fish from at least five different suppliers over the years ranging from walmart to That Fish Place, the worlds biggest fish store and a few home grown stores with well taken care of stock.


For just a sample of issues, in no particular order:

Pictus catfish who killed feeders, but did not eat them.

I've dealt with ram pairs where one dies, replace it, the other dies, replace that one...

Male guppies that killed each other.

My female guppies always die after birth. Always.

This is my second try at female bettas together (first time things went well and then boom one dead, the other alive but floating and the other two trying to kill each other, literally over night).

A firemouth baby who wouldn't eat anything but hikiara red discus pellets and live food, neither of which I couldn't get a hold where I lived (the discus pellets were a sample pack I had) until it starved to death.

A convict who hid all the time unless it was beating up my pleco and every night it was eating the dithers I got so it wouldn't be so shy.

My molly beat up and ate my platies, before trying to eat the adf's eyes out, who then died after I rehomed the molly...


I am beyond tired of this crap. I can't even seem to have the most basic of fish without something ridiculous happening to them. Maybe it's something I'm doing, I have no clue. But I'm just so close to saying I'm done.




*edited for rant spelling*