Never Had Fish Before

[Jeandstn2b]

I'v never had fish before, I have a couple of 1 and 2 gallon tanks that have a couple of mollies in them. Everyone seems to be happy but my water keeps turning cloudy within 2-3 days of cleaning and changing the water. What is the problem? I also have a black molly that is obvously pregnate. I got her 1 1/2 weeks ago so I don't know how long she has and I don't want the others to eat the babies. I don't know what a gravid spot is and I don't know if she can be isolated in a tank by herself. Can the babies be in a small tank by themselves and how do I take care of them. I am completely ignorant to fish and would appreciate any help I can get. thanks

 

[indigoj]

Ok first you have posted in saltwater but I'm sure a mod will move it to the tropical 'new to the hobby' section

Second to address your issues.

The water gets cloudy because of several things, the first being that any 'tank' of 1 or 2 gallons is completely unsuitable for any fish.

Second being that for any fish to be happy and live in clean water you need a filter that has been fully cycled - look this up in many topics on this forum.

Third Mollies get quite big and will likely be stressed and short lived in the conditions described.

So, what to do? Don't feel bad about things, you've probably (like most of us) had really bad advice from your LFS (local fish store) or pet shop.

Are you in a position to get just 1 10-15 gallon tank with a heater and filter? This is really what you need to keep mollies. If you are not then please, for the sake of the fish and to save yourself a lot of heartache, take the fish back to the shop.

The only fish that can be kept in small tanks (5gal+ though, not 1 or 2 gal) are Bettas - Siamese Fighting Fish - they still need a filter and heater though.

Do some reading and try to ignore your fish shop/pet store who will almost always give bad advice when you are starting out.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but if you can get a correct size/set up tank then you will love this hobby.

 

[SwordtailLover]

As indigoj has stated, a larger tank will help you out greatly. A ten gallon will be suitable for a few mollies. I believe you can get a filter, hood, and tank set up for about 50 dollars here in the U.S. As for your fry, if they do happen to reach adulthood in your newer tank, keep in mind that a ten gallon fish tank would be suitable for a few mollies, perhaps 4-6 if kept in a species tank (I could be wrong on this, but that would be a decent estimate in terms of inch per gallon), and would keep reproducing the fry. Good luck to you and your fish! Hope everything works out for you, and have a good day : )

 

[Jeandstn2b]

Ok first you have posted in saltwater but I'm sure a mod will move it to the tropical 'new to the hobby' section

Second to address your issues.

The water gets cloudy because of several things, the first being that any 'tank' of 1 or 2 gallons is completely unsuitable for any fish.

Second being that for any fish to be happy and live in clean water you need a filter that has been fully cycled - look this up in many topics on this forum.

Third Mollies get quite big and will likely be stressed and short lived in the conditions described.

So, what to do? Don't feel bad about things, you've probably (like most of us) had really bad advice from your LFS (local fish store) or pet shop.

Are you in a position to get just 1 10-15 gallon tank with a heater and filter? This is really what you need to keep mollies. If you are not then please, for the sake of the fish and to save yourself a lot of heartache, take the fish back to the shop.

The only fish that can be kept in small tanks (5gal+ though, not 1 or 2 gal) are Bettas - Siamese Fighting Fish - they still need a filter and heater though.

Do some reading and try to ignore your fish shop/pet store who will almost always give bad advice when you are starting out.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but if you can get a correct size/set up tank then you will love this hobby.

 

[Jeandstn2b]

Ok first you have posted in saltwater but I'm sure a mod will move it to the tropical 'new to the hobby' section

Second to address your issues.

The water gets cloudy because of several things, the first being that any 'tank' of 1 or 2 gallons is completely unsuitable for any fish.

Second being that for any fish to be happy and live in clean water you need a filter that has been fully cycled - look this up in many topics on this forum.

Third Mollies get quite big and will likely be stressed and short lived in the conditions described.

So, what to do? Don't feel bad about things, you've probably (like most of us) had really bad advice from your LFS (local fish store) or pet shop.

Are you in a position to get just 1 10-15 gallon tank with a heater and filter? This is really what you need to keep mollies. If you are not then please, for the sake of the fish and to save yourself a lot of heartache, take the fish back to the shop.

The only fish that can be kept in small tanks (5gal+ though, not 1 or 2 gal) are Bettas - Siamese Fighting Fish - they still need a filter and heater though.

Do some reading and try to ignore your fish shop/pet store who will almost always give bad advice when you are starting out.

I know this is probably not what you want to hear but if you can get a correct size/set up tank then you will love this hobby.

Thank you for your response. I'm not very computer literate as you can see; I'm glad someone is there to fix my mistakes. I have had a few problems with my fish (dirty water, fishy smell, having to clean and redo tanks) and didn't want to get a bigger tank if I couldn't keep them alive. I've had my mollies for a couple of weeks now and I really enjoy them so If getting a bigger tank will solve these problems then I will gladly get one. You said mollies can get quite big, can you give me an estimate of how big? One more question, I was told to feed them a small amount of food 2-3 times a day. They seem to want more food than that. When I go over to watch them, they all come to the glass and hang there for a minute then they all go to the top of the tank and wait. If I put food in, they always eat. Is it bad to give them more? Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

 

[indigoj]

Mollies can get to about 4" but around 3" is more common.

Feed 5 days a week either once or twice a day as much as they finish in 1 minute.

Fish are greedy and will eat every time you offer food but it is not necessarily good for them! They are great at making you feel like you 'should' be feeding them more too.

Definitely get a bigger tank - get the biggest you can afford - but 10-15 gal will be fine. (50-80litres) You can usually pick up great 2nd hand bargains, you also need a filter and heater.

If you get a bigger tank you will find you need to do a bit of hard work for a couple of weeks - while the filter matures but it really is worth it.

 

[Jeandstn2b]

Mollies can get to about 4" but around 3" is more common.

Feed 5 days a week either once or twice a day as much as they finish in 1 minute.

Fish are greedy and will eat every time you offer food but it is not necessarily good for them! They are great at making you feel like you 'should' be feeding them more too.

Definitely get a bigger tank - get the biggest you can afford - but 10-15 gal will be fine. (50-80litres) You can usually pick up great 2nd hand bargains, you also need a filter and heater.

If you get a bigger tank you will find you need to do a bit of hard work for a couple of weeks - while the filter matures but it really is worth it.

Im looking but I can't find what cycling is. Will a new tank come with instructions on what that means or how to "mature the filter?" Thanks again.

 

[indigoj]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=277264

Have a read here. Unfortunately most fish shops/pet stores will tell you it is okay to chuck fish in after 'letting it stand' for a week.

Depending on your location you may find members here who could donate some mature filter media to help you get started

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum and to the hobby Jeandstn. As others have already said, it is much easier to care for a larger tank than it is a small one. In a small tank, poisons can build up in the water in a matter of hours while a larger tank will take days and give you the chance to catch it before things get out of hand. The easiest way to get a tank ready for fish is to find someone that is willing to give you a starter colony of the right bacteria by giving you some filter media. If you put the media into your filter, the bacteria will multiply and establish your filter's capacity fairly quickly. Since you already have fish in the tanks, you will be in a fish-in cycle. I have links in my signature to a thread about fish-in cycling and to one listing media donors.

 

[Fisses]

unfortunately i think you may have been given bad advice.

you'll find out that fishkeeping is not as easy as it sounds, but once you get everything sorted you'll love it.

can you just confirm a few things...do you have a heater and if so please can you tell us what temp youve got it set to? do you have a filter? again if so what make and model? do you use de-chlorinator when adding new water? and also any live plants or anything else would be much appreciated? tell us as much information as you can and then we can go from there any try to help.

i am by no means an expert, no-wehere even near but i had trouble as a newbie so i can comment from my wrong doings also.

good luck

 

[DinloMind]

i have 2 x balloon mollies, not sure if they are same as the ones you have, but they are about 3" long.

if you have the balloon molly, your black one, it could be because of the breed that it looks so pregnant!!
thats what i thought when i bought them, thats why i liked them.

my tank is at a constant 27c. (i have a digital thermometer lol)

and i feed twice a day, as much as can be eaten in 1 minute, including the other fish i have (see sig.)

hope this helps, im a newbie myself, so i could be wrong!!! Good Luck