puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Is bubbles appearing on him a bad sign?
Silvershark Dyeing Right Now!
- Thread starter puppyjess123
- Start date
Oh dear hun I really feel for you - not easy when a parent is showing ignorance. You may only be 12 yrs old but at least you have the desire to learn. Ok, so things might not be going so well with your tank right now - and you will learn from the mistakes that have been made and next time will be able to do better.
It's never a good idea to get into arguments with your parents. Maybe just ask if you could be allowed to take over the running of the tank - or be given that task once you turn 13. Just an idea. Say you want to really show your folks how responsible you can be and see what they say. Even if they let you do it on a trial basis for 3 months to see how you get on.
Now - back to your current situation - I'm afraid I don't think that moving Oscar into that container will do him a lot of good if you're going to keep him in there indefinitely. The water in that container will be without a filter and heater so he's more likely to die from that, unfortunately.
The best thing you can do for now, like others have said - is to take out 1 or 2 buckets of water from your tank, top it up with fresh water (after adding the correct dosage of water conditioner - I'm hoping you do have some of this?) - and add Oscar back to the main tank. He may not survive after all he's been through - but at least you can say you tried. In 2 days time, do another water change, exactly the same way. Hopefully, by then any bad chemicals will start to drop. If your filter and tank had been over-cleaned recently, then your tank will be going through a cycle, which means you must do these water changes regularly. You will hopefully know a bit more about fishkeeping at the end of this experience which will help prevent you losing any more fishies.
Things to remember about tank maintenance:
Do a weekly water change of at least 2-3 bucketfuls on your 4ft tank. Even if the tank looks clean, still do it.
Don't clean out your filter every week. Only clean it when you can see it is getting clogged and the water is not spraying out of the outlet too well. When you do clean it don't rinse it under tap water and don't wring out the sponge until pristine clean again. Best way to do it is when you are changing the tank water, when you have a bucketful of old tank water, clean your filter in it LIGHTLY. Just give it a quick shake in the water to remove large debris and then return it to the filter housing. This way you won't wash away all the good bacteria that your tank needs to help kill off the ammonia and nitrite.
When you add any new fish to your tank, never add lots in one go. And when you buy new fish, always research first to check exactly how large the fish will grow to. In your 4ft tank, fish that remain under 6" in length will be best.
If you're in any doubt about anything at all, just come back on here and let us know because there are so many experienced fishkeepers who are more than willing to help you.
Let us know how you get on with it all, ok? And try not to stress over it otherwise it takes the pleasure out of the hobby. We all made mistakes early on, it takes time and patience to get it right...
All the best - Athena
It's never a good idea to get into arguments with your parents. Maybe just ask if you could be allowed to take over the running of the tank - or be given that task once you turn 13. Just an idea. Say you want to really show your folks how responsible you can be and see what they say. Even if they let you do it on a trial basis for 3 months to see how you get on.
Now - back to your current situation - I'm afraid I don't think that moving Oscar into that container will do him a lot of good if you're going to keep him in there indefinitely. The water in that container will be without a filter and heater so he's more likely to die from that, unfortunately.
The best thing you can do for now, like others have said - is to take out 1 or 2 buckets of water from your tank, top it up with fresh water (after adding the correct dosage of water conditioner - I'm hoping you do have some of this?) - and add Oscar back to the main tank. He may not survive after all he's been through - but at least you can say you tried. In 2 days time, do another water change, exactly the same way. Hopefully, by then any bad chemicals will start to drop. If your filter and tank had been over-cleaned recently, then your tank will be going through a cycle, which means you must do these water changes regularly. You will hopefully know a bit more about fishkeeping at the end of this experience which will help prevent you losing any more fishies.
Things to remember about tank maintenance:
Do a weekly water change of at least 2-3 bucketfuls on your 4ft tank. Even if the tank looks clean, still do it.
Don't clean out your filter every week. Only clean it when you can see it is getting clogged and the water is not spraying out of the outlet too well. When you do clean it don't rinse it under tap water and don't wring out the sponge until pristine clean again. Best way to do it is when you are changing the tank water, when you have a bucketful of old tank water, clean your filter in it LIGHTLY. Just give it a quick shake in the water to remove large debris and then return it to the filter housing. This way you won't wash away all the good bacteria that your tank needs to help kill off the ammonia and nitrite.
When you add any new fish to your tank, never add lots in one go. And when you buy new fish, always research first to check exactly how large the fish will grow to. In your 4ft tank, fish that remain under 6" in length will be best.
If you're in any doubt about anything at all, just come back on here and let us know because there are so many experienced fishkeepers who are more than willing to help you.
Let us know how you get on with it all, ok? And try not to stress over it otherwise it takes the pleasure out of the hobby. We all made mistakes early on, it takes time and patience to get it right...
All the best - Athena
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Guys so sorry Oscar has died -cry cry- i am gonna take him to pets at home next week and see what was wrong with him. Also i' gonna take a sample of my water. Also i need to get Jaws a new buddy anyone selling them on here in eastbourne or around their? I cahnged water and on the upside my female guppies seem better and aren't gasping for air at the top. Also my filter stopped working after i turned it off when cleaning. P.s I have some good news all! My guppy has just given birth! One dies and a whole 32 are born. Thats 54 fry now! Thank you all for helping me.
So sorry to hear he didnt make it 
TBH I wouldnt get another mate for jaws, in all honesty I would return jaws to the LFS as well, as stated in another thread, these fish really need to be in a much bigger tank as they get older and prefer to be in larger shoals.
TBH I wouldnt get another mate for jaws, in all honesty I would return jaws to the LFS as well, as stated in another thread, these fish really need to be in a much bigger tank as they get older and prefer to be in larger shoals.
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Okay i guess but you'll have to tell my dad that he thinks he's a fish expert but hes not! Also TBH? Also what other fish would you recommend? Easy to keep and must be okay in a 4foot by 30cm wide by 45cm depth and okay at ttemps of 23-26Degrees C. Don't know the pH of the tank soz. MUst be under 6" recommended by Athena thanks. Have gravel not sand. And be compatible i think thats the right word with blue gourmais (also does anyone know why one of them has gone darker and stripy), 5 guppies, 5 neons, 1 common plec and 1 albino plec, 1 silver shark.
bolivian_d
Fish Fanatic
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I'd just like to commend the poster for his maturity. I wouldn't have shown this much initiative when I was 12. Try and negotiate with your dad in the calmest way possible. Explain to him that you'll do all the work (in terms of water changes etc). If he really doesn't care about the fish, would he really care if you did what you had to do?
All the best.
All the best.
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Anyone?
Got it i'll do all the work fine by me
Got it i'll do all the work fine by me
dusky
Fishaholic
Awwwww what a lovely reply you gave instead of flaming as some would of done.
Sorry if you've definatly lost your Shark puppyjess,, you will learn from it and i'm sure become a super fish keeper as you get older. Experiance comes with age,,,, i should know i'm old
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Cool when i'm older i wanna have a 5 ft fish tank in each room! Haha lol i just love them their such a challenge which i love. I'll just experiment a little
Aww, sorry to hear that sad news. 
Did you get your filter working again? If not, that must be your top priority. Depending on what type of filter it is, I know that with one of mine it can be a bit temperamental and needs a little bit of a shake to get the fan inside going again.
Please don't be tempted to put another silver shark in your tank, though - honestly, it's only going to add to your troubles.
Are all your fry in that same tank with the other fish or did you put them in a fry tank? If they are all together in the one tank then most probably majority of them will get eaten off by the bigger fish - but then again, if they all survived what would you do with them all LOL
I wouldn't think about adding more fish to your tank just yet. See if you can get your tank stabilised first and once you can see that all fish are surviving and healthy, say in a few weeks time, come back on here, tell us what fish are remaining and we'll see what room you have left for other fish to be added.
If you were to rehome those larger fish (you will eventually have to give some away, as you know already) you would have loads of options for a really nice community tank - you could go for a peaceful set-up or semi-aggressive - depends what you like really.
If you want some examples - I have 3 community tanks. The largest tank is semi-aggressive, has a mated pair of pink short-bodied Convicts (Cichlids - very pretty, angelic-looking fish but not to be messed with!) and a rainbow shark of 5" (these don't grow as big as your silver sharks), the next tank is a peaceful set up - four guppies, two dalmation sailfin mollies, a pair of German Blue Rams (gorgeous fish from Cichlid family but they stay small), a Dwarf Gourami and two African Dwarf Frogs. The last tank at the moment is peaceful but could change in time as the Red Tail Black Shark grows (at the moment he's very peaceful and about 4") - he's in there with a pair of Platies, a sailfin molly, a female Betta, 3 Harlequins and quite a few platy fry. I thought the fry would have been eaten off but luckily majority of them survived - so when they are big enough they will be going to my LFS.
Anyway, those are just some ideas for you. Best thing is to get your tank up to a properly cycled level with the fish you already have, then you can decide (with Daddy's backing, of course!) what route you want to go down with the tank stocking. Ultimately, it will be your Dad having the final say on the matter 'cos he is the head of the house LOL - but as you get older you will begin to have more of a say in things and if you show Dad respect from now you'll have better communication and he'll be more inclined to let you run the tank how you want it.
All the best - Athena
ps - TBH = to be honest
Did you get your filter working again? If not, that must be your top priority. Depending on what type of filter it is, I know that with one of mine it can be a bit temperamental and needs a little bit of a shake to get the fan inside going again.
Please don't be tempted to put another silver shark in your tank, though - honestly, it's only going to add to your troubles.
Are all your fry in that same tank with the other fish or did you put them in a fry tank? If they are all together in the one tank then most probably majority of them will get eaten off by the bigger fish - but then again, if they all survived what would you do with them all LOL
I wouldn't think about adding more fish to your tank just yet. See if you can get your tank stabilised first and once you can see that all fish are surviving and healthy, say in a few weeks time, come back on here, tell us what fish are remaining and we'll see what room you have left for other fish to be added.
If you were to rehome those larger fish (you will eventually have to give some away, as you know already) you would have loads of options for a really nice community tank - you could go for a peaceful set-up or semi-aggressive - depends what you like really.
If you want some examples - I have 3 community tanks. The largest tank is semi-aggressive, has a mated pair of pink short-bodied Convicts (Cichlids - very pretty, angelic-looking fish but not to be messed with!) and a rainbow shark of 5" (these don't grow as big as your silver sharks), the next tank is a peaceful set up - four guppies, two dalmation sailfin mollies, a pair of German Blue Rams (gorgeous fish from Cichlid family but they stay small), a Dwarf Gourami and two African Dwarf Frogs. The last tank at the moment is peaceful but could change in time as the Red Tail Black Shark grows (at the moment he's very peaceful and about 4") - he's in there with a pair of Platies, a sailfin molly, a female Betta, 3 Harlequins and quite a few platy fry. I thought the fry would have been eaten off but luckily majority of them survived - so when they are big enough they will be going to my LFS.
Anyway, those are just some ideas for you. Best thing is to get your tank up to a properly cycled level with the fish you already have, then you can decide (with Daddy's backing, of course!) what route you want to go down with the tank stocking. Ultimately, it will be your Dad having the final say on the matter 'cos he is the head of the house LOL - but as you get older you will begin to have more of a say in things and if you show Dad respect from now you'll have better communication and he'll be more inclined to let you run the tank how you want it.
All the best - Athena
ps - TBH = to be honest
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
No its a fluval 3 plus any ideas?
My dad doesn't want to return it unless he gets something in return like another fish.
Fry are in the main tank and i got 10 in a trap. I'm hoping my fish will eat some of the babies as i don't want to many. Sounds cruel but it would be more cruel to have an ovestocked tank wouldn't it.
Also when i give my silver shark and plecs away i'm looking for a peaceful setup with fish that are easy to care for. When i'm more expeirienced i'll go down to the medium care for. then hard.
Right now trying to get my stupid filter to work. Grr. Also how much would it be for a water test kit with the ammonia. nitrate and nitrate and pH and basically all the things cost as i need to start saving up lol.
My dad doesn't want to return it unless he gets something in return like another fish.
Fry are in the main tank and i got 10 in a trap. I'm hoping my fish will eat some of the babies as i don't want to many. Sounds cruel but it would be more cruel to have an ovestocked tank wouldn't it.
Also when i give my silver shark and plecs away i'm looking for a peaceful setup with fish that are easy to care for. When i'm more expeirienced i'll go down to the medium care for. then hard.
Right now trying to get my stupid filter to work. Grr. Also how much would it be for a water test kit with the ammonia. nitrate and nitrate and pH and basically all the things cost as i need to start saving up lol.
shelaghfishface
the one and only
so sorry your fish didnt make it but it certainley wasnt through lack of trying.. you`re going to be a great fishkeeper
but it certainley wasnt through lack of trying.. you`re going to be a great fishkeeper puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
Thanks thats really nice i wanna be like u lot some day
puppyjess123
Doing first planted tank :)
S anyone know how to fix my filter i mentioned its name on an earlier post
shelaghfishface
the one and only
whats it doing?? is it making any noise at all?
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