55gal stocked tank and i know nothing about fish
- Thread starter bluemeate
- Start date
Your tank is in the cycling process. As you have a lot of fish, they are producing a lot of waste products. The waste products are not always visible. Fish are pooing in the water, but they are also breathing and releasing other harmful non-visible waste products. The best thing you can do for your fish is prevent an ammonia spike by doing a WATER CHANGE now. I already outlined in a couple posts the proper methods for water changes. In the event of an ammonia spike do a WATER CHANGE as I previously outlined.
Here's a simple plan: Do a 50% water change daily. Test your levels daily. Euthanize your Sterlet fish. If your roommates ask about it, tell them it died because they are irresponsible fish keepers (it is the truth). Call a variety of fish stores in your area and ask if they will take your fish. Give the fish away behind your roommate's back. It seems pretty clear they are NOT up to caring properly for these creatures. Just do whatever you can to put the fish in a better environment than they are now.
Here's a simple plan: Do a 50% water change daily. Test your levels daily. Euthanize your Sterlet fish. If your roommates ask about it, tell them it died because they are irresponsible fish keepers (it is the truth). Call a variety of fish stores in your area and ask if they will take your fish. Give the fish away behind your roommate's back. It seems pretty clear they are NOT up to caring properly for these creatures. Just do whatever you can to put the fish in a better environment than they are now.
Tifftastic
"With your powers combined . . ."
For sure get rid of the sterlet, keep up on the water changes. Water changes are the only thing that will save you from this situation.
If these fish survive the cycling process, your tank is overstocked IMO. If telling your roommates not to buy any fish because they will die doesn't work, try telling them that the tank can only hold so many fish and they already have too many of them.
The sterlet alone (assuming he was in the correct water temp and conditions etc) will outgrow that tank in 3 months.
Honestly, he is suffocating imagine trying to breathe in a sauna for 2 or 3 days and you had no way out. How would you feel? Basically your best bet is to try to explain to them that fish do feel things, like pain. A lot of people dont realize this. I have also recently learned that there are a lot of people who dont realize that fish grow (I work at a petstore and get these comments all the time).
Ask them if they would do this to a puppy.
Seriously, water changes are your best friend. Get yourself a python and these will be very fast and easy.
If these fish survive the cycling process, your tank is overstocked IMO. If telling your roommates not to buy any fish because they will die doesn't work, try telling them that the tank can only hold so many fish and they already have too many of them.
The sterlet alone (assuming he was in the correct water temp and conditions etc) will outgrow that tank in 3 months.
Honestly, he is suffocating imagine trying to breathe in a sauna for 2 or 3 days and you had no way out. How would you feel? Basically your best bet is to try to explain to them that fish do feel things, like pain. A lot of people dont realize this. I have also recently learned that there are a lot of people who dont realize that fish grow (I work at a petstore and get these comments all the time).
Ask them if they would do this to a puppy.
Seriously, water changes are your best friend. Get yourself a python and these will be very fast and easy.
Tell me your not serious. It's not his tank, they are not his fish. I applaud him for trying to get everything straightened out, but your really suggesting that he finds new roommates or returning property that does not belong to him..
I gotta say some people do not think before they type. :banhim:
Now on to the problem at hand. It sounds like your kind of between a rock and a hard place. If your roommate will allow you to continue working on the tank, just keep up with frequent water changes. If the fish die they die. It will not be your fault but your roommates. Then you can give him a big "I told you so" and maybe next time he'll take your advice before he buys any more fish.
I don't think you understand why I wrote that... Some people are morally offended by the treatment being given to the fish as described by the OP. Thus, they would feel the need to act in some way that would be... acceptable to their morals. The OP had already been given advice on how to take care of the fish, and since the OP stated that doing some of the things was not possible, I was attempting to provide other solutions that may prove acceptable to the OP.
Personally, until the room mates decide to follow the same playbook I would not even bother... At this point, despite the OP's best efforts if the fish only continue to suffer and die a slow death, I don't see the point of expending energy on the fish until the room mates all agree to be on the same page.
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Am I right in my read.
this tank was purchased from someone and it was set up?
not knowing what the situation is. this tank could have been established.
we do not know what the previous owners maint schedule was like.
if the maint was laxs (which is possible) then the tank may have had issues with OTS.. excess TDS.. a large water change may have upset the water parameters in this tank to the point it killed existing fish.
fist things first. test the water and get good results.
we need to know the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
do not add any new fish and make sure the tank is stable.. before checking on new fish.
from the sounds of it the stocking is questionable at best.
and I agree..if this is not the OP's tank.. the OP can only do so much..
hang in there
this tank was purchased from someone and it was set up?
not knowing what the situation is. this tank could have been established.
we do not know what the previous owners maint schedule was like.
if the maint was laxs (which is possible) then the tank may have had issues with OTS.. excess TDS.. a large water change may have upset the water parameters in this tank to the point it killed existing fish.
fist things first. test the water and get good results.
we need to know the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
do not add any new fish and make sure the tank is stable.. before checking on new fish.
from the sounds of it the stocking is questionable at best.
and I agree..if this is not the OP's tank.. the OP can only do so much..
hang in there
Threads like this make me go :wall:.
lol...good luck luck with the tank. Lots of good advice here and it would be wise to heed it. Knowledge is power.
lol...good luck luck with the tank. Lots of good advice here and it would be wise to heed it. Knowledge is power.
ammonia and nitrate levels are both below 25ppm according to the API color tests
ph with API color test has been varying between 7.4-7.6 consistently
Ive been putting about 10gal of water in a bucket and treating it with a teaspoon full of nov aqua plus water conditioner over night then putting water in bit by bit (cuase it cools down and i dont want water temp change to be so so sudden (or should i just pour the water into the bucket at the right temp, treat then put it in right then?)
sterling is still alive... dieing i guess :/
all but one of the gold fish have been euthanized... still cant catch him without bothering the other fish
when we got the tank, it had:
2 corydora catfish (2in)
2 mailed catfish (2.5in)
2 sucker mouth catfish (6in & 9in)
2 upsidedown catfish, (6in)
2??? (5in)
1??? (6in and fat) died
3 columbian sharks (6in) 2 died at begining, 1 died later
heres the background story:
my cousin bought the tank for 100 dollars off some guy with everything in it, after buying the tank the guy turned off his phone and we had no idea how to take care of a tank. the tank was emptied to about 30% and driven about 50 miles it took us about 4 hours to finaly set up the water filter, pump and heater. within a few hours my cousin was wondering why the water was still so murky even after the filter had started up so he took out all the plants, rocks and even the substrate and washed it alll off thoroughly with water :wall: (i dont know how our ammonia levels are below 25ppm) We then we filled the tank with tap water at about 80deg and put about 4 teaspoons of water conditioner. the next day one of the columbian catfish died. after that the tank seemed to be going fine, and for about two weeks all we did was over feed the fish and check the ph level from time to time. later we got a stand for the tank and would need to lift it up to put it on the stand..
well here comes some real stupidity:
my cousin emptied the tank to about 10% of the water, we then lifted it up on the stand, then went outside, pulled the water hose inside, dipped it in the tank and turned it on. the next day 2 more catfish and one other big fish i didnt even know we had were sitting there dead.
we bought more fish and then i ended up here.
ph with API color test has been varying between 7.4-7.6 consistently
Ive been putting about 10gal of water in a bucket and treating it with a teaspoon full of nov aqua plus water conditioner over night then putting water in bit by bit (cuase it cools down and i dont want water temp change to be so so sudden (or should i just pour the water into the bucket at the right temp, treat then put it in right then?)
sterling is still alive... dieing i guess :/
all but one of the gold fish have been euthanized... still cant catch him without bothering the other fish
when we got the tank, it had:
2 corydora catfish (2in)
2 mailed catfish (2.5in)
2 sucker mouth catfish (6in & 9in)
2 upsidedown catfish, (6in)
2??? (5in)
1??? (6in and fat) died
3 columbian sharks (6in) 2 died at begining, 1 died later
heres the background story:
my cousin bought the tank for 100 dollars off some guy with everything in it, after buying the tank the guy turned off his phone and we had no idea how to take care of a tank. the tank was emptied to about 30% and driven about 50 miles it took us about 4 hours to finaly set up the water filter, pump and heater. within a few hours my cousin was wondering why the water was still so murky even after the filter had started up so he took out all the plants, rocks and even the substrate and washed it alll off thoroughly with water :wall: (i dont know how our ammonia levels are below 25ppm) We then we filled the tank with tap water at about 80deg and put about 4 teaspoons of water conditioner. the next day one of the columbian catfish died. after that the tank seemed to be going fine, and for about two weeks all we did was over feed the fish and check the ph level from time to time. later we got a stand for the tank and would need to lift it up to put it on the stand..
well here comes some real stupidity:
my cousin emptied the tank to about 10% of the water, we then lifted it up on the stand, then went outside, pulled the water hose inside, dipped it in the tank and turned it on. the next day 2 more catfish and one other big fish i didnt even know we had were sitting there dead.
we bought more fish and then i ended up here.
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The total washing....ouch!:wall:
The overstocking afterwards...double ouch:wall::wall:
Wish ya the best. just keep up with the water changes. No need to let the water set overnight and add the conditioner. Drain the water, then add the conditioner to your tank then the water at the same temp as the tank. Sounds like you are starting to go threw the cycle now and it's gonna take awhile due to the water changes and the amount of fish you have.
The overstocking afterwards...double ouch:wall::wall:
Wish ya the best. just keep up with the water changes. No need to let the water set overnight and add the conditioner. Drain the water, then add the conditioner to your tank then the water at the same temp as the tank. Sounds like you are starting to go threw the cycle now and it's gonna take awhile due to the water changes and the amount of fish you have.
