funny acting fish

hitman12131976 said:
You want the water to be safe for the fish to live in. Usually you allow the tank at least 48 hours of running time on its own to make sure that everything is working properly. After that, you can add a few hardy fish to the tank to start adding beneficial bacteria to the tank so that the tank can be 'cycled'.

If you put the fish in right away, there is a high chance that they may die. That's why it was recommended that you return them. As for having those fish in a 10 gallon tank, the Oscars alone need about a 20 gallon tank without the Bala Shark.
Click to expand...

Oscars need a much bigger tank than 20 when full grown.
 
kmk420mike said:
so is that why some of my fish keep tipping over and not swimming around?
Click to expand...

Is what why? When did you purchase the fish? How big are they now?
 
Yes, with 5 bala sharks and 2 oscars in a 10 gallon, the ammonia levels, even if they are very small, will build up extremely quickly, especially in an uncycled aquarium. You may want to browse around this site a bit and do some research on the "nitrogen cycle," bala sharks, and oscars, and you may have an idea of how badly they ripped you off. Just for a starter hint, those 7 fish would require something along the lines of a 250-300 gallon tank to survive and thrive, and you'd still need one hell of a filtration system and water change regime. I think you need to not only return the fish to the store, but have a word with the manager about the gross neglect the employee who sold you those fish for that setup showed by allowing you to buy them, and moreso for saying that it was ok in your tank. I really want to rant, but I won't... I can at least rest assured that I am one of many on here who would love to chew out petco for things like this. Its part of why I miss working at petsmart. I am a very well informed fish keeper... I could not tell you how much research I've done about just about every fish out there. (don't get me wrong, I do NOT know nearly everything) I loved helping people set up a healthy environment for their fish to thrive in, and I was knowledgeable about darn near every single fish we sold. I moved on for a better paying job, but I left feeling confident that the staff I worked with were all well informed and would do their best to continue providing excellent service and knowledge on to the customers. Sadly, several of them have moved on, and their replacements know nothing about fish. Its just one of the unfortunate realities of retail... not many people going into a retail store such as petco or petsmart have a background in animal care, and it is not a prerequisite to be hired there. The few stores that have knowledgeable staff are fortunate, but eventually those folks will be moving on to a better job. :-( Good luck to you kmk420mike. Do yourself a favor, return the fish, do some research, and set up a happy and healthy community. It will be worth the effort. :-D
 
My first thought at reading the initial post:
trollsn6.gif


If this is not the case, please read more & buy less until you have a cycled aquarium and a good idea of waht you want to do with it...
 
Squawkbert said:
My first thought at reading the initial post:
trollsn6.gif


If this is not the case, please read more & buy less until you have a cycled aquarium and a good idea of waht you want to do with it...
Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly LOL:laugh:
 
Sammie7 said:
My sentiments exactly LOL:laugh:
Click to expand...

You guys may be right.. but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he really does need help, great, we'll be able to help him, and hopefully he can use some of the stuff I said for future experiences. If it as you guys suspected, well, perhaps some other new person to fish keeping will read this and gain some knowledge. If not... well... crud... oh well. :huh:
 
So you can't have 2 Oscars and 5 Bala's in a 10 gallon tank?

:duh::duh::duh::duh:
 
you guys I am sorry I took advice from petco... I got a gift certificate for my birthday and wanted to buy some fish. I live in the country where i have to drive 20 mins to the nearest pet store(petco), and its not my fault they gave me crummy advice. I didnt know any thing about fish, and what i am quickly learning is a HUGE shock and i will try my best to give my fish the environment that they need to live healthy. I have been reading and learning a lot from this site and others. I am going to take the fish back as soon as my parents can take me. I think im going to let the tank run a couple of days before adding any fish to it. does this sound all right? If so what kind of fish should i consider putting in it? I was thinking of some neon tetras????
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom