I raised neon's and tetra's as a child and then had goldfish for many years. I never had issues with the gf and they were raised in a large bowl which was not cleaned nearly as often as it should have been. So, I have a little experience with fish.
Last spring our 7 year old brought home a feeder gf from school (summer vacation and it needed a home). We did not have a tank so put it in a 18 gallon rubbermaid tote bin in the yard. Not ideal but we told him if it survived the summer (the rest of the fish at school did not live too long) we would buy a tank. So 3 weeks ago we got a 10 gallon tank, live plant, gravel and a "decoration". All from the big chain pet store, along with 4 other feeder gf. We got the water temp in the upper 60's to low 70's and let them float in the bag before releasing. Within a few days they started dying. I changed out half of the water (we are on well, no chlorine or treatment) but they continued to die. I cleaned out the tank and let it sit with water for a day then we bought 3 new fish and 2 new plants from a different big chain pet store. The first (a very small feeder.. because he thought it was "cute") died in about 36 hours. That was Wednesday. This morning (about 84 hours in) I did about 35% water change with fresh water at the same temp as the tank, 68-70. Tonight we lost one of the other (not sure what kind - fat, fancy tail, but very small and only cost $3 each) and the other does not look so good. I sort of assume that this is due to ammonia, based upon my reading. I keep seeing to "cycle" the tank but that seems awfully complicated with all the testing. And I just don't get why I raised gf for years as a kid, in much smaller tank, and never had this issue.
So... any advice? Am I making this "cycle" thing out to be a bigger hassle than it is? Are there other cold water fish which are easier to raise? While I don't mind getting a filter or aerator if it would help, I don't want to get a heater because we are rural and losing power in the winter is pretty much a given. Thanks!!!
Last spring our 7 year old brought home a feeder gf from school (summer vacation and it needed a home). We did not have a tank so put it in a 18 gallon rubbermaid tote bin in the yard. Not ideal but we told him if it survived the summer (the rest of the fish at school did not live too long) we would buy a tank. So 3 weeks ago we got a 10 gallon tank, live plant, gravel and a "decoration". All from the big chain pet store, along with 4 other feeder gf. We got the water temp in the upper 60's to low 70's and let them float in the bag before releasing. Within a few days they started dying. I changed out half of the water (we are on well, no chlorine or treatment) but they continued to die. I cleaned out the tank and let it sit with water for a day then we bought 3 new fish and 2 new plants from a different big chain pet store. The first (a very small feeder.. because he thought it was "cute") died in about 36 hours. That was Wednesday. This morning (about 84 hours in) I did about 35% water change with fresh water at the same temp as the tank, 68-70. Tonight we lost one of the other (not sure what kind - fat, fancy tail, but very small and only cost $3 each) and the other does not look so good. I sort of assume that this is due to ammonia, based upon my reading. I keep seeing to "cycle" the tank but that seems awfully complicated with all the testing. And I just don't get why I raised gf for years as a kid, in much smaller tank, and never had this issue.
So... any advice? Am I making this "cycle" thing out to be a bigger hassle than it is? Are there other cold water fish which are easier to raise? While I don't mind getting a filter or aerator if it would help, I don't want to get a heater because we are rural and losing power in the winter is pretty much a given. Thanks!!!
