Hey. I need help. I'm kinda new at having fish. I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 gold fish, 2 smaller fish, an algea eater fish, and 2 frogs. I had two small shark fish, but they just died, and all of my fish are covered in a bunch of small white spots. The small sharks that died were covered in alot of spots. I'm not sure what is wrong, please help.
Newbie help
- Thread starter BettaBetta
- Start date
Well, to begin with, that tank is way overstocked. Goldfish--all of them--should get at least 8 inches in size, and need at least 10 gallons of water each, more as they mature.
Not knowing what the '2 smaller fish' even are is tough--please try to identify them.
There are a couple of different kinds of frogs available. The dwarves are fine for a 10, but the clawed variety will outgrow the tank quickly, and eat any fish they can catch.
For the spots--search on ich. It's a parasite that you will have to treat, or it will kill the fish, and likely what killed the sharks. There are several treatments available, but you'll have to choose carefully because many treatments out there can not be used with the frogs in the tank.
How long has the tank been setup? Do you have test kits to monitor ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? pH, KH and GH would be good to know as well.
Not knowing what the '2 smaller fish' even are is tough--please try to identify them.
There are a couple of different kinds of frogs available. The dwarves are fine for a 10, but the clawed variety will outgrow the tank quickly, and eat any fish they can catch.
For the spots--search on ich. It's a parasite that you will have to treat, or it will kill the fish, and likely what killed the sharks. There are several treatments available, but you'll have to choose carefully because many treatments out there can not be used with the frogs in the tank.
How long has the tank been setup? Do you have test kits to monitor ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? pH, KH and GH would be good to know as well.
the gold fish i have are only about 2-3 inches. the smaller fish are a tiger barb and a cherry barb, i think. the frogs i have are small, only about 1 in big. i believe it is ich, i was researching it. i have had the tank set up for about 2 weeks, and then a smaller tank (with less fish) before that for about a month, then i switched to the new bigger one. i donnot have any test equipment right now. what is the best treatment for ich?
From what I have been told and read, the best treatment for ich is turning the temp up to between 82 anf 86 degrees F. and using some aquarium salt. I personally also used a few drops of aquari-sol and the ich went away. But I am not sure if any of your particular fish require anything different....check with others here.
You are definitely going to need a test kit. Also, from all that I have read, the tank really is tremendously stocked (I made the same mistake). Also, you might have a problem with those barbs nipping your GF's fins!
Good luck though!
13BRAVO
You are definitely going to need a test kit. Also, from all that I have read, the tank really is tremendously stocked (I made the same mistake). Also, you might have a problem with those barbs nipping your GF's fins!
Good luck though!
13BRAVO
BettaBetta said:
The size of the goldies now isn't really relevant--they need a bigger tank to do well. They also prefer a different temperature than the tropical fish. You need to get them into a bigger tank, or take them back. Sorry to say that, but keeping them in this tank will not work in the long run.
You need to identify what types of frogs you have. The current size is not indicative, as the clawed frogs start out very small. Look at the fingers--if you see claws, they will get big.
The barbs are likely not helping out--the tigers are very nippy and aggressive. which stresses the other fish. The cherry barbs are okay, not as bad, but both types prefer to be a in group. If the goldfish are removed, you could add a few more and have a decent setup.
It's unlikely that this tank is cycled. You will want to have your water tested for ammonia and nitrites, and start doing daily water changes to prevent the spikes from killing the fish.
The best treatment, IMO, is elevated temps and salt--BUT, the frogs will not tolerate the salt, nor most of the chemical treatments. Also, the goldfish will be very stressed by the elevated temp (and lower oxygen level), so you'll need to provide additional aeration during the treatment, and put the frogs somewhere else for the entire treatment time.
As this topic seems to come up at least once or twice a week lately, perhaps a search on the topic would greatly benefit you and (most importantly), your fish. 
Good luck.
Good luck.
i lost the tiger barb to ich. i am got something called ich clear which will hopefully cure the fish. i'm goign to put the frogs (who don't appear to have claws) in my smaller tank temporarily. i'm going to turn of the filter in my tank, would an air stone provide enough air for the fish while the filters are off? i have one that i used in my smaller tank. will the frogs be okay?
You don't need to shut off your filter, and you shouldn't. You'll destroy any beneficial bacteria that has started growing. Just make sure there's no carbon in your filter, which would remove any meds that you add to the tank. The airstone would help with aeration. Will you have a filter for the tank that the frogs are in?
the remaing fish seem to be recovering and doing well. i got a test kit and the results were:
pH 40
Alkalinity 1.0
Hardness 150
Nitrite 180
Nitrate 7.2
i'm not sure if that's all acurate, the colors are hard to match. what does all of that mean? do i need to fix anything?
pH 40
Alkalinity 1.0
Hardness 150
Nitrite 180
Nitrate 7.2
i'm not sure if that's all acurate, the colors are hard to match. what does all of that mean? do i need to fix anything?