Rescue mission aka making PetSmartCo look good....

[MichiganMan]

My neighbor took her kids shopping last week at the local Meijer (kind of a regional Walmart for those unfamiliar with the store) and somehow they came home with some fish.

And here is where the fun starts...

The helpful pet department clerk sold them a goldfish (probably common, I'm not an expert) and another, smaller "goldfish" to keep it company. "Goldfish #2" is really a molly.

For bowl #2 - oh, yes, these are in 6 or 8 inch diameter bowls - we have a neon tetra and a scissortail rasbora. Insert the facepalm of your choosing here.

They also sold her a bunch of different food, no declor at all, just StressCote or whatever it's called.

Needless to say, the fish have not eaten for a week (other than the goldfish) and she asked me for my opinion. So, I have a rescue on my hands.

I have a 30g high with 5 peppered corys, 4 zebra danios (which are getting rehomed in the near future), 8 green neon tetras, 20ish RCS and various nerite and ramshorn snails.

I can take in the three tropicals but I don't have room for the scissortail, let alone a school of them. The neon should school with my greens, I would think. I really don't want the molly but it should be OK for a few days. I'm going to recommend that she take the scissortail and molly to the LFS and at least get them rehomed there, and I'll keep the neon if they want.

At this point, they've been in room temperature bowls with no water changes and no food for a week, so I'm not sure they will make it at all.

Any advice? I'm a little leery of putting them in my tank since I'm sure they are stressed beyond belief, though they look healthy enough right now, all things considered.

 

[silentcircuit]

I'm amazed they aren't all dead. Just goes to show how insanely tough neons and goldfish really are. A friend of mine (against my repeated, adamant advice) kept what looked a bit like a comet in a large Gray Goose vodka bottle for well over a year before transferring it to... a bigger bottle. Thing is still alive so far as I know.

 

[TheFishBoss97]

I have a question for you, how are your green neons doing? R they easy to keep for an intermediate-advanced aquarist? What temps., and what water parms?


For your answers, I would suggest to put them into your tank, but IDK as they could have a disease from the store where they were bought, and haven't shown signs yet. If it were me, I would keep them in a bigger bowl for a couple days doing 25% water changes daily or running an extra/spare filter on it.
Good Luck!

 

[XanAvaloni]

Well what I would do would be take the whole kit and/or kaboodle back to the Meijers, politely chew out the assistant mgr in charge of the Live Fish department, explaining the unsuitability of bowls and mismatch (not to mention misidentification) of fish in any event, and the whole Importance Of Dechlor thing.

Generously offer to take the refund in store credit rather than cash. Use the proceeds to get a nice little 5 or 10 g setup--they probably have the same Tetra kits as WM does, so around $20 for the 5g and $30 for the 10, lights and filter included-- with suitable fish, food and a bottle of Prime. Present this to the weeping children with a jolly avuncular dissertation on proper care & feeding etc. and offer to be around to help with inital water changes.

I would not put any of the fish in question in my tank without a prolonged stay in QT. just sayin'. The molly in particular is not likely to make it I fear, after a week of not eating. For the others, stress and possible carrying of diseases...why chance it. imho and ymmv and all that. Good on you for offering to help out.

 

[AquatiCreations]

I've seen fish that have gone longer without eating, that's not what I would be concerned about. I would suggest that she take those fish to a LFS before the inevitable ammonia spike, and then direct her to this website.

Though your intentions are strong at heart, they will not likely sway any big-box store department. To them fish are just another expendable commodity. The person that sold her those fish probably doesn't know a guppy from a goldfish, he/she's just working there to make her ends meet. Most or all of what you say will probably fly right over his/her head.

 

[Rbishop]

Stress Coat by API is also a dechlor, btw.

If you take them, I would get a 10 gallon and QT them, even a large Rubbermaid Tote with large daily water changes if you do not have an extra filter.

 

[MichiganMan]

Well, I'm definitely not going to take any but maybe the neon - just not compatible with my current tank and/or stocking, and if they are going back to the LFS in any case (not to Meijer, as noted, they likely don't care) I see no need ot pop them in my tank first.

I recommended the 10 gallon set up but didn't get much traction. I think this is a classic example of people not realizing that keeping fish requires work, and then getting bad advice piled on top. I'll let you know how it plays out.

---------

@ TheFishBoss97, my greens seem to be doing well. I'm a little concerned that they may not be getting enough food, since the zebras are voracious eaters and try to run off any fish that looks like it might be trying for a nibble at feeding time, but I've watched them and they are all chewing on something, so...? From what I've read, if they get past the 2 week mark they should be pretty sturdy. These were at the LFS for some time, so they should be relatively healthy, and I've had them for a week with no fatalities (knock wood).

I probably stressed them out last night doing a rescape, but they seem happy this morning. When I added them to the tank, I tried to take my time acclimating them, then left the lights off in the tank all night, much as I wanted to watch my new arrivals. I think having a planted tank and giving them some "dark" time helped to reduce the stress level; having a decent school probably also helped (I've got 8). Once the zebras are gone I'm going add 5-8 more.

 

[Fishfriend1]

I wish you the best of luck with the fish, and I sincerely hope that all the fish make it to good homes with people who care about them. IMO, you should tell your neighbor that she came to you for help, and should at least listen to the advice you give her. And make a few comments in front of the kids about how the fish are sure to die (make sure you get that part in front of them) if they don't get a proper tank for them. If your lucky, that will make the kids upset and cause them to badger mom into getting that 10gal tank. And from there on you can do your best to help them help the fish, and cross your fingers while this all happens.

Again, good luck!

~Travis

 

[oo7genie]

IMO, purposely upsetting the kids is a better way to get the parents to stop talking to you than it is a way to get them to change their mind. Sure, "if you're lucky" it will work, but it seems much more likely that you'll just end up losing a friend. I know that if someone purposely upset my children by using them as tools in an attempt to influence me, regardless of what they were trying to convince me of, even if I 100% agreed with them, that person would no longer be my friend, period. No exceptions.

 

[Fishfriend1]

well then... I think I just lost an argument there... i am a 17-year-old kid though, so what would I know? Reminding myself not to post stuff in threads unless I know for fact it will work...