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64 Posts
Hi,
We just got our first tank.
Did lots of reading - everyone said guppies were a great starter fish and easy to take care of. My 8 year old wanted fish as pets.
Went to Petsmart & asked lots of questions about starting the tank and got lots of answers and was told I had all the info I needed to know.
Got 3 guppies in a 5 gallon tank and did what they told me and 1 week later - 2 of them are dead.
Then it ends up there were issues with ammonia & the biological filter, and fin rot etc, that the Petsmart people neglected to tell me about. Said I had "new tank syndrome".
Then we got 2 new guppies to replace the ones that died. Water quality is "excellent" as per the Petsmart people when I bring it in for testing...yet the last remaining guppy from the first batch died within the next 2 days. Now one of the new 2 guppies is starting to "flounder" - trying to swim with its entire body instead of mostly with its tail, breathing rapidly, dorsal fin almost gone. The other one is still going strong.
Petsmart again says the water quality is fine.
What am I doing wrong?
Are they selling us unhealthy fish? I read they should live about 1-3 years in a tank & we haven't got any to live more than 2 weeks.
This was supposed to be an easy starter fish for my daughter and it has turned into the "tank of death" and a lesson about life and dying for my 8 year old instead of a source of happiness and fun.
Any suggestions?
Are there any easy to take care of fish that are more hearty and easier to take care of with minimal fuss?
Thanks!
Juggernaut
We just got our first tank.
Did lots of reading - everyone said guppies were a great starter fish and easy to take care of. My 8 year old wanted fish as pets.
Went to Petsmart & asked lots of questions about starting the tank and got lots of answers and was told I had all the info I needed to know.
Got 3 guppies in a 5 gallon tank and did what they told me and 1 week later - 2 of them are dead.
Then it ends up there were issues with ammonia & the biological filter, and fin rot etc, that the Petsmart people neglected to tell me about. Said I had "new tank syndrome".
Then we got 2 new guppies to replace the ones that died. Water quality is "excellent" as per the Petsmart people when I bring it in for testing...yet the last remaining guppy from the first batch died within the next 2 days. Now one of the new 2 guppies is starting to "flounder" - trying to swim with its entire body instead of mostly with its tail, breathing rapidly, dorsal fin almost gone. The other one is still going strong.
Petsmart again says the water quality is fine.
What am I doing wrong?
Are they selling us unhealthy fish? I read they should live about 1-3 years in a tank & we haven't got any to live more than 2 weeks.
This was supposed to be an easy starter fish for my daughter and it has turned into the "tank of death" and a lesson about life and dying for my 8 year old instead of a source of happiness and fun.
Any suggestions?
Are there any easy to take care of fish that are more hearty and easier to take care of with minimal fuss?
Thanks!
Juggernaut