Help.. I'm new to owning fish (other than golfish).. I just bought a 5 gal tank.. I tested the water and waited to to purchase fish until the water levels were ok.. I later bought 4 mollys and 2 upside down catfish.. Well it's been 2 weeks and I've lost 2 of my male mollys and am scared to death that I'll lose the rest.. I keep going to the pet store where I bought the fish and have my water tested and found out the levels are now through the roof.. Yes, I have now learned that I had to many fish for my 5 gal tank.. problem is.. No matter what I do.. the levels in my tank won't go down. I bought testers but don't understand the NO3/PH balances and what they mean ? I'm about to cry.. I never intended to kill these fish and I just want to do EVERYTHING I can to keep them alive. What is cycling ?? I asked the pet shop people and they gave me a blank look (got a bit nervous).. Can my catfish survivie in brackish water ? Will buying a bigger tank solve this problem ? Could putting salt in the tank help my fish ? I need any and ALL help....
do a 2.5 gallon water change.
u need to practice getting the water the right settings. make sure u de-chlorinate it and use the anti-ammonia stuff too before u put the water in.
in fact, let the 2.5 gallons of fresh water sit overnight w/ the decholoriater and anti-ammonia stuff in it, then test it. if its ok, remove 1/2 the water from the take and slowly put in the new water.
make sure the temperature is the right temp for these fish.
do NOT put salt in it. a bigger tank will only be more water to deal with.
u need to practice getting the water the right settings. make sure u de-chlorinate it and use the anti-ammonia stuff too before u put the water in.
in fact, let the 2.5 gallons of fresh water sit overnight w/ the decholoriater and anti-ammonia stuff in it, then test it. if its ok, remove 1/2 the water from the take and slowly put in the new water.
make sure the temperature is the right temp for these fish.
do NOT put salt in it. a bigger tank will only be more water to deal with.
http://www.fishlore.com/Beginners.htm
NO3 is nitrate if you didn't know. I don't know very much about PH balances and such, but you can ask the Pet shop owner about it. They should be able to tell you what levels you need to have it at. Be sure to do 50% water changes every other day until you stop having problems (then you can do 25% changes). Make sure to use water conditioner before putting the water in. Hopefully you have an aerator and/or live plants in your tank. If not then that could be the main problem.
Edit: You can add AQUARIUM salt.
Edit: You can add AQUARIUM salt.
5 gallon tank is way too small for Mollies you need at least 20 gallons. mollies like to swim they also produce more waste than a lot of other types of fish. A 5 gallon tank is only good for a betta. The smaller the tank the harder it is to take care of.
Cycling is basically trying to develop good bacteria in your tank. It takes up to 2 months to cycle correctly. unless you have an old filter or can find used gravel to seed the tank.
while aquarium salt is good for your tank it won't solve your problem. You need a bigger tank to keep mollies.
Cycling is basically trying to develop good bacteria in your tank. It takes up to 2 months to cycle correctly. unless you have an old filter or can find used gravel to seed the tank.
while aquarium salt is good for your tank it won't solve your problem. You need a bigger tank to keep mollies.