Check out some similar questions!

Kitkat22 · Aug 22, 2010, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by Emily94

Snails are gross, there all slimey and icky looking.

Seems like when you clean out the snails and think they're gone , you look and see them on the side of the tank and they love plants.:eek:

Lucky098 · Aug 22, 2010, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Kitkat22

I hope you don't get snails. They are the hardest thing in the world to get rid of. Clown Fish will get rid of snails.;)

Clown Loach :p They get crazy huge though! And mean!

Goldfish love snails...

Also, you can trap them by baiting a broken piece of potting plan with zuccini.. They all migrate to one place to eat... then just throw them away.. or give them away... Or stick them in a different tank...

I hate snails!

Kitkat22 · Aug 22, 2010, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by Lucky098

Clown Loach :p They get crazy huge though! And mean!

Goldfish love snails...

Also, you can trap them by baiting a broken piece of potting plan with zuccini .. They all migrate to one place to eat... then just throw them away.. or give them away ... Or stick them in a different tank.........

I hate snails!

Good idea Lucky:)

Lucky098 · Aug 22, 2010, 05:22 PM

Its been known to work! Lol

Aurora_Bell · Aug 29, 2010, 05:19 PM

Thanks for all the great ideas and information guys! So, so far I have only had one fatality, but it happened with in hours of putting him in the tank. I originally bought two Hifin orange and black sword tails (that's the one that died), a dalmatian molly, and 2 King Blue Tetra's. My friend bought me a few more Tetra's and orange and a yellow Platy.

One of the Platy's she thought had fin rot, and had a few white speckles that she thought might be Ick. So I separated him, and he is in a big punch bowl. She told me to flush him and she would bring me a new one. She works at a pet store.

Well you all know me, I can't even flush a dang fish... Is there any point in keeping him in the bowl, is he going to die anyway? Is there anything I can do to keep the water warm enough and maybe have it filtering some how, on a VERY low cost?

Emily94 · Aug 29, 2010, 06:45 PM

Umm.. He may be fine for a short period in the bowl, as long as there is air. Treat him and see. It'll at least give him a fighting chance!

Aurora_Bell · Aug 29, 2010, 07:06 PM

Sounds good!

Emily94 · Aug 29, 2010, 07:13 PM

I know here you can by sponge filters, there like $10.. Walmart has them, they just stick to the side of the tank (or punch bowl :p) there really cheap and easy to use.

KISS · Aug 29, 2010, 09:09 PM

You didn't just dump them in the tank, did you?

That's a no no.

The fish need to float in the water in the bag they came in for a while. Like 10 minutes. Make sure some air can get into the bag.

The fish need to acclimate to their new surroundings.

Let the fish swim out of it's bag on it's own. In other words gently release it after it has acclimated to the surroundings.

Aurora_Bell · Aug 29, 2010, 09:15 PM

No I didn't dump them in, I followed the instructions to a T in the informational DVD that came with the new tank.

Lucky098 · Aug 29, 2010, 11:03 PM

Crank your heater up to 85 degrees... Add salt to the water and medication. Remove filter media and start to treat the tank. A good all around medication is PIMAFIX or MELAFIX. Both are all natural and kill a broad spectrum of fungi and bacteria. Fin rot is a bacteria. It happens in the fish stores because of the high volumn of fish in the tanks. Lets face it, no matter how good the filtration system is, problems are still going to arise. Fin rot is easy to cure. Just follow directions on the bottle of medicine... Don't forget to change the water out by 25% after 7 days. If the symptoms don't appear to be gone, then do it again. Continue treatment until the symptoms are gone. You might want to treat your entire tank for a full 7 days just to kill any bugs that might be growing.

Let these guys settle in before adding more fish. You kind of added too many at once. Only add 3 at a time every couple weeks.

Good Luck

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 07:00 AM

Psst lucky, the sick guy is in a punch bowl... I was going to go to Wal Mart and get one of those filtered gold fish tanks for $15.00 But I will pick up the treatment stuff. How long can this guy survive in a punch bowl? I'd have to cycle the gold fish tank too, so is it worth it? I mean this is a $3 fish...

The first batch were added on a Thursday, and the second batch were added on Sunday. But I won't be adding anymore for a few more months any ways, that's even if there is still room, I don't want to over crowd them. They all seem happy, especially the Tetra's. They schooled together and seem to be doing great.

shazamataz · Aug 30, 2010, 10:03 AM

Poor fishy :(

Have you got a lamp you can put over the punch bowl? That will help keep the water nice and warm.
You don't really need to worry about a filter too much And if it is a shallow, wide punch bowl he should get enough oxygen from the surface to keep him going for now.
If you are going to keep him in there for any length of time I'd invest in an air pump rather than another filter.

If you don't have a filter you can just take a cup of water out and replace it once a day. An air pump however will put extra oxygen in the water.

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 10:09 AM

Perfect! Thanks Shazzy. I have an old air pump from an old fish tank, and I was able to put the tube in and wedge it in between a fake plant. Yes he has a fake plant and gravel in there too. It is a wide shallow bowl. I'll attach some pics.

Am I going crazy for a stupid fish? LOL

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 10:13 AM

Fish pics.

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 10:15 AM

A few more:

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 10:42 AM

One more question, I have a big chunk of coral, and I had it in another tank where the fish died. How do I clean it so it can be safe for the new tank?

Lucky098 · Aug 30, 2010, 02:36 PM

He should be OK in a punch bowl. Mollies, platties and swordfish can learn to breath from the surface. But to keep stress levels down (which will create a bigger sickness) just put an air bubblers in the water.. You can get an airstone and air pump at wal mart for probably $20 bucks or less. Treat him as directed.

A piece of coral? Did you have a Marine tank? Or is it just a decoration that LOOKS like coral? I'm assuming its fake since live rock does need to be in water... To disinfect ornimates, soak for 1 day in bleach water (there should barely be a smell of bleach) and then another day in clean water. Let the item sit in the sun and basically bake for a good couple of house... preferably during the heat of the day. Then it should be good to go in your tank.

Aurora_Bell · Aug 30, 2010, 02:40 PM

I guess it must be fake, but very believable looking. I put boiling water over it and let is soak, and then with a clean tooth brush I scrubbed it down, but I didn't bake it, I just put it in after rinsing it. I put some cycle and a touch more water cleaner stuff in.

shazamataz · Aug 30, 2010, 04:16 PM

Wow, it looks really pretty! I love the rocks.
I have one of those Dalmatian Molies, they look awesome.
Your Dalmatian Molly is a boy, and the orange one in the big tank is a girl.
The one in the punch bowl looks like a boy in the top photo and a girl in the bottom photo lol

When I dusted out the old ornaments they got a rinse under the tap and plonked in the tank... the fish are still alive :o