I bought four fish for my kids yesterday for Valentines Day.....Cream, Crush, Bubbles and Fred. Cream and Crush and Fred are already dead.....What did I do wrong????
I kept them in the water the pet store gave them in. I thought I had a fish bowl but didn't so I put them in a rather large vase.
Any help to save Bubbles will be greatly appreciated.

shortnsweet said:

you need to keep them in the bag in the tank/vase when you get home til the water is the same temp as tank/vase, then release. Try to get them home from the shop asap (well, thats what we did when we had fish years ago.)

the water should be treated with stuff the pet shop gives(sells) you as well.
id ask for a refund
Good luck with bubbles

oh, and dont overfeed them
[Edited 2/15/10 16:59pm]

^


sorry for the loss of your fish.

shock n stress... that's what did it

tap water can kill fish if the water isn't neutral ph.

Temperature affects them too, depends on the type of fish.

Bubbles is a fighter it seems.

smaller fish like tetras tend to like the water at 80 degrees.

keep a thermostat strip on the tank or better yet get one in the water

fish do better with an aquarium kit w/ moving water and fresh plants

never clean a tank with cleaners, and change only 20% of the water weekly at a time

fish do pee and I have one that hybernates in the winter and eats snails- its name is Bert.

some fish need the water to keep moving like the ones that stick to the sides of the glass and catfish

it is always best to get fish a few at a time introduce new fish slowly (a few at a time) to see if they do well,

and a rule of thumb, 1 inch of fish per gallon of water, any more and the fish will be over crowded and die from sickness

so if you own a ten gallon tank you can have two 5" fish or ten teeny 1" animals/fish in that tank max

one of my favorite sites to shop from to add to your fishies home


http://www.aquariumplants.com/




Good Luck
its ok to use tap because she doesn't own frogs edit
[Edited 2/15/10 20:24pm]

What kind of fish are they?

As has been said, water quality and acclimation is key, but depending on what type they are other factors come into play.

I have to disagree with Paintedlady on the spring water though, with a good water treatment, tap water can be better than filtered in some instances. Highly filtered water can lack minerals that are beneficial to the fish. All you need is something to neutralize the metals in the tap water.

Unless you have salt water fish, then reverse osmosis water is the only way to go.

So...what kind of fish?

for a simple freshwater fish, I'd use store bought distilled water treated with Kent Marine's RO right, it returns electrolytes and such to healthy levels.

you need to filter the water biologically, mechanically and chemically. These can be bought very cheap.

most freshwater will need some bubbles to induce oxygen. without proper movement, like in a still bowl or vase, the oxygen in the water is used up fairly quickly.

temperature should be maintained at the species preferred level.




what kind of fish are they?

Mars23 said:

You're right... but some people have high alkaline in their tap water and conditioners don't remover everything. Depends if she is using filters.

My fish do great with spring (not filtered) water... but I also have frogs and snails. Tap water would kill them.

JerseyKRS said:

Goldfish

Maybe Bubbles is a psychotic murderer!

You didn't leave any sharp objects around the tank, did you?

You know, that thought actually crossed my mind until he croaked this morning. Now I'm the fish killer

shortnsweet said:

I hope you'll give them a good send off. 21-Flush Salute.

awwwww i remember i had fish as a kid and for some reason they died i never knew why

shortnsweet said:

I'm sorry, if its any consolation I think out of the fresh water fish, goldfish are the hardest to take care of. I started with a beta fish, then worked my way up from there.


Would you consider trying to get more fish?

I got a goldfish from the fair when I was a kid and I had her for years.....and years. It was amazing. I thought they lived forever. lol Oh well, I guess today's fish are alot like someother of "todays" things.

shortnsweet said:

Wow, maybe the fish weren't healthy?

paintedlady said:

Yeah, maybe. Or maybe I did something wrong. It is really cold here. Maybe they got really cold from the store to the car and car to house.....I think I'll wait on tring to get anymore until it warms up. Maybe we can find something else to replace the fish.

shortnsweet said:

your parents were probably replacing him every time he died to save you the trauma

ZombieKitten said:

Ha Ha!! Your probably right. I'm gonna ask, lol

I think it was suggested earlier, but you may be well served by getting a boxed tank setup kit. It will include a filter and heater along with a hood and light.

Also, go to a local pet shop and ask questions, they are usually knowledgeable and willing to help, especially with water additives and treatments. I don't trust the chain stores much. You never know who is going to help you and what their knowledge level will be.

Mars23 said:

Thank you! I will check into that this weekend! My kids will probably love that idea.

shortnsweet said:

I hope not

shortnsweet said:

m brother in law gave us an old tank, with skanky, yucky water in it...

took it home, to clean it out.....

and there was a fish alive in it!!!!

he lived for ages