What happened to my sister's fish?

[Itisnotlogical]

Between my sister and mother, there were five fish about the house, three comet goldies and two common. They were all running out of room in their tanks, so my sis bought a good-sized aquarium for them all to live in, as well as two Shubunkin goldies. They were all active (as far as fish go, I guess) until they were moved into the new tank. One Shubunkin died a few hours after being moved into the tank, and one of the commons followed thereafter. Long story short, two days after buying the tank only the comet goldies and one of the commons remain.

What the hell happened?

 

[RoJoHen]

Fish have a tendency to eat other fish sometimes.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Was the water changed when they were moved into the new tank?

If it was it could have been a result of shock when placed in new water. If the water is too different from that in the old tank the fish don't have a chance to slowly acclimatise.

 

[RoJoHen]

Indeed. Fish aren't really the most hardcore creatures in the world. Changing their water can be very traumatic for them. It would be like you instantly being transported from sea-level to the top of a mountain. It would be a huge shock to your system.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Between my sister and mother, there were five fish about the house, three comet goldies and two common. They were all running out of room in their tanks, so my sis bought a good-sized aquarium for them all to live in, as well as two Shubunkin goldies. They were all active (as far as fish go, I guess) until they were moved into the new tank. One Shubunkin died a few hours after being moved into the tank, and one of the commons followed thereafter. Long story short, two days after buying the tank only the comet goldies and one of the commons remain.

What the hell happened?

They didn't prepare the tank before putting the fish in.

It's a good idea to get some of the bacteria from the original tank via rocks or display pieces and transplant them before you put the fish in there.

http://fish-tank-filters.org/tag/transfer-to-new-aquarium/

 

[RJDiogenes]

I agree that the water probably wasn't prepared properly in the new tank. Or it was the stress of finding themselves with new companions, or perhaps their immune systems were compromised at the time of the transfer.

 

[Nardpuncher]

If it were made from the fish's perspective then this could be quite an interesting TV show for at least half a season.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In the aquatic justice system, this fishbowl is represented by two separate, yet equally important groups...the fish, who swim around in it, and the human, who feeds the offenders.

 

[Nardpuncher]

Great!

But iIwas thinking more like a Fringe-type show.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

"To understand what happened in the bowl, we use Mr. itisnotlogicala. This is upsetting because he is the friendliest of posters."

 

[Nardpuncher]

"To understand what happened in the bowl, we use Mr. itisnotlogicala. This is upsetting because he is the friendliest of posters."

If this is a papaya reference that's weird because I just watched that episode last night!

 

[CaptainStoner]

What everyone else said. To do a transfer like that, I'd even use a few gallons of water straight from the old tank. You'd also have to use a piece of the old filter sponge to colonize the new one. Then of course use a conditioner on the new water.

It's also possible that you can do all that stuff and still have fish get shocked and die. There's a lot going on with water chemistry. There's also temperature. If the temp is radically off from one tank to the next that can do them in, or make them sick.
Having a good pet store with knowledgable staff is best. The petsmart near me is awful. For instance the people there don't even know a male from a female gourami and have no idea about the temperment of the species.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Was the water changed when they were moved into the new tank?

If it was it could have been a result of shock when placed in new water. If the water is too different from that in the old tank the fish don't have a chance to slowly acclimatise.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

Well, one of the comets and the last of the commoners died last night... selfish bastards

They were given time to acclimatize, but it seems that the problem was that the water wasn't oxygenated enough to support 7-10 fish in a single tank. The water's being filtered while the last of the survivors chill back in their old digs.

 

[Flashover]

You need to let water stand 24 hours so the chlorine can evaporate... before adding it to a tank.

I also pre-oxygenate my water-change water with a bubbler while it de-chlorines.


Never change more than 20% of the water in a tank per day. You really shouldn't do more than one water change per week.

...figure one to one and a half inches of fish per gallon of water and you won't go wrong. I'd go with the lower number for goldfish because they are less efficient than other fish.

Do not put a lid over the tank, and if you don't have a bubbler get one. The more you agitate the surface of the water the more gas gets exchanged and the healthier the fish will be.


Been into fish-tanking for over 25 years now, I got several large catfish in one tank, a couple HUGE angel-fish in another, a cold-water gold-fish tank and a thriving tropical community tank... four tanks totaling almost 700 gallons.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Been into fish-tanking for over 25 years now, I got several large catfish in one tank, a couple HUGE angel-fish in another, a cold-water gold-fish tank and a thriving tropical community tank... four tanks totaling almost 700 gallons.

That sounds great. I had a tropical fish tank for a few years- some Gold Barbs, Cherry Barbs, Neon Tetra, Kissing Gouramis...

 

[Gil T.Azell]

Was the water changed when they were moved into the new tank?

If it was it could have been a result of shock when placed in new water. If the water is too different from that in the old tank the fish don't have a chance to slowly acclimatise.

^ its best to sometimes leave them in the water they're used to
for ex when you bring them home in that bag put the bag in the new tank until the water temps adjust then you can set them free.

 

[Holdfast]

What happened to my sister's fish?

I'm shocked - shocked - that LaserBaba hasn't entered this thread to post a veritable bouillabaisse of fish puns yet. I can think of half a dozen usable ones off the top of my head to answer the OP.

I had a tropical fish tank for a few years- some Gold Barbs, Cherry Barbs, Neon Tetra, Kissing Gouramis...

I used to have a tropical fish tank when I was a kid, with all the ones you mentioned. Plus some Angel Fish, some kind of other gourami I can't remember, and those red-finned shark things. Was into it for a couple of years, then sort of lost interest. Still fed them, changed the water, etc, but didn't replace losses or really pay much attention to it. Over the next couple of years or so, they all eventually died, and only a single very large Angel Fish remained. It hung on for a remarkably long time (years!) before eventually dying. After that, I got rid of the tank.

Might get back into it at some point, though. It was quite a relaxing hobby in some ways, and pretty low-cost if you keep things modest.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Tanks for the memories.




You're welcome.

 

[Dale]

In the aquatic justice system, this fishbowl is represented by two separate, yet equally important groups...the fish, who swim around in it, and the human, who feeds the offenders.

BLOOP BLOOP!