Octopus Overlords

I know nothing about aquariums. We bought our 7yo daughter a 3 gallon aquarium for her birthday yesterday. I knew that the water needs to be room temperature, so I filled the tank up in the morning. That afternoon my daughter picked out two fish from the store. I brought them home in their water-filled bags and placed the bags in the aquarium for 20 minutes to let the temperature even out.

The fish were released into the tank after 20 minutes. Within two hours they were dead.

What did I do wrong? My thoughts:
I did not wash out the aquarium first.
I did not wash out the decorative rocks/plants that I placed in the aquarium.
I used tap water. Should this be distilled water? Does it need some sort of additive for fish?
It's possible that some of my fentanyl made its way into the water, but unlikely.

Also, the tank has a water filter on it. It sucks up water and then the tube drops the water over a charcoal filter. Doesn't the aquarium need something to aerate the water? Or does the filter aerate it as it's dropping the water (~1cm) onto the filter?

My daughter was not happy to see Goldilocks and Ribbon upside down at the bottom of the aquarium while she was eating her cake. Any advice?

McNutt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:19 am I know nothing about aquariums. We bought our 7yo daughter a 3 gallon aquarium for her birthday yesterday. I knew that the water needs to be room temperature, so I filled the tank up in the morning. That afternoon my daughter picked out two fish from the store. I brought them home in their water-filled bags and placed the bags in the aquarium for 20 minutes to let the temperature even out.

The fish were released into the tank after 20 minutes. Within two hours they were dead.

What did I do wrong? My thoughts:
I did not wash out the aquarium first.
I did not wash out the decorative rocks/plants that I placed in the aquarium.
I used tap water. Should this be distilled water? Does it need some sort of additive for fish?
It's possible that some of my fentanyl made its way into the water, but unlikely.

Also, the tank has a water filter on it. It sucks up water and then the tube drops the water over a charcoal filter. Doesn't the aquarium need something to aerate the water? Or does the filter aerate it as it's dropping the water (~1cm) onto the filter?

My daughter was not happy to see Goldilocks and Ribbon upside down at the bottom of the aquarium while she was eating her cake. Any advice?

Indeed, as this aquarium beginner's guide observes:

aquariumscience.org wrote:Level 2b, Chlorine

When starting any aquarium as a beginner there is only one well-defined rule that should never be broken:

.
If you have chlorinated water, you must use a water conditioner.

.

Chlorinated water can kill fish in minutes. So always add conditioner if you have chlorinated water. 98% of the municipal water supplies in the USA chlorinate their water.

I recommend finding a conditioner that says “sodium thiosulfate” on the label. Read the directions and then add five times the recommended level each water change. For instance, let us say I am changing the water for a 20 gallon aquarium. I recommend a 50% water change.

So one drops the level of water in the aquarium to ten gallons. Then add the amount of conditioner the label says will condition 50 gallons of water. Add the conditioner to the aquarium with the fish in it. The thiosulfate is harmless. Then add ten gallons of water warmer than 65 degrees to the ten gallons in the aquarium. Easy.

Note there is no need to buy ANY bottled product other than conditioner. Adding things like stress coat, ammonia detoxifiers, bacteria-in-a-bottle, pH buffers, Lake Salt, aquarium salt, etc., etc. ad infinitum can kill your fish faster than anything else.

So, based upon what you described, that's likely what led to Goldilocks and Ribbon's demise.

I have always been told you need to cycle a new aquarium for 2 weeks before use. Since that means waiting, as well as possibly sacrificing some innocent "starter fish", I always use bacteria in a bottle. Definitely swear by it.

Thanks, AB.

Yes, they left us too soon. I'll get some conditioner before adding the next fish.

The conditioning process is easy too. They have several products like Stress Coat that takes the chlorine out and also provides some healing additives for the fish. Works pretty much instantly.

McNutt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:37 am Thanks, AB.

Yes, they left us too soon. I'll get some conditioner before adding the next fish.

Do what you can to keep things simple and follow the rest of the advice provided on the aquarium beginner guide linked above, then hopefully you and your daughter will find the experience a wee bit easier and more rewarding going forward, and avoid the pitfalls that otherwise dissuade newcomers to the hobby.

The first few days in a new tank are brutal on the fish.

Some thoughts:
1) Tap water can have chlorine. Bad for fish. If you are using tap water (which is fine), you may have to deal with that (may just have to sit in sunlight). Once my tank was established, I did water changes with RO water, which is as pure as you’re gonna get.

2) As others have noted, you have to cycle the tank to get the bacteria level up to where it needs to be. You can do that with fish, or you can buy bacteria liquid (as noted above). The liquid bacteria avoids potentially murdering fish. I had a 30 gallon tank, and I cycled it with a small band of Serpae Tetras, that did me proud. They survived and out-lived all the other fish I ever added to the tank.

3) The smaller the tank, the harder to maintain the water. The more water you have, the more buffer you have against chemical changes that murder your aquatic friends. So if you start small, make sure you do the things you need to do to maintain the water chemistry.

4) Over time, the substrate (gravel, sand, whatever) collects lots of fish poop and detritus, and can unleash holy hell on the tank if disturbed. I made sure that when I cleaned the tank, I rotated around and only disturbed smaller sections of the substrate each time so that I wasn’t polluting the water but disturbing the entire substrate bed.

5) Small tanks have a lot less oxygen for your fish to extract. That’s why there’s usually things to do to disrupt the surface of the water (with the filter return), to get that oxygen exchange going. Fish gotta breathe.

I miss my fish tank, but just don’t have the time to tend one.

McNutt wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:19 am It's possible that some of my fentanyl made its way into the water, but unlikely.

Wait, what‽

Something that I learned from keeping pet fishes because of my daughter:

1. Bigger tank is easier. More water volume means more stable water parameters. 3 gallons is in the small side except maybe if you just want a tank for a single betta fish.
2. Aquarium filter with pump that can cycle the water volume about 5-10 times per hour. Run that for a week or so to cycle the tank before you add fishes. Tank cycling means to wait for the filter media to grow enough good bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. Ammonia is very poisonous to fishes. Fishes produce ammonia. You want to have enough bacteria to convert them to nitrate quickly so that the ammonia level is near zero. Nitrate is also poisonous but less dangerous to fishes, you get rid of those by regular water changing.
3. For tap water with chlorine, you can wait for the chlorine to be evaporate with time but for tap water that has chloramine, you need water conditioner to remove it. Easier to just use water conditioner.
4. Don't add too many fishes at the same time. Don't have more fishes than the tank and filter can handle.
5. Water plant can help keep the water healthy for fishes. Water plant will use some of the nitrate in the water and reduce the need for water change.
6. Oxygen level in water is important and one way to provide it is to have aquarium air pump or keep the water outlet from filter near the top of the surface. You don't want calm surface except for aquascape (tank that focus on plants) with co2 injection. Calm surface slow down gas exchange between the water and the air.
7. If the air temperature is too cold or fluctuate much, you may need a heater to keep the tank water temperature stable.
8. Don't keep gold fishes, they are messy.
9. Don't keep female guppies with male guppies, if you manage to keep them alive, they'll breed too fast.

Thanks for the great response.

I returned Goldilocks and Ribbon to Petco and asked them what I should do. I was told to use a specific type of conditioner and that's it. "Do I need to buy anything that introduces good bacteria?"

"No."

So I bought a betta that my daughter picked out. She named him Handsome because he's so good looking.

RIP Handsome.

This morning he too was dead. He lasted a few more hours than Goldilocks or Ribbon, but he didn't make it either.

I was speaking to a guy who had a lot of experience with aquariums and he echoed your recommendation to let the aquarium settle in for a week to make it more habitable. I'll try that and keep researching before buying another fish.

And I don't think anyone has mentioned it specifically - but fentanyl is straight out.


I'm a bit impressed you guys managed to kill a beta in just 1 night. I thought those guys could live in a half-empty beer can used as an ashtray.\


Also, I have a suggestion for the next fish's name: Terrified

You definitely need to do a little prep work with the water before adding fish...dechlorinating and taking steps to establish a water ecosystem before adding fish are crucial. Given how quickly the fish you've added have died, I would guess that chlorine is the cause (or you haven't something else nasty in your tap water). As others have said, this can be accomplished pretty easily with water additives and time...or take the chance with some inexpensive but hardy fish with the understanding that they may die during the process.

Have a look at this article about establishing the nitrogen cycle within your tank...

The Nitrogen Cycle: Simple Step By Step Guide for Beginners

Unfortunately, while a small tank may seem easier than caring for a large one, the opposite is true in some respects because the lower water volume means less of a buffer against dangerous changes in water chemistry.

One last point...when you're ready to add fish again, don't just let the temperature equilibrate then dump them in quickly. The water they've been living in and your tank are not going to be the same, so get the two temperature matched, then start by mixing some of the aquarium water into the container with the fish and waiting. Make the transition gradual to minimize shock to the fish. Some species can be very sensitive to transitions.

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:44 am Thanks for the great response.

I returned Goldilocks and Ribbon to Petco and asked them what I should do. I was told to use a specific type of conditioner and that's it. "Do I need to buy anything that introduces good bacteria?"

"No."

So I bought a betta that my daughter picked out. She named him Handsome because he's so good looking.

RIP Handsome.

This morning he too was dead. He lasted a few more hours than Goldilocks or Ribbon, but he didn't make it either.

I was speaking to a guy who had a lot of experience with aquariums and he echoed your recommendation to let the aquarium settle in for a week to make it more habitable. I'll try that and keep researching before buying another fish.

Did you treat for chlorine with the Beta? They are extremely hardy fish but chlorine will kill any fish dead in a matter of hours.

Fun fact: I successfully bred Betas once a long time ago. I had hundreds of them that made it to adulthood on one breeding. I gave a bunch away and took the rest to the pet store for them to sell.

msduncan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:54 am
Did you treat for chlorine with the Beta? They are extremely hardy fish but chlorine will kill any fish dead in a matter of hours.

Yes. I treated the tank for chlorine per the instructions on the bottle. I then placed the fish in a bag and set the bag in the water for 20 minutes. The fish was then introduced to the aquarium.

You sure those fish weren't just pining for the fjords?

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:59 am

msduncan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:54 am
Did you treat for chlorine with the Beta? They are extremely hardy fish but chlorine will kill any fish dead in a matter of hours.

Yes. I treated the tank for chlorine per the instructions on the bottle. I then placed the fish in a bag and set the bag in the water for 20 minutes. The fish was then introduced to the aquarium.

That is odd. Typically nitrates spikes take a number of days, and I've honestly never had problems with a Beta dying quickly to an uncycled tank. I wonder if the Beta was already sick when you got him?

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:44 am I was speaking to a guy who had a lot of experience with aquariums and he echoed your recommendation to let the aquarium settle in for a week to make it more habitable. I'll try that and keep researching before buying another fish.

Are you like the first house in the water distribution line?

Assuming all the materials in the tank are fish-safe (the scenery is explicitly for use in fish tanks), I guess I'm in the camp that believes the water needs to circulate for 7+ days before you introduce the next batch.

If it's only three gallons you could buy some gallon jugs of water instead of using tap water. I helped kill my entire population of Koi save one by moving a pond once and not providing any worthwhile aeration on the night of the move. So a tiny air pump with an air stone couldn't hurt.

I'm thinking I might not drink that tap water either.

McNutt wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:44 am Thanks for the great response.

I returned Goldilocks and Ribbon to Petco and asked them what I should do. I was told to use a specific type of conditioner and that's it. "Do I need to buy anything that introduces good bacteria?"

"No."

So I bought a betta that my daughter picked out. She named him Handsome because he's so good looking.

RIP Handsome.

This morning he too was dead. He lasted a few more hours than Goldilocks or Ribbon, but he didn't make it either.

I was speaking to a guy who had a lot of experience with aquariums and he echoed your recommendation to let the aquarium settle in for a week to make it more habitable. I'll try that and keep researching before buying another fish.

From the aforementioned aquarium beginner's guide:

aquariumscience.org wrote:Level 1, Keeping it VERY Simple

This chapter of this website is designed in levels of difficulty in a hierarchical numbered fashion. The first level, the VERY SIMPLEST level, is the fifteen point list below. Here is what to do if you are just beginning with aquariums:

1. Ignore the profit-driven directions that came with the aquarium.
2. Fill the tank with tap water (if you can drink it fish can live in it!).
3. Add conditioner if you have chlorine in the water (the ONLY chemical one needs).
4. Take the tank up above 70 degrees with a heater (not needed with goldfish).
5. Add one of the following cheap, low-tech, filters: in-tank cartridge filter, hang-on-back cartridge filter, sponge filter, or an under-gravel filter.
6. Add a decent-sized air pump (generally the price point just above the cheapest price point pump in the store) and an airstone.
7. Add a few small fish under three inches in length.
8. Feed nothing for three days then feed lightly once a day an amount equal to one fish eyeball (six fish = six fish eyeballs).
9. Do NOT add any plants.
10. Do NOT clean the ornaments when they get algae or vacuum the gravel.
11. Do NOT clean the filter and do not replace filter cartridges.
12. Do NOT buy a water test kit.
13. ONLY do 50% water changes every two months or so.
14. If your water turns green or gets cloudy just ignore it.
15. Gradually add more fish over several months.

That’s it! 15 points! Easy!

Also, in terms of allowing the aquarium to settle prior to adding your fish to make it more habitable, AKA 'cycling':

aquariumscience.org wrote:Level 2a, “Cycling”

“Cycling” is the term used for the conversion of toxic fish pee (ammonia) to a relatively innocuous compound called nitrate. This is done in a filter by something called “beneficial bacteria” which live in the brown gunk on the filter media.

Any aquarium works best with LOTS of “brown gunk” in the filter

It is best to feed the tank for four weeks or so as though you have some fish but without fish. This “cycles” the tank. If you have fish in the tank just feed everything VERY lightly for a few weeks. Also add some soil from a potted plant or compost from the garden store to “seed” the beneficial bacteria (“bacteria in a bottle” or so-called “instant start” products do not work, as confirmed by extensive testing).

Your water may get cloudy for a few weeks. Ignore that. It will clear in four to six weeks. DO NOT change out the cloudy water. DO NOT clean the filters or change the cartridges. The brown “gunk” which builds up in the filters is a very good material called “beneficial bacteria” and is vital to the health of the fish. Your ornaments and gravel will get brown stuff on them. That is quite normal and the best course of action is to learn to live with it. This “brown algae” is good for the fish and is an essential part of a well-functioning aquarium ecosystem.

Disclaimer: I have neither an aquarium nor a desire to have one. But curiosity got me:

14. If your water turns green or gets cloudy just ignore it.

So you should just be happy with a cube of green sludge? Isn't half of the point the visual attractiveness?

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:19 pm Disclaimer: I have neither an aquarium nor a desire to have one. But curiosity got me:

14. If your water turns green or gets cloudy just ignore it.

So you should just be happy with a cube of green sludge?

No, it simply takes time to establish the necessary ecosystem, and the water should clear after a month or so as explained in the 'cycling' section.

On a somewhat related note:

I'm currently setting up a 10 gallon nano-reef (saltwater) tank. The conditioning for this tank is next level. First I bought some pre-mixed water from Petsmart that has bacteria already in it. Then I made sure the specific gravity was right by adding some fresh water to it. Then I had sand and rocks FLOWN IN (Delta Cargo) from Tampa. They harvested these off the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico and they are loaded with bacteria, flora, and stuff necessary for cycling the tank. I will let this establish for a while before beginning to add corals. For the first week I have to do small water changes every day.

You should probably seek local hobbyist resources to see what is known about issues with your water source.

My daughter keeps asking for a fish tank. I require her to watch YouTube videos on how to start one and care for it. She's not yet done so, so no fish.

Also, anything bigger than a thumb nail is quite likely to be eaten by her mother.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 10:04 pm My daughter keeps asking for a fish tank. I require her to watch YouTube videos on how to start one and care for it. She's not yet done so, so no fish.

Also, anything bigger than a thumb nail is quite likely to be eaten by her mother.

Lol