# The Perils of Trying to Save Fish



## General Brock (Mar 21, 2010)

It seems that sometimes when you want to save fish, it doesn't quite work out for you. I had the chance to rescue 10 Gambusia (Mosquitofish) from an unfiltered 5 gallon and moved them into a cycled 15 gallon with no other inhabitants. Over the past 3 days, I've lost 7 of the 10 fish and the last 3 look like they're on the way out. It seems that they were a lot happier in their filthy little 5 gallon home.

Anyone had any similar experiences to this?


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## WiyRay (Jan 11, 2009)

It is probably due to some sort of shock from switching between drastic environments. I've had it happen before too when doing a huge water change for a tank that wasn't touched for a loooooong time.

Did you use the drip method when transferring them? Something like that might have helped. *Shrugs* I'm not really sure. Just a thought.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

General Brock said:


> It seems that sometimes when you want to save fish, it doesn't quite work out for you. I had the chance to rescue 10 Gambusia (Mosquitofish) from an unfiltered 5 gallon and moved them into a cycled 15 gallon with no other inhabitants. Over the past 3 days, I've lost 7 of the 10 fish and the last 3 look like they're on the way out. It seems that they were a lot happier in their filthy little 5 gallon home.
> 
> Anyone had any similar experiences to this?


I wonder if this would have worked...remove 5gal of water from your 15gal and dump the 5gal into your 15gal...this might help reduce stress due to environment change. When I move fishy around I always move 50% of the water to the new tank and it seem to help.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

this happened with my aunts goldfish. She had two in a med critter keeper and the fish had been the size of tennis balls. (minus the fins) O_O

They also had a giant apple snail not much smaller than the fish....

I finally got them to get at least a bigger tank but they would only go for a 10 gallon. One died... but the other just passed away last month. I think they had them for four years. 

Friggin blows my mind.. lol


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

There's a couple of things happening here. A really neglected, overstocked aquarium will develop a high level of hardness and salts if the owner has added water rather than changing it. It will also have a low pH and a high level of ammonium ion, the relatively non-toxic form of ammonia that predominates at low pH.

When you move fish from this environment into clean water, the difference in osmotic pressure (TDS or conductivity) can really damage their gills. If you try to clean up the water in the old tank, or if you add some clean water to a bag of fish in this old water, the ammonia level will skyrocket as the pH comes up, also damaging the gills, as well as poisoning the fish in general.

The best way to deal with this situation is to use a lot of ammonia-absorbing water conditioner to suck up the ammonia, and change the dirty water for fresh gradually, over a period of hours, at least, or even days.

The old time fishkeepers made a real fetish over the virtues of "old water", which they carefully conserved. They had discovered that even small water changes killed their fish, so avoided them as much as possible, very much a vicious cycle.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

bae,

I agree 100% with what you said. Consistence in this hobby is one of the keys.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

My friend had about 300 of the expensive mosquitos (the ones that are like $3 each) in a 20G. He also neg-kept-ed it. When he moved I told him to let me do the acclimation because the water was very salty and high in nitrate and he got mad at me to the tune of 'you dont think I know what I'm doing'? I thought no but said nothing. He'd never done a W/C, just top offs, for six months.

He ended up with about eight...


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## General Brock (Mar 21, 2010)

Bae,

I had never even thought that the ammonia would become an issue like that. You're right that they had very likely never had a water change, and when I started adding fresh water it probably did skyrocket. Since they were moving to a freshly cycled aquarium, I didn't think to check the levels in their water as I added the fresh water.

I have always had an interest in having North American fish in my aquarium, that's why I "rescued" the mosquito fish. Not the greatest start.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

General Brock said:


> Bae,
> 
> I had never even thought that the ammonia would become an issue like that. You're right that they had very likely never had a water change, and when I started adding fresh water it probably did skyrocket. Since they were moving to a freshly cycled aquarium, I didn't think to check the levels in their water as I added the fresh water.
> 
> I have always had an interest in having North American fish in my aquarium, that's why I "rescued" the mosquito fish. Not the greatest start.


Ever kept american flag fish? They're pretty hilarious.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> Ever kept american flag fish? They're pretty hilarious.


I just picked up a dozen at the Hamilton auction. I was actually not interested in them I was just trying to get the bidding started 

I got them home and then the shenanigans began. I am now very interested in this unassuming fish 

More than 20 years in the hobby and still pleasantly surprised.


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## General Brock (Mar 21, 2010)

I just looked up those Flag Fish, and they look pretty interesting. Have you ever seen these in a LFS?


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Flag fish males can be pretty aggressive little guys. 

They have two modes of spawning in nature. In swampy water, they will lay their eggs in floating plants near the surface and abandon them, like so many other killifish. In clean water, the males will make a nest on the bottom, get females to spawn in it, then drive them away. They can be very fierce in defending the nest and driving away the females, to the point of killing not only the females but other fish in a small tank.

Some years ago someone in the Niagara reported that they put a few pairs in their pond in early summer and had hundreds of them by fall. Ever since I've wanted to see how they'd do in a heavily planted barrel.

These fish are more vegetarian than most killies, more like their closer relatives, the pupfish. So be sure they get a diet high in veggies. They love algae and some people keep them for algae control in planted tanks. They are reputed to eat hair algae and other difficult-to-control kinds.

If you decide to part with some of them, let me know.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

General Brock said:


> I just looked up those Flag Fish, and they look pretty interesting. Have you ever seen these in a LFS?


Constalntly. I think they're so unassuming you take them for a platy on a bad day and dont notice.










Their personality is really hilarious. It's a shoot first ask questions later fish. I'm sure if you just call around to fish stores you'll find them, or at least someone who will order them.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

loved those fish... I agree muchly with Bae, can be -very- protective when keeping a nest. lol

Its really fun to watch the male tend to the nest as well with his little rounded fins. He fans them and keeps them nice and clean.  Females can be naughty to each other from time to time too.


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

General Brock said:


> I just looked up those Flag Fish, and they look pretty interesting. Have you ever seen these in a LFS?


BA in Newmarket has them on sale 2 for $1.99


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

dl88dl said:


> BA in Newmarket has them on sale 2 for $1.99


Makes you wonder how much they bring them in for... 25 cents maybe


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

AquariAM said:


> Makes you wonder how much they bring them in for... 25 cents maybe


Some time when the fishy are on sale t BA they don't make much or even sell them at cost to get you in and hopefully you buy other stuffs.


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## General Brock (Mar 21, 2010)

I'll be out Newmarket way tomorrow. I might stop by at BA's and see what these flag fish look like. I wonder how many more aquariums I can add for aggressive fish, before I get an aggressive girlfriend. lol


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