# Fish died



## choice1992 (May 4, 2011)

Ok - 10 ga. After cycling tank we finally added a betta from a reputable local animal shop. Waited a copule of weeks. Went to a Petsmart and folks at store said we could add a few more mollies (I think they were mollies) as they grow a bit bigger. I was surprised as I had alwasy thought bettas could not be mixed wiht any ohter fish. 

We added three mollies - one was all black, one was all. I noticed one of the fish aquariums that one of the fish was pulled from had 3 dead fish. We also purchased two live plants. Next thing I know water is a bit cloudy. I didn't think was a big deal. Then our betta (my daughters' first fish) ends up dead. Daughter is devastated. Then 2 of the other mollies are dead. I am convinced at this point it is the water. But now - 4 days later - the one mollie (jet black) is still alive and well. 

What do you think? Could it be the water or could the black mollie have killed the others?


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## choice1992 (May 4, 2011)

By the way I did test for ammonia and it was negative . . .


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## Rohkey (Apr 25, 2011)

choice1992 said:


> By the way I did test for ammonia and it was negative . . .


Not sure on how your ammonia could be in the negatives (jk) but most likely one or two of the mollies were ill and gave it to the betta. The other molly very well could have avoided whatever killed the other fish, but also could mysteriously end up dead in the next day or two. Do significant water changes over the next few days and if the molly is still alive go back and buy a few more, but avoid tanks with multiple dead fish as that is a good indicator that either the water is bad or the fish themselves are not healthy.

The good thing about Petsmart is they will refund your purchase. However I feel this does not offset the higher likelihood of their fish being sick. Many of their tanks are connected and this leads to more chances for disease/parasites to infect fish and they probably get their fish from a less reputable source than a dedicated fish store who most likely care about the fish's health and are in the business because they enjoy it, not solely for profit. If you think about it, Petsmart usually has similar or even lower prices than live fish stores and they also provide refunds/exchanges for dead fish whereas most fish stores do not. Both have to be making a profit, so Petsmart has to be buying fish at a much lower cost than the LFS. Lower costs from a supplier means they are spending less money making (or in this case breeding and caring for) the product and generally equates to a lesser product (in this case, a less healthy and poorly bred fish). In the end I'd suggest avoiding chains for fish. 

I went to Petsmart for my stock and within a couple weeks almost all of the fish along with both of my frogs were dead. They discontinued frogs (I purchased the last two) because they weren't making a profit as an employee admitted to me they were having problems keeping the frogs alive and also had a lot of returns on them yet most people say the frogs are real easy to take care of and are generally hardy. I did a Google Map search for fish stores in the area and found two within 45 minutes, one I didn't like but the other one had me as soon as I walked in. All of their fish looked healthy, no dead fish in any aquarium, and 4x as many different fish species as either Petsmart or the other LFS. Purchased some fish from there and they are looking as healthy as ever, haven't had a death yet. In my opinion the longer drive and sometimes higher prices are well worth it as in the end you'll be much better off. If the store you bought the betta from doesn't have mollies, consider going to another LFS even if you might have to drive 30-45 minutes or so.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

First off, that many fish in that small of a tank was probably too much. 7 total at one point? Betta could have died from stress as well as the rest of them. Too small of a tank for a Molly. I would never put a fish in a 10g that I intended to keep. However, people do. I just don't like them. People think of them as good starter tanks, when they are really the exact opposite. Personally, I think if people are going to do it they need to stick to one species of fish and even then, the number needs to be under whatever someone might think is max, not maxed (the norm). We all want a lot of fish, but small tanks just can't support that. The majority of people with fish that have died on here, happens in small tanks.

How did you cycle the tank, by the way?


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## Rohkey (Apr 25, 2011)

Were there seven fish in there at one point? I counted four.


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## choice1992 (May 4, 2011)

Just four. They refunded my money and told me follies were not a good idea for a tank that size. they are apparently nasty in that they produce a lot of waste. Watetesyed high for nitrites.


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## Rohkey (Apr 25, 2011)

choice1992 said:


> Just four. They refunded my money and told me follies were not a good idea for a tank that size. they are apparently nasty in that they produce a lot of waste. Watetesyed high for nitrites.


I hate it when my watesyed high for nitrites! Haha..anyways that's peculiar because from my (extremely limited) experience with my tank nitrites are also 0 where as ammonia is usually present in trace amounts and nitrates are in the 20-30 range. Are you sure the tank was fully cycled before adding fish? High nitrites could indicate you were still perhaps a few days to a week away from having a fully cycled tank. Or perhaps there was a lot of waste that had to be converted and you happened to take a water sample that was in the process of being converted to nitrate. Test again tomorrow and if they are still high then either the tank isn't fully cycled or somehow the bacteria died off. 

Also by "high" what do you mean? .25-.5 isn't terrible, but over 2 ppm can be, and probably will be, fatal.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

How was the tank cycled?


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## giddetm (Apr 30, 2011)

choice1992 said:


> could the black mollie have killed the others?


Even here someone is always blaming the blacks lol*r2


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