MagikarpGyrados

okay so i was at walmart yesterday waiting in the car for my friend and he comes out and says '' hey i got you a fish.'' my other friend gave me a little glass bowl and i was all happy so i stuck my little blue gourami in it. i then decided he needed some friends so i bought a black mystery snail, an otocinclus, a tiger barb, and i think a mollie for some company. according to walmart a few of these are compatible but i didnt really care and hoped for the best. however i realized i have made a HUGE error. i had absolutely no clue how many specifics there were to keeping fish and i unknowingly filled up my little plastic terrarium i bought with standard gravel, three unsprouted plant bulbs, and a little cave thing. add some room temperature tap water and my fish, and voila, i fear i have just mixed the perfect recipe for disaster. i have no filter, cant afford a bigger tank, no pH reading or anything else. i figured id change the water once a week and feed once a day and id be all set. however after spending ten minutes on this site i fear i am badly badly mistaken. i kno these are my first fish so i shouldnt really get attached but i am going to feel absolutely horrible if they die. already there are some red spots on my mollie which appeared after feeding him. he stopped moving for a while and i thought he was already dead but he seems okay now i am hoping he was just adapting to the rough climate change? but anyway sorry for the huge post but i REALLY need some help and advice. is there anything i can do to save my poor fish victims? and since i am under the impression that these are mostly tropical fish do i need a heater and filter? what about lighting? PLEASE HELP!

Dozey

At this point I must suggest that you return the fish or find other homes for them VERY quickly. You need to purchase so many items and learn so much about fish keeping before you go any further.

If you have not treated the water to remove the chlorine from the tap water the fish will have very little time.

Although some may suggest daily water changes I don’t see the point if you do not have a water conditioner such as Prime or Stress Coat+.

This certainly isn’t your mistake; it is an unfortunate accident that is made time and time again by caring people that just didn’t know how to care for fish.

Peterpiper

Hi and welcome to Fishlore.
The red gills are a sign of ammonia poisoning.
Was the water treated before it was added to the bowl?
Really, You are going to lose all the fish, sorry, but with no filter that has cycled and no heater the fish dont have a chance.
Best thing to do is take them back to the shop.
Spend some time researching on this site, then set up a tank the right size for the fish you want to keep.
Dont feel to bad as a lot of new starters have the same issues.
But please return the fish.

Lucy

Hi Welcome to Fish Lore

You're not the first person to get thrown into a hobby the way you did, so don't feel bad.
You've already learned not to listen to employees who know nothing about fish.
I'm glad you're reading the forum and are realizing the commitment involved in keeping fish.
If you can't afford a larger aquarium I would suggest returning your fish as soon as possible. But like dozey said, if you didn't add water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine, cholrmines and heavy metals found in tap water, I really hate to say it, but your fish may not make it through the night.

If you decide you want to try and keep the fish here's an article to read about equipment and setting up a tank:
First Tank Set Up

In the mean time, do you have a big clean plastic storage container thats never seen soap? That'll at least give them more room and hopefully cut down on aggression.

On this page you'll see fish profiles and their requirements along with some other helpful links:
Fish Lore Links

I'm sorry to give such bad news.

Good luck

MagikarpGyrados

thanks for the advice everyone. in the future, is it possible to put a filter on the small little tank i have now? room doesnt seem to be a problem in terms of aggression they all seem to get along fine.

angelfish220

Is it a bowl or a tank. If a tank can you post dimensions? Its probably too small, maybe not now aggression wise, but there is definitely not enough swimming room for those fish. Look on craiglist or in the classifieds in your area there are usually tanks for sale cheap if you look enough.

MagikarpGyrados

yea its way too small i just realized. im just gona hafta start over and be more careful. im pretty sure walmart wont accept returns for fish lol and im pretty sure the snail is already dead so idk. but thanks again for the advice everyone

Beeker

Welcome to Fish Lore!
Glad you came here for advice.

I fell into the hobby and learned the hard way too.

What do you have left? What size tank is it? You mentioned a bowl, is it round? How many gallons?

MagikarpGyrados

its actually like a rectangular terrarium i think its called. the dimensions are a width and height of 5 inches and 8 inches long. its like a gallon and everything is still alive but the snail hasnt moved in a few hours im afraid it mite be dead and the otocinclus isnt moving much idk if its sick or not but it was fine before and it still shoots around the tank occasionally. the mollie seems to be moving fine now despite the ammonia spots but the blue gourami is starting to get territorial and chase it around. the tiger barb is the hardiest of them all its been moving constantly and eating fine. not a single problem so far. i want to get a filter but im afraid idk if it will help with a tank this small and im afriad any tablets to balance the ph and stuff will be way too strong for a tank this small. if these fish die im not gona be able to try again for a very long time because im in school rite now with no money and i wont have a job until this summer. things arent looking to good tho from what every one has been saying and i cant return them so if the filter idea is a flop im just gona hafta try to find a friend who can properly take care of them

Amanda

Is it like one of those containers to hold hermit crabs & such? Wal-Mart sells 10 gal. kits for around $30. That would really be your best bet right now.

MagikarpGyrados

yea its one of those. my snail started moving again and everyone seems okay for now but im down to a measly 8 dollars and my unsupportive mega mom refuses to lend me any of her excessive money so im stuk with this for now. my only hope is that maybe a small filter for ten bucks or sumthin will hold me over for a little longer. also idk how to feed my otocinclus he seems okay for now but im afraid theres no algae and im also afraid to contaminate the tank with vegetables because of possible bacteria growth

Dozey

IMHO I feel that you must find a new home for your fish as soon as possible. You are going to need a variety of foods, water conditioner, a filter, heater, siphon hose and much more. An $8 budget will not even get you started.

midnightwolf

you should try to find a friend who has a large tank and can take care of your fish and then when you get like a 20-30g tank you can take the fish back.

sorry about your situation

MagikarpGyrados

yea im currently trying to do that rite now. the tropical fish flakes have been feeding everyone fine so far tho with the exception of the oto and snail but they've managed so far. wuts a siphon hose for?

Dozey

A siphon hose is used for water changes. To siphon water from your tank. In your case you could likely just use a cup, but even a 10 gallon tank would require a hose and a bucket.

midnightwolf

do you live in virginia? if you do i might be able to care for some of your healthy fish

Red1313

Fish keeping on a budget, I know that feeling. However $8 is a bit tight even by most standards. Try looking around on kijiji, post an add saying that you've got some fish and found out that you're not set up to handle them, you might find someone who's got an old tank in the basement collecting dust or who would be willing to take them for you. Look around you might find a good deal, the standard price for a tank is $1 per gal.
For a cheap filter all you need is some filter media (sponge) and an airstone, hose, and pump.
However what you need most is a bigger tank. Everyone here is giving you good advice, we all started this hobby out rough don't worry. If you're serious about giving these guys a good home then it'll take a bit of creative thinking and a bit of sweat and tears.
Welcome to Fishlore,
we're here for ya

joy613

Don't take live fish back to walmart. I have a friend that works there and she says they aren't allowed to put live returns back in the tank but they do take them back and then throw them out. You might check thrift stores and craigslist for some type of tank. That is where all my bigger tanks came from.

jdhef

Isn't there a FreeCycle website? Maybe you can find a used aquarium for free there.

MagikarpGyrados

okay thanks for the help and support everyone i really appreciate it

aramsumair

if you have a proper fish store around you like petsmart or pet supermarket .. i would try them out for a return or store credit .. they follow proper quarantine procedures and do not throw away fish !