sandra360

Hey, I have a new 1 gal. tank & 2 neons (I used to have 3 neons, but I'm guessing one got eaten this morning).

I just looked at my tank, and one of the neons are swimming completely sideways! I don't know if it's sick or if it's just swimming that way just because.

But I'm kinda scared because I'm a beginner and I don't really know what to do, plus I'm young so that doesn't really help me since I haven't researched on the neon tetras.

So if you could help me, that would be great!

Butters76

1 Gallon, didn't think they came that small.
If you only had 3 neon tetra one has not been eaten, Neon don't eat each other. It is probably dead, but it is there somewhere.

The one swimming sideways is dying. When did you set the tank? The water is filling up with amonia, thats killing the fish. They are poisoned.
I bet you have no filtration in that "glass of water". The fish don't stand a chance I'm afraid.

Chrisson

1 gallon is way to small for a neon tetra and should be kept at least in a 10 gallon with a school of 6 or more. Your neon tetra definitely would have not been eaten and if it was they would be able to finish him in time. It seems your neon that's swimming side ways probably have a swim bladder issue, I don't know much about this disease so you may want someone else to post about it. Also do you have the necessary equipment like a filter and heater. If you have a filter what kind do you have and what is the temperature in your aquarium?

And age doesn't matter unless if your like 6 or younger, the younger you are the more space in your brain to learn new stuff quick! I myself is 12.

Lucy

Hi Sandra welcome to Fish Lore

I'm really sorry your neons aren't doing well. They're such pretty fish.

As the other posters have pointed out, neons are tropical fish and should have a heater. A 1g tank isn't really big enough to house any kind of fish.
The fish create ammonia through through wst and left over food. In a 1g this toxin can build up quickly.
Your neons should be in at least a 10g tank.
Doing research and finding out the needs of your fiah would be a good ide.
Here's some info about Neon Tetra
It would also be a good idea to learn about the nitrogen cycle.

The members have a wide range of knowledge and will be happy to help.
Good luck.

jdhef

Sandra,

Welcome to FishLore!

Sadly, like most of us here, you got off to a bad start. Ironocally,fishbowls are really much to small to keep fish in.

One of the most important things to understand, if you deciede to stick with fishkeeping and get an actual aquarium with a filter (and heater if you want to keep tropical fish), is the nitrogen cycle.

Basically, the nirtogen cycle is this:
Fish produce ammonia through their waste products and it builds up in the water.
Ammonia in the water is toxic to fish and will kill them.
Luckily, in time, a benificial bacteria will grow in your tank that will eat all the ammonia in the water, making the water safe for the fish.
Sadly, this bacteria that eats ammonia, converts the ammonia into nitrItes, which will kill your fish as it builds up in the water.
Luckily, another bacteria will develope in time that will eat all of the nitrItes, making the water safe for your fish.
Sadly, the bacteria the eats the nitrItes, coverts them into nitrAtes, which at higher levels are toxic to your fish.
So in order to lower the nitrate levels in your tank, you do partial water changes (25% to 50%) weekly.

So it goes like this: Ammonia => NitrItes => NitrAtes.

Here is a link that will explain it more fully:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

It can be confusing at first, so ask any questions you need to ask. Everyone here will be glad to help out. Believe me, we've all been through what you are going through, and it's very frustrating to find that the employees at the fish stores give out such bad information.

Good luck!

agabr123

Hi and welcome to fishlore

unfortunately, there aren't any fish are suited for a one gallon tank. can you upgrade to a 10 gallon tank with a filter and a heater? they are relatively inexpensive depending on your budget and will make your neon tetras a lot happier. if you were to do that, you could get four more neons, giving you the 6 that you want for a full school.

sandra360

Haha, I guess my 3rd fish was hiding, but it came out when I wasn't home.

and no, my mom wont let me get a 10 gallon tank.. she doesnt want it.

and yes, I have a filter.. =/

Also, eventually when I learn how to take care of the fish, I will get bigger tanks. & my fish isnt swimming sideways anymore =]

MrEMeat

That's too bad your mom won't let you get a 10 gallon. A 10 is still pretty small (you'll find that out very soon when you start wanting more and different fish!). The bigger the tank the more stable the water and the happier the fish.

You should tell your mom that it will be easier (and less traumatic) to learn how to care for fish if she lets you have a bigger tank!

Chrisson

wow must be a very good hider to be able to hide in a 1 gallon! Oh and I just learned something. A fish stays perpendicular by to signals, the gravity and the direction of the light. If the light was shining on the side of the aquarium then it make the fish confused and swim slanted or sideways. Was your light every entering through the side of the aquarium?

Also the best way to get a bigger tank is to give cons of a 1 gallon and a pros of a 10gallon that will convince your mom to let you buy a bigger tank. I was almost to a point where I almost had to use a flower vase but ended up with a 10 gallon by giving constant facts to them. If money is the problem check craigslist. 10 gallons are very cheap there, I even found one thats $30 dollars with everything you need and small goldfish.

MrEMeat

I was just in the walmart in my town today and they had a 10 gallon with filter on for 35.00. I imagine in the US it'd be even cheaper. The Aqua Tech filters that they come with are not too bad; I'm running two of them on my fry tank.

agabr123

do you have any other pets? if not you can explain to your mother that since you'd like to keep other pets some day (hopefully that's true...lol) that fish would be a good way to learn responsibility or something like that. 10 gallons are really fairly inexpensive, you should be able to get an entire set up with a filter, heater, hood, lights, and tank for somewhere in the vicinity of $50 depending on where you look.

Lucy

Unfortunatly, this very well might back fire on you.

I am a parent...and for the sake of the discussion, let's pretend I know absolutely nothing about fish.

If these fish don't survive, I could see myself saying to my kid. Why spend all that money on a bigger tank when you couldn't take care of a small tank.

Now back to what I do know.......Since a 1g is not suited for this type of fish (or any fish IMO) it's going to be very hard if not impossible to take proper care of these fish no matter what you do.
They will have better chance of survival and you'll have a better chance of success with at least a 10g vs 1g for the following reasons:
1) Easier to maintain proper temp.
2) Easier to maintain water quality
4) Neons have more room and might be less likely to nip.
5) You'll have room to add a couple more which should make them feel more comfortable and might make them less nippy.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and search for used tanks on Craig's List in your area. Be wary though, I've found 10g's are way over priced on CL when you can get a new set up at walmart for less and just add a heater.

Good luck

sandra360

Yes, I have other pets, 2 dogs.
-
my mom has had a 10 gal before (she claims), and she says its difficult to take care of.
-
also, everytime i come home from school, one of my fish keep dissappearing out of nowhere then coming back a few hours later. if it's hiding, where is it? =/

MrEMeat

You should tell her to read this thread!

My 10 gallons require a lot more maintenance than my 29. I'd hate to have to do water changes on a tiny one gallon every day. Not to mention I'd hate to stress out my fish like that...

cmoreland

Your Mom is right, they are difficult to take care of, but the difficulty in keeping fish alive and water conditions healthy is very much more difficult in anything smaller than a 10gallon.

You'll find you'll probably want a bigger tank anyway

sandra360

omg guess what...?!?

2 of my tetras died. and i have one left!
and i'm guessing that the last one is gonna die since it's by itself.

but then, i sorta expected it since the tank was new &
the tank doesnt have all the bacteria that it needs.

anyways, my last fish is swimming by itself, and i just know it's gonna die in a few days.

Azerbaijan

Oh no! I would buy more and see what happens. Do you have water treatment?... I also add aquarium salts..... I had the same thing happen with guppies for me! but after the initial new start things became more bio-ready for fish

agabr123

im sorry you lost them

Jess

Sandra360, possibly your mom still has that 10 gal? Your neon would love it with a few friends to keep her company. Just so you know Neons don't need salt in their water, but do need it filtered as you know and also heated. Hope you continue fish keeping.
Jess

Nate McFin

I would not get any more at this point. What would the OP gain from that?

Chrisson

I would return the neon or keep it till it dies then get a betta. 1 gallon may not be enough for a betta but it's better.

And from my experience so far 10 gallon is really easy but I researched for about a month before I got anything for the tank and I studied about fish when I was 6 but never was able to get one.

I'm also thinking does your aquarium have a underground filter? They may be able to slip passed it and hide under it.

sandra360

so what do i do now? get my new fish or let my tank keep running?

&update: the last tetra died about a day after the other 2 did.. (again, i was expecting that.)

oh &yes, i do have an underground filter.

one more question, sorry : all 3 of my fish were dead under this castle decoration in my tank.. how did they get under there? ideas?

maybe a betta is a good idea! *short story*i was at my dad's and me&my brother were trying to clean the male's betta vase and the fish went down the sink.. so we had to get a new one in december. currently, my dad had 2 bettas; the female is in an unfiltered, 1 gal. tank thing (it sorta looks like something you would keep small live animals in) and the male is in a roundish glass vase type thing (less than 1 gallon!). They've been alive since december.

Sharkitty

Hi Sandra,

I really don't think you should get anymore fish unless your parents are fully on board. Many people (particularly adults, I think) do not really appreciate the value of animal life - particularly anything smaller than a dog or cat - and will simply not be able to commit with you to the project.

A fish should never simply go down the sink - the sink should have been plugged *because* there was about to be a fish over it. I know you are young, which is why your parents need to be invested in order to think of things.

If you are fully committed to doing the right thing by any future fish, or your current bettas at your dad's house, is it possible to do chores around the house, or yard work, in order to get a little extra money to fund your fish adventures?

I don't want you to feel picked on, I would just hate for you to lose any more fish. I'm in the "cat business" and know that even with creatures that large there are people who simply do not understand their value, and I fear that if your parents don't understand the value of your fish you will not meet this adventure with success.

-K

Drew 43920

Sandra:
OK. You lost a couple of fish. That has happened to all of us. Now you have learn something about fish keeping.
I do not think a 1 gallon tank in big enough for any fish. But it is big enough for a couple of Ghost Shrimp. They are cheap (25 cents each) and interesting. Get 3 or 4 of them and learn how to keep them alive.
Save your pennies, study fish keeping and someday if you like it buy a bigger tank.
I am wondering what kind of 1 gallon tank has an underground filter ?
Can you tell me who made the tank and filter and where you got them ? Does it have a heater ? A light ? Do you do water changes ? Do you use a water conditioner ?
If you take care of the water the fish are usually OK.
I hope to hear from you.
Drew

iseefish

so sad!! WAOW!! the last man standing !! lol.. not funny but true!! all you need is to cycle
cycle first and then add the fish it is better and they last longer,
i 've leart the hard way trust me,,

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm