Help i don’t know how to take care of this fish

[balddogtwoleg]

Tldr- i saved a feeder fish from certain death and now i don’t know how to take care of him.

Four months ago, i went to my boyfriends house (he lives with his kid sister), and she had 6 minnows in a tupperware that also had a bunch of pieces of chicken and other foods that was in there for some reason. she said she was going to feed them to her cat. i thought this was unnecessarily brutal, so i bought the fish off her so they wouldn’t die horrible deaths. i wanted to just put them in a bowl and feed them and clean their water sometimes because i knew they would probably die within the week, and they did, except for one. Michael the minnow has lived for four months and has tripled in size, and i recently was able to get a job again so i bought him a tank, filter, and some decorations, but what else should i do? i’m unreasonably attached to him now. i also think he has Lymphocystis, can anyone confirm? sorry for the bad picture quality he is very fast

 

[Broggy]

welcome to fishlore.

what symptoms does it have? if it has lived for 4 months like this already, its probably pretty healthy. glad he got a tank and filter! but I see that you dont know about the nitrogen cycle, how big is the tank?

 

[balddogtwoleg]

welcome to fishlore.

what symptoms does it have? if it has lived for 4 months like this already, its probably pretty healthy. glad he got a tank and filter! but I see that you dont know about the nitrogen cycle, how big is the tank?

i read the article about it in the registration already, but it’s still a bit confusing. the article also only references tropical fish, i’m wondering if the wording is just because or if it only happens with tropical species. Michael seems healthy besides two tan pustules, one outside and the other inside his body. he also likes looking at his reflection a lot. the tank is 7 gallons. i was also wondering if he would be happier with a couple friends, since minnows are school fish? but i don’t want him to give them a disease if he has it

welcome to fishlore.

what symptoms does it have? if it has lived for 4 months like this already, its probably pretty healthy. glad he got a tank and filter! but I see that you dont know about the nitrogen cycle, how big is the tank?

his water was changed 20+ times without proper water treatment, and he was always fine. i did make sure to make sure the temperature was alright as to not shock him. i’m not a fish guy; i’m a bug guy if you can tell

 

[jtjgg]

looks like a fathead minnow. he would do better with a couple other minnows. but with the 2 unknown bumps (contagious or not) it is a risk. they generally only live 2-3 years though.

 

[balddogtwoleg]

looks like a fathead minnow. he would do better with a couple other minnows. but with the 2 unknown bumps (contagious or not) it is a risk. they generally only live 2-3 years though.

i’m prettty sure it’s it’s lymphocystis, because that’s caused by stress and he’s been through a lot, it’s also very common.

 

[Sofiafish17]

The Nitrogen cycle happens in EVERY single fish tank of any kind, and understanding it is absolutely crucial to keeping fish and aquatic animals. Please read up, I can’t stress how important it is! And definitely ask lots of questions you have, the people on here are happy to help! And everyone here with experience has at least a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle so almost anyone on here can help you.

 

[balddogtwoleg]

The Nitrogen cycle happens in EVERY single fish tank of any kind, and understanding it is absolutely crucial to keeping fish and aquatic animals. Please read up, I can’t stress how important it is! And definitely ask lots of questions you have, the people on here are happy to help! And everyone here with experience has at least a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle so almost anyone on here can help you.

what do i do about his tank? will he die? i don’t have anywhere else to put him

 

[flopperfrog]

what do i do about his tank? will he die? i don’t have anywhere else to put him

since its been 4 months and hes not dead, its likley that the bacterias that eats ammonia released by rotting things like excess fish food and fish poop and converts it to nitrite, then to nitrate which is much less toxic then the other two substances, has built up enough to process the waste produced by your fish. you dont have to move him anywhere. get a test kit and measure the parameters. the main big ones are nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and ph. get kh and gh if you can (they are the measure of mineral content in the water)

nitrite and ammonia should be zero, and nitrate is good at 0-like 30, ive heard some say under 20 or under 15 tho

 

[balddogtwoleg]

since its been 4 months and hes not dead, its likley that the bacterias that eats ammonia released by rotting things like excess fish food and fish poop and converts it to nitrite, then to nitrate which is much less toxic then the other two substances, has built up enough to process the waste produced by your fish. you dont have to move him anywhere. get a test kit and measure the parameters. the main big ones are nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and ph. get kh and gh if you can (they are the measure of mineral content in the water)

nitrite and ammonia should be zero, and nitrate is good at 0-like 30, ive heard some say under 20 or under 15 tho

if i ordered the test kit off amazon would it come in time? is there anything i need to do while i wait for it to come?

 

[Sofiafish17]

Oh you don’t need it right this second, waiting a few days would be more than fine. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you like that! The test kit is really only used regularly while cycling a tank. That means feeding and growing the good bacteria before you add fish so it is already there to break down all the toxins before you put the fish in. The cycle will happen on its own with the fish, but doing it first is best and safer and saves the fish from a lot of stress. I really only test my water when I think something might be going wrong now since my tank has been going and healthy for so long. You will just want to check it to make sure the cycle has happened and there is enough bacteria, and not too much waste. 7 gallons for that little guy will be just fine I think, especially considering he has lived his life cramped up, feeders are generally treated horribly by breeders and pet stores cramped into super full tanks with sick and dead fish. Generally the only continuous work for keeping healthy water is having a filter and water changes. A general and probably most common practice is to do one water change a week, or about 25% of the tank water. You can get a gravel vacuum to suck up any poo on top of the gravel too. That is basically just a tube to use as a siphon that has a bigger opening on one end. Starting a siphon is a bit tough at first, some people just suck on the bottom of the tube to get the water started and then take their mouth off really quick. A siphon works when one end of a tube is submerged in water and higher than the other, and physics keeps the water running through it. But it just needs to be started. This thread talks about how to start one without the chance of getting fish water in your mouth. How to start syphon without sucking | Freshwater Tank Equipment Forum | 466539 For a test kit liquid tests are more accurate than the strips. Most people on here use the API freshwater master test kit and that is the one I recommend too. I’ll put a link to it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWAT...r+test+kit&qid=1623875547&sprefix=api+&sr=8-3 I know it looks expensive but it has over 800 tests worth of testing solution. And also, you said you don’t treat your water, well you really need too. Tap water actually has tiny amounts of chlorine and chloramine in it that we can’t detect, but over time can really harm fish. The best and most popular water conditioner is Seachem Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Prim...873&sprefix=seachem+prime+3&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1
Just get the 1.7 fl oz. bottle, with a 7 gal tank it will last forever. It comes with a dropper top on the bottle and 2 drops treats one gallon of water. Okay that’s about everything from the top of my head, if I missed anything I or others can add it.

 

[balddogtwoleg]

Oh you don’t need it right this second, waiting a few days would be more than fine. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you like that! The test kit is really only used regularly while cycling a tank. That means feeding and growing the good bacteria before you add fish so it is already there to break down all the toxins before you put the fish in. The cycle will happen on its own with the fish, but doing it first is best and safer and saves the fish from a lot of stress. I really only test my water when I think something might be going wrong now since my tank has been going and healthy for so long. You will just want to check it to make sure the cycle has happened and there is enough bacteria, and not too much waste. 7 gallons for that little guy will be just fine I think, especially considering he has lived his life cramped up, feeders are generally treated horribly by breeders and pet stores cramped into super full tanks with sick and dead fish. Generally the only continuous work for keeping healthy water is having a filter and water changes. A general and probably most common practice is to do one water change a week, or about 25% of the tank water. You can get a gravel vacuum to suck up any poo on top of the gravel too. That is basically just a tube to use as a siphon that has a bigger opening on one end. Starting a siphon is a bit tough at first, some people just suck on the bottom of the tube to get the water started and then take their mouth off really quick. A siphon works when one end of a tube is submerged in water and higher than the other, and physics keeps the water running through it. But it just needs to be started. This thread talks about how to start one without the chance of getting fish water in your mouth. How to start syphon without sucking | Freshwater Tank Equipment Forum | 466539 For a test kit liquid tests are more accurate than the strips. Most people on here use the API freshwater master test kit and that is the one I recommend too. I’ll put a link to it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWAT...r+test+kit&qid=1623875547&sprefix=api+&sr=8-3 I know it looks expensive but it has over 800 tests worth of testing solution. And also, you said you don’t treat your water, well you really need too. Tap water actually has tiny amounts of chlorine and chloramine in it that we can’t detect, but over time can really harm fish. The best and most popular water conditioner is Seachem Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Prime-Fresh-Saltwater-Conditioner/dp/B0002A5WPQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=seachem+prime+3.4+oz&qid=1623875873&sprefix=seachem+prime+3&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1
Just get the 1.7 fl oz. bottle, with a 7 gal tank it will last forever. It comes with a dropper top on the bottle and 2 drops treats one gallon of water. Okay that’s about everything from the top of my head, if I missed anything I or others can add it.

thank you! i forgot about how i treated my water with aqueon water conditioner, i hope it’s the same thing just a different brand. It’s very sad how feeder fish are treated, or any fish at pet stores. if i ever get friends for michael i’ll make sure not to source them from a pet store. the one other thing i’m wondering is if i should get him friends, would they gang up on him because he’s from outside their circle? also i heard that minnows like to be in mated pairs, and i have no idea whether michael is male or female. i also fear that all of michaels friends may have died because he murdered them, do minnows do that?

 

[balddogtwoleg]

Oh you don’t need it right this second, waiting a few days would be more than fine. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you like that! The test kit is really only used regularly while cycling a tank. That means feeding and growing the good bacteria before you add fish so it is already there to break down all the toxins before you put the fish in. The cycle will happen on its own with the fish, but doing it first is best and safer and saves the fish from a lot of stress. I really only test my water when I think something might be going wrong now since my tank has been going and healthy for so long. You will just want to check it to make sure the cycle has happened and there is enough bacteria, and not too much waste. 7 gallons for that little guy will be just fine I think, especially considering he has lived his life cramped up, feeders are generally treated horribly by breeders and pet stores cramped into super full tanks with sick and dead fish. Generally the only continuous work for keeping healthy water is having a filter and water changes. A general and probably most common practice is to do one water change a week, or about 25% of the tank water. You can get a gravel vacuum to suck up any poo on top of the gravel too. That is basically just a tube to use as a siphon that has a bigger opening on one end. Starting a siphon is a bit tough at first, some people just suck on the bottom of the tube to get the water started and then take their mouth off really quick. A siphon works when one end of a tube is submerged in water and higher than the other, and physics keeps the water running through it. But it just needs to be started. This thread talks about how to start one without the chance of getting fish water in your mouth. How to start syphon without sucking | Freshwater Tank Equipment Forum | 466539 For a test kit liquid tests are more accurate than the strips. Most people on here use the API freshwater master test kit and that is the one I recommend too. I’ll put a link to it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWAT...r+test+kit&qid=1623875547&sprefix=api+&sr=8-3 I know it looks expensive but it has over 800 tests worth of testing solution. And also, you said you don’t treat your water, well you really need too. Tap water actually has tiny amounts of chlorine and chloramine in it that we can’t detect, but over time can really harm fish. The best and most popular water conditioner is Seachem Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Prime-Fresh-Saltwater-Conditioner/dp/B0002A5WPQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=seachem+prime+3.4+oz&qid=1623875873&sprefix=seachem+prime+3&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1
Just get the 1.7 fl oz. bottle, with a 7 gal tank it will last forever. It comes with a dropper top on the bottle and 2 drops treats one gallon of water. Okay that’s about everything from the top of my head, if I missed anything I or others can add it.

michael is n

Oh you don’t need it right this second, waiting a few days would be more than fine. Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you like that! The test kit is really only used regularly while cycling a tank. That means feeding and growing the good bacteria before you add fish so it is already there to break down all the toxins before you put the fish in. The cycle will happen on its own with the fish, but doing it first is best and safer and saves the fish from a lot of stress. I really only test my water when I think something might be going wrong now since my tank has been going and healthy for so long. You will just want to check it to make sure the cycle has happened and there is enough bacteria, and not too much waste. 7 gallons for that little guy will be just fine I think, especially considering he has lived his life cramped up, feeders are generally treated horribly by breeders and pet stores cramped into super full tanks with sick and dead fish. Generally the only continuous work for keeping healthy water is having a filter and water changes. A general and probably most common practice is to do one water change a week, or about 25% of the tank water. You can get a gravel vacuum to suck up any poo on top of the gravel too. That is basically just a tube to use as a siphon that has a bigger opening on one end. Starting a siphon is a bit tough at first, some people just suck on the bottom of the tube to get the water started and then take their mouth off really quick. A siphon works when one end of a tube is submerged in water and higher than the other, and physics keeps the water running through it. But it just needs to be started. This thread talks about how to start one without the chance of getting fish water in your mouth. How to start syphon without sucking | Freshwater Tank Equipment Forum | 466539 For a test kit liquid tests are more accurate than the strips. Most people on here use the API freshwater master test kit and that is the one I recommend too. I’ll put a link to it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWAT...r+test+kit&qid=1623875547&sprefix=api+&sr=8-3 I know it looks expensive but it has over 800 tests worth of testing solution. And also, you said you don’t treat your water, well you really need too. Tap water actually has tiny amounts of chlorine and chloramine in it that we can’t detect, but over time can really harm fish. The best and most popular water conditioner is Seachem Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Prime-Fresh-Saltwater-Conditioner/dp/B0002A5WPQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=seachem+prime+3.4+oz&qid=1623875873&sprefix=seachem+prime+3&sr=8-2&th=1&psc=1
Just get the 1.7 fl oz. bottle, with a 7 gal tank it will last forever. It comes with a dropper top on the bottle and 2 drops treats one gallon of water. Okay that’s about everything from the top of my head, if I missed anything I or others can add it.

uh oh, michael now refuses to go to the top of the tank. he’s swimming just fine, i don’t know if he’s looking for food in the rocks or what, but he’s not going to the surface where the food is. he keeps swimming to like medium height for a second and then going back down, is this a swim bladder problem or is he just an idiot

 

[Sofiafish17]

The others wouldn’t gang up in him, they would just all loosely school together. I’m pretty sure minnows don’t really care about being in mated pairs, that seems to be mostly with larger fish and cichlids. Michael the minnow wouldn’t have killed the others, you said you found them in a container of water with chicken which is terrible water conditions. Fish immune systems get weaker with stress, and stress is commonly caused by water quality issues. I’m sure the others had just gone through so much they were too weak to keep going. I don’t think the swimming height is a swim bladder thing. Swim bladder usually appears with bloating, not always but usually. If he is swimming fine but just not going all the way to the top I think that is just preference. Fish can be weird with what they do. If this keeps going for a few days and he is not eating then it might be something to worry about. Just keeping watching him like normal. Also, do you feed him at about the same time every day? I do for my fish and if I try to feed them like an hour earlier than normal they won’t eat. You don’t have to feed them on a schedule it’s completely fine if you don’t, but that’s just what mine are used to. If maybe you fed him at a different time that could be it. I think he’s fine though.

 

[balddogtwoleg]

The others wouldn’t gang up in him, they would just all loosely school together. I’m pretty sure minnows don’t really care about being in mated pairs, that seems to be mostly with larger fish and cichlids. Michael the minnow wouldn’t have killed the others, you said you found them in a container of water with chicken which is terrible water conditions. Fish immune systems get weaker with stress, and stress is commonly caused by water quality issues. I’m sure the others had just gone through so much they were too weak to keep going. I don’t think the swimming height is a swim bladder thing. Swim bladder usually appears with bloating, not always but usually. If he is swimming fine but just not going all the way to the top I think that is just preference. Fish can be weird with what they do. If this keeps going for a few days and he is not eating then it might be something to worry about. Just keeping watching him like normal. Also, do you feed him at about the same time every day? I do for my fish and if I try to feed them like an hour earlier than normal they won’t eat. You don’t have to feed them on a schedule it’s completely fine if you don’t, but that’s just what mine are used to. If maybe you fed him at a different time that could be it. I think he’s fine though.

i feed him at 11:00 every day. upon further inspection it seems like he’s just trying to find food in the rocks. some of his friends tails became paralyzed before the died, so i was worried the same thing would happen to him, but he seems fine. thanks for your help