I just felt my heart break.

So wonderful to hear! Post some video of her when you can!

 

So glad that's she's better! maybe the little nudge the boy was giving her made her fight on! And with him protecting her she wouldn't have been beat up any more!

 

That's what's so odd... She looked like she'd been beaten up, but all I have in my tank are peaceful tetras (phantoms, red eyes, and a Congo) a couple honey dwarf gouramis, a single Molly, a pleco, and an angel who wouldn't hurt anything. I wonder how she got hurt in the first place...

 

This story is amazing.

 

That's what's so odd... She looked like she'd been beaten up, but all I have in my tank are peaceful tetras (phantoms, red eyes, and a Congo) a couple honey dwarf gouramis, a single Molly, a pleco, and an angel who wouldn't hurt anything. I wonder how she got hurt in the first place...

I had a Molly that killed one of my tiger barbs. Just because they're labeled peaceful doesn't mean you won't get a bad apple.

 

I'm curious for your guys' input on this: I'm probably going to be getting a 25 gallon tank soon, and I will most likely start it with a school of danios and some small tetras.

Our girl is the only small fish in my tank, easily dwarfed by all the others. I'm certain my angelfish won't do anything to hurt her, but KaI is growing at a tremendous rate, and I want to be on the safe side. She's more timid than she was with her school originally, and she is sometimes overrun trying to get food. And, there's always the chance that she will get hurt again by whatever injured her in the current aquarium. Should I move her to the new tank when I get it up and running?

Then again, the tank will be still in the cycling process, so it might not be the most comfortable. And I'd be taking her away from her black phantom friend. It won't be as familiar to her as my 45 gallon is. Should I keep her in her current tank?

If or when I get the tank (we are at the point where it's pretty much a "when") should I move her into the new one, or keep her in the 45 where she is now? I feel torn.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to lay out the pros and cons of each side.

What do you guys think I should do?

 

If I was you I would get the new tank, cycle it and get everything up and running with a bunch if danios... Once the cycle is done I would add the small girl danio

I think she would enjoy from friends and a nice shiny new tank especially after her life or death situation

 

You can put her in a net so she can't get out unless she jumps and feed her that way. IMO I wouldn't move her within the next month unless she gets hurt again. Shes still recovering and doesn't need the added stress of being moved to a new tank.

 

I have used Melafix with labyrinth fish. The only way you can kill them is if you overdose it. None of them died so apparently it works as long as you don't overdose it.

 

I don't have the new tank yet, but I'll probably buy it and get it set up within a few weeks. I would of course wait until the tank is cycled, whatever I choose to do, seeing as what she has been through already, being a cycling fish that survived and then almost dying.

 

I have a similar plan. I am going to be getting a 55 gallon tank soon.

 

Be sure to do a fishless cycle with some pure ammonia. This way there is no chance of any fish getting hurt.

If I were you, I'd keep her in the 45 gallon for a while because it is familiar and she has a friend Once you get a school of the same species in the 25 gal, then I'd move her over to be with her own kind.

 

You can do a trial separation. Is she still bonded with the Phantom? If so, watch closely for signs if depression from either of them. It's already known you have a special pair and this kind of stuff DOES happen. Make sure neither fish suffers a broken heart. Don't worry what science and fish behavior says is best for them because they have already defied those boundaries which can and does happen all the time in the animal kingdom. I would think of them as a bonded pair at this point if they are still together.

 

Would it be possible to put the black phantoms in the new tank? I'm mot sure about their needs

 

Would it be possible to put the black phantoms in the new tank? I'm mot sure about their needs

That would have been my suggestion too.

I'm a romantic above all else, and I believe in moments like these. There are so many stories about unlikely pairings between animals and often they cannot be separated. This phantom essentially saved her life. Maybe I'm locked in a fantasy but I wouldn't want to take that away from them.

 

hI there,

i'm sorry to hear you are going through this difficult process. also very glad to hear that she is doing better.

when my mother died, her dog looked for her around the house, he was very upset, and then he suddenly died peacefully a couple of weeks later. unexpectedly, he wasn't sick, he was a young dog. my dad was DEVASTATED beyond belief, but it was so sweet on some level because the dog knew she was gone and couldn't go on without her. it sounds so cliche, but it was true. he died of a broken heart. I do firmly believe that animals can bond with other species, the same way that we can bond with animals.

i'm really hoping that things continue looking up for your fish. it must be very difficult to watch her struggle.

 

I'll try the trial separation idea, since my family doesn't want the phantoms in the new tank, and I don't want my angel to decide she's food one day. Once the new tank is established, I'll put her in the new one and watch how each behaves. I can always just put the one phantom in the new tank anyways, he doesn't really school with the others. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind one black phantom in the new tank.

 

Your family is aware of how truly special this bonding is, right? Who knows, if he really doesn't hang with the others, and is just stuck on her, you might be able to pull that off. I hope you do.

 

I've also read that black phantom males act sort of like cichlids do; they draw up territories and defend them from other males. They don't really school much. If this happens, I don't think he would miss the others or he would be missed by the others.

(By the way, one of my red honey dwarf gouramis just died in the night with no warning... What could have happened? The other one is perfectly fine...)

 

Oh, and I don't think my Molly would have done anything to her. He just sort of tries to race the current around the top and shoot any passerby humans crazy looks:


He's very weird... He also enjoys copying my gourami and going to the top to "breathe" and then coming down to blow bubbles, then chasing them and trying to eat them as my gourami looks at him like, "Dude... Don't. Just... Don't."

 

Mollies can kill other fishes. I saw it with my own eyes. Molly always acted a little weird and even would stop and stare at you. She'd swim sideways back and forth staring at me. She ripped off one of my barb's dorsal fins. The poor tiger barb died soon after.

 

Mine doesn't stare, it just looks like he's crazy because he is an albino and has big red eyes. I don't think he'd attack anyone. He stays at the top, my danio has always stayed near the bottom anyways. He's too preoccupied swimming against the current and eating bubbles to do much else. I've never seen him even pick at anyone else, he stays with my gourami and angelfish when he isn't racing the current.

 

Anyways, I've been researching fishless cycling all day today and I think that's what I'm going to do if we get the new tank. How long do you guys think that'd take with a 25 gallon if I move both of my artificial ground-covering decorations in for the cycle?

That's about how big they are, and they've been in my tank for six months.

 

Anyways, I've been researching fishless cycling all day today and I think that's what I'm going to do if we get the new tank. How long do you guys think that'd take with a 25 gallon if I move both of my artificial ground-covering decorations in for the cycle?View attachment 143245
That's about how big they are, and they've been in my tank for six months.

The decor isn't going to help you cycle imo. Finding pure ammonia is going to be the hard part. Even if the bottle says pure ammonia shack it. If it bubbles a lot and/or bubbles don't go away really fast then its a no go.

 

There's a member here who uses Dr. Tim's One and Only to fishless cycle. This is the guy who originally developed TSS and now has his own brand of bottled bacteria. This stuff is better made for fishless cycling and supposedly they include the ammonium chloride drops for dosing safely. The member who told me about it has used it many times and says it cycles her tank, fishless, in 7-8 days. I plan to use this stuff for future tanks. I think it needs to be ordered online, but you may want to check into it.

 

Mollies can kill other fishes. I saw it with my own eyes. Molly always acted a little weird and even would stop and stare at you. She'd swim sideways back and forth staring at me. She ripped off one of my barb's dorsal fins. The poor tiger barb died soon after.

It appears you have a very bad tempered molly then, because I have a lot of them and they are not aggressive at all.

Hold on, wait. How many did you have? They should be kept in a group as this one may have been lonely. It sounds as if you only had one.

 

It appears you have a very bad tempered molly then, because I have a lot of them and they are not aggressive at all.

Hold on, wait. How many did you have? They should be kept in a group as this one may have been lonely. It sounds as if you only had one.

I got all 5 from petsmart at the same time.

 

Ok. Well that is not how they usually are.

 

Ok. Well that is not how they usually are.

I know, but what I was getting at is don't assume it couldn't be a species known for being non-violent.

 

A fishless cycle is definitely the way to go. My tank only took 2-3 weeks to cycle. You can also use some established media from your 45 to jump start it.

The decorations won't help. 99% of the bacteria is in your filter, not the decorations.

 

If we get the tank, it'll probably be the same filter that I have for my 45 (it says it's max is a 60 gallon, but flow is so slow that I have a booster pump in my 45, I think it will work well for the 25 on its own) so I can just use some of the old media in the new one?

 

Yep! Used media and a fishless cycle means a happy home!!

 

How long would a fishless cycle for a 25 gallon take? I know that larger tanks take longer to cycle from experience, but I've never had a 25 before.

 

How long would a fishless cycle for a 25 gallon take? I know that larger tanks take longer to cycle from experience, but I've never had a 25 before.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it will speed up the process if you put a power head or something in the tank to move the water around, not an airstone.

Fastest way is to dose with TSS 24 hours after conditioner. Treat tank with pure ammonia @2ppm.

 

I do not think tank size impacts cycling time. How everymany ppm ammonia you have is the same no matter what the tank size (i.e. 2ppm in a 20 gallon is the same as 2ppm in a 75 gallon).

I have to disagree with delta5 when it comes to Safestart. SafeStart is designed to be used with fish, not pure ammonia. Anytime you use a product in a way it was not intended, your results become unpredictable.

But generally it takes about 6 weeks to cycle a tank unless you are using a bacteria additive like SafeStart.

 

I do not think tank size impacts cycling time. How everymany ppm ammonia you have is the same no matter what the tank size (i.e. 2ppm in a 20 gallon is the same as 2ppm in a 75 gallon).

I have to disagree with delta5 when it comes to Safestart. SafeStart is designed to be used with fish, not pure ammonia. Anytime you use a product in a way it was not intended, your results become unpredictable.

But generally it takes about 6 weeks to cycle a tank unless you are using a bacteria additive like SafeStart.

My thinking is fish in is for their waste, IE; ammonia when using TSS. I'm going to go buy a small tank, TSS, and some pure ammonia (if I can find pure ammonia). I'll run my idea and see what happens.

 

I use this bacteria additive called API StressZyme+, and on the directions it gives instructions to double the weekly dose to start up a new aquarium during cycling. I used it with my 45, and it seemed to work very well, although I was doing a fish-in cycle. Would it work with a fishless cycle as well, using pure ammonia?

 

Bad news guys; I can't find her, and I took out everything in the tank. She's gone

 

Just gone?

What's the phantom doing? Does he seem agitated at all? If she's in the tank at all, he might be able to show you where. I've read more than one case of people searching their aquarium high and low, unable to find a fish, only to have the fish pop up later for some inexplicable place. She's surprised you once, I really hope she does it again.

 

No, he doesn't seem agitated. I took everything out, searched through it, sifted through the gravel, everything. There isn't a sign of her.