I got into this hobby accidentally. My college-aged son took an animal behavior class at school and took his trained betta fish home with him over winter break (once the fish is trained they can't use it for another class -- he didn't know its fate if he didn't take it home). He was living on my kitchen counter in a vase until I did a little research.
So, many mistakes later, I now have a 5 gallon heated, filtered, heavily planted fish tank that is cycled. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrates are zero. The ph is 6.8. The temp is 78. I do a 25% water change weekly, first sucking up any detritus on the bottom of the tank with a turkey baster. I also remove uneaten food or dead leaves from the bottom of the tank as I see them even if it's not tank-cleaning day. I condition the water added back to the tank with Prime. I even use an instant-read thermometer to check the temp of the water before putting it back in. My fish get served a wide variety of foods on a rotating basis including high quality pellets, frozen bloodworms, dried shrimp, and regular flake food.
The current stocking of my tank reflects my inexperience and the sometimes bad advice of my local fish store. I have had too many deaths due to the store recommending fish that were not appropriate for my tank or too delicate for an inexperienced fishkeeper. (I now know to read before I buy.) Currently, there is 1 extremely peaceful betta fish, 1 pygmy corydora, 2 celestial pearl danios, and 2 zebra danios. There is also a very tiny Malaysian trumpet snail that I hope is helping to churn up the substrate.
The reason I'm posting today is that I woke up to dead zebra danio this morning. The one that died was the biggest, nippiest one -- in other words, the one I'm certain was getting his dinner. When I fed yesterday, he was zipping all around the tank. I checked my water parameters again this morning and still 0-0-0.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong if I can't keep a perfectly healthy zebra danio alive. I am so frustrated and just looking for some insight.
So, many mistakes later, I now have a 5 gallon heated, filtered, heavily planted fish tank that is cycled. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrates are zero. The ph is 6.8. The temp is 78. I do a 25% water change weekly, first sucking up any detritus on the bottom of the tank with a turkey baster. I also remove uneaten food or dead leaves from the bottom of the tank as I see them even if it's not tank-cleaning day. I condition the water added back to the tank with Prime. I even use an instant-read thermometer to check the temp of the water before putting it back in. My fish get served a wide variety of foods on a rotating basis including high quality pellets, frozen bloodworms, dried shrimp, and regular flake food.
The current stocking of my tank reflects my inexperience and the sometimes bad advice of my local fish store. I have had too many deaths due to the store recommending fish that were not appropriate for my tank or too delicate for an inexperienced fishkeeper. (I now know to read before I buy.) Currently, there is 1 extremely peaceful betta fish, 1 pygmy corydora, 2 celestial pearl danios, and 2 zebra danios. There is also a very tiny Malaysian trumpet snail that I hope is helping to churn up the substrate.
The reason I'm posting today is that I woke up to dead zebra danio this morning. The one that died was the biggest, nippiest one -- in other words, the one I'm certain was getting his dinner. When I fed yesterday, he was zipping all around the tank. I checked my water parameters again this morning and still 0-0-0.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong if I can't keep a perfectly healthy zebra danio alive. I am so frustrated and just looking for some insight.
