Guppies

[Xsweetzrevenge]

Hi all, i bgt a few fishes today, 6 guppies and 8 tetras. I put them all into a small simple container with no filter (i prefer to change the water manually). After changing the water, i lost 1 guppy and 1 tetra. My other guppies and tetras also seem to be gasping for air.

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[simplicity]

Did u declorinate your water?

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[tetrakid]

Yes, if you didn't use aged water, it is hard for fish to survive. Fresh tap water will kill fish. Use a big bucket to keep some water for 2 days or at least overnight before using it for the fish.

Also, you need to get some plants to oxygenate the fish tank in good light during the day. Then you will only need to change about a quarter of the water every few days. Fish will be happy and healthy and the water will be very clear.

[lizhien]

Get those anti chlorine from the aquarium and follow the instructions on the bottle. Use that to treat any tap water before u add them into your fish tank.

If possible, get a simple hang on filter to keep the water clean.


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[Urban Aquaria]

Fishes gasping for air could be due to low oxygen levels or ammonia poisioning (or both). This can also occur if larger water changes are done with oxygen depleted tap water too.

You should aerate the tank water with an air stone or sponge filter to increase the oxygen content. A good quality filter will also handle the bio-load more efficiently and reduce the need to do so many frequent water changes.

If you still prefer not to use a filter and aerate the water, then you should increase the size of the tank to a much larger water volume and greatly reduce the number of fishes... a filterless tank without aeration has very low bio-load holding capacity, so it can't support as many fishes.

Alternatively, switch to fishes that can survive in oxygen depleted/stagnent water environments like bettas, as they have specially adapted labrinyth lungs which can be used to breathe by regularly taking gulps of atmospheric air from the water surface.