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Original poster

Tropical fish disaster

66 replies

darlingsweetpea · 30/12/2023 22:29

Just before Christmas I brought a tropical fish tank and on Boxing day added 6 Harlequin fish. They have all died.

Everything is from pets at home and I have followed to the letter all their instructions. They have since contradicted themselves as the person I spoke to today said we should only have been sold 2.

I had the water tested this morning at the store and it was all fine.

My aibu is...I want to return everything and receive a full refund about £150. I'm cross as I have followed everything and achieved nothing but I'm not sure if this is realistic.

Thanks

OP posts:
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user1473878824 · 01/01/2024 20:28

FISH NET!

IGotItFromAgnes · 01/01/2024 16:55

There’s a fish forum on MN (a bit hidden away). You might get useful advice there in the future if your fish survive,

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/fishnet

Scalottia · 01/01/2024 16:48

Good lord OP why did you buy more?

Poor fish.

benjaminny · 01/01/2024 16:33

Quite honestly, fish are a pain OP.

You can ask on fishkeeping forums but if you follow their advice you will end up with a tank half the size of your living room and a humungous bill for all sorts of kit.

My advice: a large coldwater tank with 6 white cloud mountain minnows. Easy, hardy, pretty fish. Add colour with plants and stones.

Anything more complicated will cost you in time and money (or lots of dead fish).

U2HasTheEdge · 01/01/2024 16:28

This is why you do not buy fish until you have researched and know what you are doing.

Why have you added more fish to an un-cycled tank? This is not the recommended way, and especially not for someone who is new to fish keeping. You are likely to lose these fish, too.

As for Platy fry- I currently have a tank full of the bloody things. Incredibly cute, but I do need to give some away and very soon.

mogsrus · 01/01/2024 16:27

Fresh tanks need a good 2 weeks settling in with out fish just turning the water over with the filter unit. PAH will no way refund you as the onus is entirely your fault. Just for information, it’s 1inch of fish per gallon.

Snugglemonkey · 01/01/2024 16:22

darlingsweetpea · 30/12/2023 22:44

Thanks for the reply, my question isn't about the fish it's about the refund. Is it acceptable for me to ask for a full refund based on the wrong info provided as quiet frankly I don't want to deal with any more fish related stuff.

No, I do not think it is. Realistically, you got pets without properly educating yourself about their care. You should never just rely on someone in pets at home. Your pets are your responsibility. You cannot be arsed with fish clearly. That is not the fault of a shop.

AlwaysGinPlease · 01/01/2024 16:02

darlingsweetpea · 31/12/2023 20:07

I've chosen 3 females for this reason. I do appreciate they may already be carrying babies, so we will cross that bridge when we get to it!

Vile.

Hankunamatata · 01/01/2024 13:16

I found best advice from independent retailer. Much more knowledgeable

Freshair1 · 01/01/2024 13:13

darlingsweetpea · 31/12/2023 20:07

I've chosen 3 females for this reason. I do appreciate they may already be carrying babies, so we will cross that bridge when we get to it!

You're joking. Right?

Morechocmorechoc · 01/01/2024 09:58

Wow I can't believe you bought more, you still didn't research as you haven't cycled your tank. When they die please don't torture any more fish.

AndSoFinally · 31/12/2023 23:32

OP, buy some Seachem Prime and add it every 48 hours, or some API Quick Start and add it weekly. Do this ASAP. Depending on how big your tank is, even just 3 fish can produce an ammonia spike big enough to kill them if the biological filter isn't established (which yours isn't)

Fish-in cycles are easy enough but you do have to use the right additives at the right intervals, as above

AlwaysGinPlease · 31/12/2023 22:00

SpecialCharacters · 31/12/2023 19:48

You’re putting more fish into an uncycled tank, after several just died in it?

This. You shouldn't have any pets. Try plants.

GuessItsANameChange · 31/12/2023 21:48

These fish will probably die very quickly, too - you’ve put them into an aquarium without cycling it. It’s very likely that is what killed your first set of fish and now you’ve plunged more straight into the tank.

If they do survive then yes, you will likely end up with babies soon, as some or all are likely to be pregnant. You’ll need to try and keep the tank as bare as possible so that the babies get eaten.

Tygertiger · 31/12/2023 20:10

They will absolutely be pregnant already. Look for a dark spot under their abdomens - it’s called the gravid spot. They get pregnant very soon after birth and they store sperm, so females basically just give birth forever. You should have picked three males if you don’t want overcrowding! Easy to sex them as they have slimmer bodies and pointed anal fins rather than rounded ones.

Original poster
darlingsweetpea · 31/12/2023 20:07

I've chosen 3 females for this reason. I do appreciate they may already be carrying babies, so we will cross that bridge when we get to it!

OP posts:
Tygertiger · 31/12/2023 19:52

Platies are very enthusiastic livebearers. They will probably eat the babies, but if you’ve got lots of plants for babies to hide in then you’ll probably end up with more than three.

SpecialCharacters · 31/12/2023 19:48

You’re putting more fish into an uncycled tank, after several just died in it?

Original poster
darlingsweetpea · 31/12/2023 19:42

For those still reading this thread pets at home did refund me as their shop assistant provided incorrect advice on multiple levels. I now have the fish I wanted initially and had researched, but Pets at Home convince me otherwise. I now have 3 platies, which is one more than I had researched.

People are so quick to jump down others throat when asking for opinions. Accusing me of all sorts is unkind, if I didn't care I wouldn't be investing in fish!

OP posts:
Qwerty556 · 31/12/2023 16:32

I've never bought from Pets At Home.

I've always gone to Maidenhead Aquatics. When I first started buying fish there they would ask me a few questions about the tank to be certain I had some knowledge. Know they know me, they just sell me what I ask for.

Cycling a new tank is a bit of an imprecise science. Can be difficult to keep it in balance as the chemicals cycle. Even people who do the research and slowly add the fish over a few months can have a disaster.

Æthelfled · 31/12/2023 16:19

As for pets at home I disagree with the majority. My local one is brilliant on their fish knowledge, far better than my local aquatic centre. We keep orandas (who need over 60L of tank space) and pets at home were the only ones to check we'd got a tank that size and that it has been cycled. The aquatic centre tried to sell me 4 despite me telling them I don't want 4 because I didn't have space for 4 (I already had some and was replacing fish that had died of old age).

SquashPenguin · 31/12/2023 16:16

We keep neon tetras, and we recently bought some more from pets at home. Within hours of being introduced to the tank (which has been the home to a healthy shoal of tetras for many months), they started dying. All the new ones are dead now, the originals are still going strong. I’ll never buy fish from them again.

Æthelfled · 31/12/2023 16:16

It is acceptable to ask for a refund, yes. But the advice everyone is giving on here is right. You need to cycle a tank for a few weeks before putting fish in it.

DyslexicPoster · 31/12/2023 16:13

MaryHinges · 30/12/2023 22:32

To be fair you need to let the tank run with no fish for at least a couple of weeks to let the good bacteria build up in the filter otherwise putting fish in too soon creates an imbalance because they excrete toxins faster than the bacteria can break it down. I'd keep the set up but just wait a few weeks before introducing fish. You may just have been a bit too keen, then just add a couple and wait a few more weeks before thinking about more.

Edited

This, we was told set up the yank and run it empty for at least two weeks then gradually add fish. We had about 20 of them but all added slowly a few at a time, a few weeks apart.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 31/12/2023 16:11

Friendfoe1 · 31/12/2023 09:04

YABU for getting a new pet without researching properly how to look after them.

This ^

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