Last weekend, I noticed one of the fish floating at the top of the tank. To my surprise, it wasn't the fish that Connor had plucked from the tank and thrown on the floor. Instead, it was the baby fish. I was very sad, because we hadn't even taken the time to name the fish.
A few days later, I decided to clean the tank. It was pretty dirty and I often wondered if that was why the fish had died. In true Calhoun form (my Mom is a very thorough cleaner), I cleaned everything, the lid, the pump, the tank and even the rocks. I washed everything with soap! Then, I filled the tank with new water, dropped in a neutralizer tab, waited 30 minutes and returned the fish to the tank. The tank was so clean that Jimmy even noticed it when he came home from work.
I researched the black discoloration of the fish on the Internet and learned that it is the result of ammonia burns. The next day, I called a pet store and spoke to a lady who told me that I shouldn't have washed the rocks with soap. Apparently, a little slime is good for fish.
So now, I've been instructed to clean half of the tank water every other day until the fish is better. But, I was also informed that the fish may not recover.
Looking back, I should have know that something was wrong. Prior to cleaning the tank, our fish were pretty slow swimmers. When I returned them to the tank after washing the rocks, they were swimming like crazy. I even told a friend, "Wow, the tank must have been so dirty that they were having trouble swimming. They sure are swimming fast now!"
Now I know that they must have been swimming like crazy because they felt like they were on fire. Also, if you look closely at the picture of the black fish, you'll notice that he is missing part of his fin. I think this happened during the "Connor vs. Fishy" incident. The tips of the fins are turning white now. I'm not sure if that is new growth or if the fish has a fungus. I guess time will tell.
A few days later, I decided to clean the tank. It was pretty dirty and I often wondered if that was why the fish had died. In true Calhoun form (my Mom is a very thorough cleaner), I cleaned everything, the lid, the pump, the tank and even the rocks. I washed everything with soap! Then, I filled the tank with new water, dropped in a neutralizer tab, waited 30 minutes and returned the fish to the tank. The tank was so clean that Jimmy even noticed it when he came home from work.
I researched the black discoloration of the fish on the Internet and learned that it is the result of ammonia burns. The next day, I called a pet store and spoke to a lady who told me that I shouldn't have washed the rocks with soap. Apparently, a little slime is good for fish.
So now, I've been instructed to clean half of the tank water every other day until the fish is better. But, I was also informed that the fish may not recover.
Looking back, I should have know that something was wrong. Prior to cleaning the tank, our fish were pretty slow swimmers. When I returned them to the tank after washing the rocks, they were swimming like crazy. I even told a friend, "Wow, the tank must have been so dirty that they were having trouble swimming. They sure are swimming fast now!"
Now I know that they must have been swimming like crazy because they felt like they were on fire. Also, if you look closely at the picture of the black fish, you'll notice that he is missing part of his fin. I think this happened during the "Connor vs. Fishy" incident. The tips of the fins are turning white now. I'm not sure if that is new growth or if the fish has a fungus. I guess time will tell.
Jimmy announced after the rock washing incident that we are definitely not getting a dog!
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