Our local pet store owner says that fish should be sold in two’s “to keep themselves company”. The end result was my wallet getting hit for a double whammy each time we purchased fish.
I never thought much about it until all our fish died recently except for one. The one goldfish wanders around looking for food as it always did. I wonder if in its little fish brain it even cares that it is alone.
Do fish need company?
Does it matter if it is the same species of fish as long as they don’t eat each other?
It really depends on the species of fish. Some types are schooling and prefer to be in groups. Others are more solitary and don’t mind being alone. Some, such as male betas, should be loners. You need to find a retailer who actually knows fish. I don’t know specifics myself, but my wife has been selling (and keeping) fish for 15+ years.
A bigger question is why all your fish died. Was it age, water quality, power outage? That’s where a good salesperson can help resolve problems and set you up with fish that are compatible and have a better chance of survival. Do some research, ask questions and figure out if the sales person sounds as if they know what they’re talking about. Once you find such a salesperson, listen to them. It is frightening how much correction of bad information that people get from Wal-Mart or Petco that my wife must do. Then there are people who come in saying they need to replace a fish that died. “But it did well. It lived for 3 years and got to 3 inches long.” Then she tells them that in a good environment it should live for 10 years and get to 6 inches.
Getting back to your last question, the knowledgeable salesperson will be able to get you a range of fish that are compatible. It pisses Mrs. H. off when she tells someone that a selection of fish they have picked out are not compatible and the person still buys them because “they look good together.” It is bothersome to know she is sending fish off to inevitable doom. See if there is an aquarium store in your area as opposed to a general pet store. Personally I would not trust the person that you mentioned.
Two fish enter! One fish leaves!
Some are best kept in threes so that the males doesn’t injure or kill the female.
Live bearers and some killies for example.
One fish
Two fish
Mad fish
Max fish?
Since you asked about the dead fish, I would like your thoughts on that as well.
They were all about a year old. They all died within a week. No idea why.
There was one spotted catfish. I don’t know the name of it but it had whiskers and a large spot on each side of it. It rarely came out of its cave.
There were two silver dollar fish.
There were two goldfish. We added them at the beginning of last summer. I know they are not tropical fish but they seemed to get along with the others.
Recently we added two new fish. Don’t know the name of those either. We got them a few weeks ago.
Some theories
- The new fish brought some disease with them. Our fish supplier is pretty good. They know which fish are compatible. We have been dealing with them since we got the tank so I don’t think the sold us fish that didn’t belong with the others
- I haven’t been cleaning the tank enough and there was an accumulated effect. Although the last surviving goldfish doesn’t look too worse for wear. Its partner looked absolutely horrid when it died.
- The temp was too low. I checked the thermostat after they started dying and it was a bit low. My thermostat is not very reliable and I rarely check the temp.
Maybe it was a combination of all three!
Goldfish produce a lot of waste. How large were they and, sorry if you mentioned it, how large is the tank?
Have you had your water tested? A lot of fish stores will do it for free if you bring in a sample, or you can buy kits and do it yourself. This might be a clue.
#1 is unlikely, though possible. A disease will usually manifest itself in some way on the fish itself that you’d probably notice. Spots, slime, etc.
#3 could be a contributing factor, though the temperature would have to get quite low to actually kill the fish. In general, fish can adapt to a fairly wide range of temperatures, assuming the variation is gradual. But a rapid increase or decrease in temperature can kill a fish quite quickly.
#2: the most likely cause is poor water quality. A goldfish will be able to handle it better than your other fish because they’re more hardy. Get your water tested! The most common cause of poor water quality is over-feeding. I recommend ignoring the advice on the fish food container telling you to provide small amounts multiple times a day. I have had most success feeding my fish only every second or third day (my tank has been stable, with minimal fish mortality for 25 years).
Even with placid fish, I’d recommend a minimum of three fish rather than two(excluding cleaner fish). But don’t get two males and one female. The more aggressive the fish the more important this is to prevent one poor soul getting bullied continuously. For example, I currently have Cichlids in my tank which are very aggressive fish. I can only have one of each species or they tend to go nuts with constant chasing. Even then there is always one “king of the hill” who is the alpha fish.
As has been asked, how big is your tank? As a general rule, you should only have one inch of fish per gallon of water.
Sorry, I didn’t check the board last night. I’ll try to ask my wife tonight for some advice. However, Algernon sounds extremely knowledgeable and is posting comments.
From what little I’ve learned by association, I suspect water quality as well. For a total tank crash like that, it seems a likely culprit. There are test kits to check ammonia levels, etc. The fact that the goldfish is still alive does not rule out water problems. As Algernon mentioned, goldfish are very hardy. They are basically carp, but prettier.
If you have confidence in your fish supplier, that’s great. I realize I made some assumptions about the pet store owner. Sorry about sounding snippy about him/her.
So, if it is water quality, you need to figure out what happened. Do you have too many fish or is the filter adequate? Having plants makes a difference as well. As mentioned, the rule of thumb is about 1” of fish length per gallon of water. For instance, if you have a 55 gallon tank, you could have 20 fish that average 3” in length. Remember to find out how big they will grow so you can plan for them maturing.
As I mentioned, I’ll check with Mrs. H. tonight (I hope) to see about your previous selection of fish. As you are reestablishing a new tank you can pick new types, or get more of the same. A suggestion - as you get fish write down the species names and date acquired. The best customers (easiest ones to help) are the ones who know what fish they have and it can be difficult to remember.
If you can let us know some more details about your set-up, that would definitely help. Take care!