I can’t afford fancy filters and stuff.
As to water, should I collect rain water, get it from a pond, buy distilled at Wall*Mart?
Then do I need to add chemicals to make it right for the fish?
Just went and measured the tank. 15 gallon tank.
I have now looked at a bazillion fish with google and NADA. Not a Tetra but has a single big stripe, the rest is sort of goldish green, small pointy face with very small mouth for their size. Got 2 of those about 3 inches long.
3 spotted little catfish under 2.5 inches and 4 goldfish, 2 are maybe 2.5 inches long and two little ones about 1 inch long. ( I did not know we had those.) They swim strong like the adults.
See no fighting, no dead fish.Cheapo tank given to us + the fish except for the cat fish which the wife says she bought at W*W.
You don’t really need an expensive filter. I was talking to some fellow aquarists last month about filters and they are all using cheap sponge filters - some even prefer them to the expensive canister filters. Opinions vary, but the major downside with a sponge filter is aesthetics for most people (the need for water current can be provided via powerhead). You can even do a DIY sponge filter if you really want to go cheap.
The fish with the stripe you describe could be lots of different fish without knowing any more details. The most common thing I see in stores near me that fits that description is a Taiwanese algae eater, but it certainly could be something else. I have several different species of minnow in my tank that fit the description; but they were all sourced from a local creek not a store.
Some time back I agreed to take in a Betta the neighbors’ kid had lost interest in. The poor critter was so neglected they hadn’t even named him.
They dropped the fishbowl at our door while I was out. No wonder they didn’t want to be seen – the bowl was small and cloudy, filled with floating poop. It was the filthiest environment I’ve ever seen a living fish in.
And he was barely living. He spent most of his time immobile, only occasionally stirring pathetically.
I am no fish guru, but I knew enough not to make drastic changes, so I did 50% water changes once a day. After several days, the water appeared to be every bit as filthy and stinking as it had started out, and he wasn’t interested in eating. I decided drastic change was necessary, and bought an entire setup with 2.5 gallon tank, filter, gravel, plants, thermometer, tank heater (Bettas like it warm), and a small bubbler (which they don’t totally need but it can help).
He perked up immediately and began to swim around in the new environment. He still had an illness called “popeye” that made one of his eyes protrude, but he seemed more normal in behavior.
Treating the popeye was next priority, and I put several medicines in the tank. Also he needed a name, and his rich color led me to christen him Blueberry.
Unfortunately the popeye never responded to salt stirred into the tank or any medicine. He lived 47 days in my care.
