Can someone help me?

[JillBeatDown]

Hi there im Jill i found this site because i wanted to know how many fish i can get in a 15g fish tank i Have three platys and today i just moved them from my 3g to my 15g and one of my platys seems like hes sick i added the tetra safestart and he seems to just stay at the bottom of the tank so im kind of worried about him

 

[arcab4]

hi there jill!

- when you moved it to the 15 gallon, did you move the filter too? and some water? or was it completely new water and new filter?

sounds like the fish might be in shocked by the move. are there any hiding places for them?

 

[JillBeatDown]

new fish new water and yes there are hiding spots for it to hide

 

[arcab4]

okay. all new water...that's probably why your fish is acting stress. when you do water changes in your new tank, don't change out all the water. do like 20% of it so that way your fishes don't get shocked by the sudden water changes.

it's good that you used Tetra Safe Start: http://amzn.to/1oT9ihP - this helps out with new cycling of a tank.

how about the filter system? was it completely new or did you move it from the old system? though..filter system for a 3 gallon isn't probably sufficient enough for a 15 gallon.

 

[JillBeatDown]

its a new filter my old one sucked and was not pumping right

 

[arcab4]

ah okay. so new water, new filter and smartstart...i probably will still say it's a bit of a shock for your fishes to be moved to a new tank with new water and a new filter.

there's nothing you can do i think right now but watch and see how he does. feed lightly too. maybe keep the lights off or not as long so they can feel more secure.

do you test your water? that'll give you a great way to know how the tank is actually doing. this is the one i've used and that i continue to recommend to people.

API Freshwater Master Test: http://amzn.to/1QoB2UW

 

[JillBeatDown]

i have these test strips but the thing is it dose not come with a sheet

 

[arcab4]

yea...test strips are easier to use but most of the time it's not very accurate. the API is a bit more involved but you'll get a better reading on the tank parameters. nothing comes easy in this hobby!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You can usually google an image of the sheet for each brand.

Keep an eye on the fish and if you see any breathing hard / distress or are getting more than about 0.5ppm ammonia, do a water change. Read a little about cycling to get an idea of what's going on microscopically. Basically, moving everything into a pristine tank means there are no beneficial bacteria there to convert the ammonia (toxic) into nitrate (not toxic). If you still have any of the filter media or used gravel from the other tank, and it is still wet, you can add that in to the new tank to give your new tank's cycle a jump-start.

Also if you JUST moved the fish and he's hiding, that's not too strange. Sometimes in a new tank having the lights out for the first day is less stressful on the fish as well.