HELP!!! fighting and overfed fish

[Sharkluver]

Okay, long story short I chose to get some Kribensis for my 40 gallon and went to the pet store planning to get a school of 6 zebra danios and one opaline gourami but my mom picked out four platies, a swordtail, my zebra danios, a female opaline gourami, and two mysterious tetras with red tails. I got them home and they've all been doing well and I think the cycle has completed (I started it before I purchased test kits) I went to feed them sparingly the next day my freeze dried tubifex cubes to get the shy fish to come out. My mom got tired of how long it was taking and put the whole cube in the tank. Now I had bloated fish and I was frantically monitoring the water. Today I come home and there are three more skirt tetras, two paradise gouramis, and a dead angelfish from Walmart in my tank. My mom fed them again and now my danios are sick and the water showing traces of ammonia. I dosed the aquarium with stability and Prime and then went on a mission to find out what happened. The Opaline gourami apparently had bullied the sick angelfish to death and went after the weak paradise gouramis. I immediately came to their rescue and isolated the Opaline gourami. I can't take them back because Walmart won't accept them and my fish are expendable to the rest of family. The two paradise gouramis have regained some strength and started swimming around showing no aggression towards each other. Could the three gouramis live in harmony? How long should I isolate the Opaline before trying to reintroduce him? I am planning on getting more plants to disperse aggression but is there still a chance I can get the Kribensis I had planned or is it not possible with my unexpected new arrivals? How long should I wait to feed them again after being so bloated from too much food? (Pics coming)

 

[Sharkluver]

 

[Deadliestviper7]

I'd hold off on getting more fish for now,and u can switch to flake food to more easily parcel out the food,for now feed every other day

 

[Gourami Swami]

Kribensis should be ok with the types of fish you listed, though the tank is getting pretty full for sure. If anything, I would get only the kribensis and no more fish for the tank. I would definitely try to return all gouramis except one. The types you got are not dwarf gouramis, get pretty large and can be aggressive to others of their same species.

Do you have a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle? If you are getting any readings for ammonia, the chances are that your cycle is not completed, or that a mini-cycle started due to introducing too many fish at once and/or the overfeeding. Best thing to do is keep checking your readings and doing small water changes if ammonia gets too high to avoid fish deaths.

I would also explain to your family how much you care about the fish, and that they are living animals like a dog or cat, and need to be respected as such. Show them that you are doing research on your own about this and that you are knowledgable, and ask them to please stop buying fish, dropping in cubes of food, etc. without asking you, unless they want to educate themselves as well.
Best of luck

 

[Sharkluver]

I am checking the Ammonia every morning and night and Nitrates every other day and after adding so many fish I did get small amounts that rose slowly so I added Stability and changed the water. I know how the nitrogen cycle works and was not planning for any of these fish to be in the tank. I do have flake food and was planning to feed them mostly that but was trying to encourage the more shy platies to come out with a treat that ended up to be a feast. I bought the cubes to condition the Kribensis and hope to see some fry but from the looks of it right now, most fry will not survive in my tank with so many fish.

 

[Sharkluver]

For anyone who wants to know how this turned out. I was never able to get the kribensis The three gouramis established a pecking order, the tank got sorted out and all the fish were okay. Although, we are putting our house on the market and had to sell the tank. I found a family to give it to and they took everything including the fish but I will get a new tank if and when I move.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

For anyone who wants to know how this turned out. I was never able to get the kribensis The three gouramis established a pecking order, the tank got sorted out and all the fish were okay. Although, we are putting our house on the market and had to sell the tank. I found a family to give it to and they took everything including the fish but I will get a new tank if and when I move.

Thanks for the update

 

[tlindsey]

For anyone who wants to know how this turned out. I was never able to get the kribensis The three gouramis established a pecking order, the tank got sorted out and all the fish were okay. Although, we are putting our house on the market and had to sell the tank. I found a family to give it to and they took everything including the fish but I will get a new tank if and when I move.

We will be waiting for your return.

 

[Sharkluver]

I will stay and learn as much as possible until I can get a new aquarium so another disaster like this doesn't happen. Looking back it's embarrassing what a thoughtless mistake I made. . It isn't fair for the fish. I'm just glad I found them a good home.