Should I restart the tank?

Question
QUESTION: I've lost the Cory catfish and my male red wag. I only have the female left. What should I do? I'm not sure if the tank should be restarted later. I don't want more deaths caused by me. I know that those fish could have better lives, in bigger tanks. I've hit poisoning twice. Nitrate and ammonia. I have a weak filter and am allowed only 2 fish if I want them to live.

P.s Do you know how to preserve a dead fish body? Is it possible? Because I hate throwing away my poor fish.( I know I'm weird )

ANSWER: Hi Manahil,

First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss.  It is your filter.  It is NOT your fault.  Someday, when you grow up, you will be able to buy a bigger filter and tank and it will survive so much longer, but til then, you have to do with what you have, but you can improve someday when older.

Whether to start a new tank, or not, is entirely up to you.  

Once, I put my deat Botia in the window sil, and he dried up.  I then coated him in hairspray and attached him to a business card and mounted him as "Yo Yo Botia" and my boyfriend actually kept it for awhile.  Our own little taxidermy.  I really loved Duncan the Yo Yo Botia, and I wanted to keep him, and it's acceptable to permanently save fish, but not really other animals, lol.  People have been recording fish lives as far back as cave dwellings, Manahil.  Back in the cave days, a caveman would take a fish he was proud of catching, and he'd rub it in the coals of the fire.  He'd then press the fish on the wall of the cave, like a stamp, or he'd use berry juice and would stamp the wall with the fish body.  Those fish presses are seen still today.  In ancient Asia, they often would lay rice paper and dye over a dead fish's body, and would allow it to settle, pulling it up later, gently.  When they did, the fish would leave a really neat impression of what it looked like on the rice paper.  Those are very valuable nowdays, those old fish stamps.

So, no it's not "that" wierd.  I have done it myself, for scientific purposes, and because I really didn't want to let go of my yo yo botia.

You can also always take a pencil, and draw your fish exactly how you remember him, and can color him in and save him in a book.  That way, you can see him and remember drawing him.  Or, you could take his photo and save it to your computer. :)

I hope this is helpful.  I am sorry you lost your fish, but if you don't decide to go forward and to have another tank, it's okay too...sometimes it's best to wait til you have the proper equipment.

You have some good knowledge now.  You can use that someday to start a new tank.

Happy fish-keeping.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I guess you are right. My parents always said fish are delicate creatures. I guess I still need to get more equiptment. It's just that the stuff here is expensive and the fish need alot. I just want to prove myself responsible and I really want to see these things up close. I was always curious about water creatures. Being 12 I thought I could take care of them. There's a first for everything. I'm still at war with myself about restarting the tank. I don't want to because I'll lose more fish. I want to raise enough money to buy a 20 gallon. $130. Not easy, but I can try. I want to restart the tank because I really want to learn more about their behaveior. I don't know what to do.

Answer
$130?  No.  There is a place online called Craigslist.org.  You would have to get your money ready, but you can find a 20 gallon aquarium, with lights and a hood for around $50.  You'd have to put gravel into it, buy new filter pads, and you could always add your old filter to it as an extra, to keep it really spotless, but that saves $80 from what you intend to spend.  Craigslist.org is all over the USA.  You'd pick your state from the list, and then choose the nearest city to yours.  You'd look on "Pets" section, but please, have a parent present.  They can help you word the proper way to respond to an ad, safely.  At 10 or around 11, I started my fish-keeping also.  Oh gosh, everything died ... lol.  Over and over again, they kept dying.  Finally, I stopped buying fish, and went to a local pond, with a fish net and caught local fish to learn to keep them.  Gosh, I must have lost about 20 of those, before it started working out.  There was a lot of trial and error, but in the long run, look how good it does now.  I put a photo of my fishtank up on my profile on All Experts, under Fish Deeva.  You can see it there.  That is one of the planted tanks.  That one has Neon Tetras and Corydora.  You can see my little fishes there and enjoy them til you get your tank going.  I don't like knowing things keep dying for you either, so maybe through the rest of the spring, you can think about whether you want a new tank, or not.  :)  If not, it was great meeting you and you know, you're always welcome to email regardless.  I consider you an internet pen pal. Anyhow, if you can get an aquarium over the summer, and cycle it for a month, you might find out a larger tank will support 10 fish or so.  If you got a 20 gallon, you could do 2 gallons a fish, and have 10 with proper filtration.  Wouldn't that be fun!?