Creamsicle Molly

Question
HI, i just recently bought bought four fish:
(i am only twelve, so i do not know all the breeds)
1 goldfish
1 black fish with the big eyes that pop out
1 creamsicle molly
and 1 orange fish with a red tail, and i had a fish from a different tank go in, and i won him from a fair but i dont know what king he is, hes silver.
the tank is about 2 gallons, i think.  it looks big enough, they are little fish.  it does have a filter, and we just got the tank.we are planning on changing the water once a month. now that i answered all your questions heres the problem.  My Molly has been pecking the the goldfish and the black fish with big eyes. He hasn't been touchng the other two. is this normal?


Answer
Hello Melissa!

Right now, your tank is definitely a case for animal cruelty, there are so just many things wrong with it. Take these fish back to where you bought them, they will not survive long.

In no particular order-

1) Goldfish are coldwater, mollies are tropical, they should NEVER be mixed.

2) Mollies are brackish (means they need some salt) goldfish are freshwater, they should never be mixed for long periods of time.

3) Your tank is extremely overstocked. You would need a 40 or 55 gallon tank to properly house those fish long term. Just because it looks big now doesn't mean it will be enough when the fish grow. Most goldfish can grow around a foot in length, and some even larger. They are also ammonia factories and need lots of room to make up for their huge bio-load.

4) Your tank is not cycled. Even if your tank was 25 times bigger than it is now, the fish would still all die because you did not cycle your tank. Type in "Aquarium Cycling" on google, there are many good articles that would take me forever if I typed them all up on here.

5) Water changes. In that size tank, if you wanted the fish to live for a few months you would need to do water changes EVERY day. However, in a properly sized tank you must never do anything less than 50% water changes once a week, or, preferably, 25% twice a week. Water changes MUST be done at least once a week.

Don't be too discouraged, you are just learning. Many aquarists start off this way, and it isn't your fault if yu don't know what to do. Join a good aquarium forum, get some books, and keep at it!
Good luck!

-Nick