Need help, lost at this point… nitrites and expensive fish

[Ihatemyplatinumgar]

at this point I’m just at a loss. I have a 2000 gallon pool pond, well passed its cycling and I cannot keep the ammonia or nitrites down no matter what I try. This is an absolute emergency as I have very expensive fish in there

I have
2 platinum alligator gars 10 & 17”
1 alligator gar 10”
1 red tail catfish 10”
2 largemouth bass 7-10”
1 peacock bass 7”
3 koi 6”
3 arapaima 10”

Incredibly understocked for a 2000 gallon and it’s been running for 3 months.

I feed tilapia daily to everyone except koi which get koi mix. Nothing left on the bottom.

Ammonia is less of a problem, majority the nitrites are high random spikes out of nowhere

Filtration is

1 44 gallon brute trash can filled with 800 pot scrubbies and a 2nd 44 gallon trash can filled with 30 pounds of lava rock and 300 pot scrubbies 10,000 gallons per hour extremely crazy filtration. There is mechanical filtration above both of them. I do a weekly water change of 1500 gallons and prime it afterwards.

 

[fishdance]

Your filtration has not cycled since you still have nitrite. 3 months doesn't mean it's cycled.

Add salt to reduce the effects of nitrite poisoning. Reduced or totally stopping feeding will help until you get things sorted.

If your fish are valuable to you, I would be adding supplemental aged filtration until your own filter copes. Fluid bed, moving bed (slightly similar) cope better with sudden bioload increases. Wet/dry (trickle) or shower filters slower to respond but can process high loads if biofilm doesn't restrict.

 

[Toby_H]

Agree with above.

My assumption would be, you cycled it to handle a much lower biology. Then you increased the stock and the beneficial bacteria hasn't had a chance to catch up.

 

[esoxlucius]

I take it you have a long term plan for your stock? 2000g or not, the parameter problems you have now will pale into insignificance once those fish grow. Your bio output will be pretty much unmanageable, not to mention your gars, arapaimas and RTC space issues.

 

[duanes]

What method did you use to cycle?

Although it seems understocked with these fish as juvies, as adults, i doubt 2,000 gallons will be enough for them all (even just a few)

Feeding fish meat, produces a lot of residual (semi-liquid) waste protein in the water that will need to be taken out of the system.
These residual proteins may be overwhelming your filter systems ability to cope.
So if you continue in this manner, the addition a Protein Skimmer (Foam Fractionator) to your filtration system may be needed.
Below is a video of my 500 gallon pond with 3 goldfish and 2 small Koi (I considered it very overstocked) even with my DIY protein skimmer running.
As you can see it is kicking out a lot of waste protein, that falls on the ground as foam (not back into the system. And I fed very little.
koi pond fractionation
You don't mention having any plants.
Marginals such as Papyrus or other reeds and/or floating types like water Hyacinth or water lettuce, can help lowering nitrite and nitrate.
GOPR6064
But there must be a sufficient ratio of plants to fish, to mitigate fish load, you can see I place the nutrient eating plants in pots in the pond, and there are plenty of Hyacinth.

 

[C. Breeze]

75 percent a week water changes aren’t great for cycling. You’ve got a creeping rising bio load that your bacteria are ramping up to digest so to speak and then you crash it- and the Bacteria “get hungry” and go dormant.

you really need stable / gradually changing conditions for your bacterial colony to get established And running a working for you. More frequent smaller changes willallow Your colonies to develop more readily. You think you have a pond- but it’s just a big aquarium on the floor. Prettty sterile environment not nearly as diverse or flexible an Ecosystem as a pond.

Reread your post. Assumed it was indoor as most guys put the pools inside a garage or whatever. Apologies if I’m wrong. If it’s outside. Get those plants going.

 

[Ihatemyplatinumgar]

Your filtration has not cycled since you still have nitrite. 3 months doesn't mean it's cycled.

Add salt to reduce the effects of nitrite poisoning. Reduced or totally stopping feeding will help until you get things sorted.

If your fish are valuable to you, I would be adding supplemental aged filtration until your own filter copes. Fluid bed, moving bed (slightly similar) cope better with sudden bioload increases. Wet/dry (trickle) or shower filters slower to respond but can process high loads if biofilm doesn't restrict.

How much salt should I add?

 

[Ihatemyplatinumgar]

75 percent a week water changes aren’t great for cycling. You’ve got a creeping rising bio load that your bacteria are ramping up to digest so to speak and then you crash it- and the Bacteria “get hungry” and go dormant.

you really need stable / gradually changing conditions for your bacterial colony to get established And running a working for you. More frequent smaller changes willallow Your colonies to develop more readily. You think you have a pond- but it’s just a big aquarium on the floor. Prettty sterile environment not nearly as diverse or flexible an Ecosystem as a pond.

Reread your post. Assumed it was indoor as most guys put the pools inside a garage or whatever. Apologies if I’m wrong. If it’s outside. Get those plants going.
View attachment 1470599

yes it’s indoors, I live in South Carolina cold winters

 

[Ihatemyplatinumgar]

What method did you use to cycle?

Although it seems understocked with these fish as juvies, as adults, i doubt 2,000 gallons will be enough for them all (even just a few)

Feeding fish meat, produces a lot of residual (semi-liquid) waste protein in the water that will need to be taken out of the system.
These residual proteins may be overwhelming your filter systems ability to cope.
So if you continue in this manner, the addition a Protein Skimmer (Foam Fractionator) to your filtration system may be needed.
Below is a video of my 500 gallon pond with 3 goldfish and 2 small Koi (I considered it very overstocked) even with my DIY protein skimmer running.
As you can see it is kicking out a lot of waste protein, that falls on the ground as foam (not back into the system. And I fed very little.
koi pond fractionation
You don't mention having any plants.
Marginals such as Papyrus or other reeds and/or floating types like water Hyacinth or water lettuce, can help lowering nitrite and nitrate.
GOPR6064
But there must be a sufficient ratio of plants to fish, to mitigate fish load, you can see I place the nutrient eating plants in pots in the pond, and there are plenty of Hyacinth.

These guys are moving into a 10,000 gallon very shortly, I am in the garage cannot use plants and the 44 gallon trash cans should be well established at least one, it was running well before the other. My local pet store said I’ve been cycled through, is there anyways the process could restart?

 

[Ihatemyplatinumgar]

I take it you have a long term plan for your stock? 2000g or not, the parameter problems you have now will pale into insignificance once those fish grow. Your bio output will be pretty much unmanageable, not to mention your gars, arapaimas and RTC space issues.

theyre going into a 10,000 which should last 2-3 years and then a 30’000. And I’m confused you’re saying I cannot have enough filtration for their bio load in the future? I see people with larger stocks of larger fish in smaller spaces than what I have now