pics

[E_americanus]

test results BEFORE waterchange and adding of new substrate
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0.3Mg/L
pH: 7

didn't you add the new substrate several days ago? if that is the case, these test results aren't actually very useful. it is important to note that you still had nitrites, which should be zero.

the only really useful test results will be getting these readings for the tank right now as opposed to several days ago--
--solomon

 

[xander]

no i only just added the substrate after i posted. i had to buy a new bag, as the previous one wasn't the pH buffering one. this was measured today, just before i posted.

 

[E_americanus]

no i only just added the substrate after i posted. i had to buy a new bag, as the previous one wasn't the pH buffering one. this was measured today, just before i posted.

what was the previous substrate you had added then? and what exactly is the "pH buffering substrate" you have added now? --
--solomon

 

[xander]

previous was just normal black substrate. this one, i dont know what it's called, as the thing is in japanese. i asked the lfs for a substrate that buffers pH, and they picked this one out, saying that it helps mantain pH. the bag also says something about pH, in the front, together with it being good plants and what not. like an advertisment. i'll post a pic of it...

 

[xander]

before ya go on about how lfs dont know their stuff, i'm gonna clarify. this is one of the better and more respectable lfs, a "H2O aquatics" or "shark aquarium" in my terms...

 

[xander]

the big dark brown ones..

 

[E_americanus]

ok, since you didn't really follow our initial instructions you've worked yourself into a pretty big mistake IMO. plant substrate is NOT what you want. plant substrate stuff generally lowers the pH or maintains a lower pH...which will easily throw the system out of whack since you are overstocked, have the fish in too small of a tank, and filtration was only recently brought up to par.

we had mentioned earlier that you would need a substrate that had aragonite in it, which maintains a higher pH...not just any substrate that "buffers" pH...which this plant stuff is going to take you in the opposite direction in terms of progress.

i'm honestly not sure what you can do right now...you could keep things the way they are and they are sure to eventually crash (likely sooner than later, and it's very doubtful you'll see the gar go back to normal), OR you can try scooping out this new substrate and getting the right stuff.

ALSO keep in mind that by just putting the substrate right over your old stuff (instead of moderately mixing it in), you will likely begin to suffocate the bacteria in your original substrate and possibly kill it off (again, decreasing your biofiltration capabilities).

with all this stuff taken into account, the choice is yours...i'd suggest, if you want these fish to make it in the long run, you let us know EXACTLY what you are doing BEFORE you do it from this point on. we've seen what the results are otherwise--
--solomon

 

[xander]

okay, so the substrate was a mistake. i was looking around for aragonite, but no one seemed to know what it is. i can easily scoop the substrate out. oh yes i did mix them and not just pour it over.

 

[xander]

that being said why can't i mantain the pH at a lower level? there wont be fluctuations and since the filtration is up to par, it seems the gar should recover, so why would it eventually crash?

the pH is still at 7, just as it was before i added the substrate, and when it was with the previous owner. the tap water here is also at 7.

 

[E_americanus]

that being said why can't i mantain the pH at a lower level? there wont be fluctuations and since the filtration is up to par, it seems the gar should recover, so why would it eventually crash?

the pH is still at 7, just as it was before i added the substrate, and when it was with the previous owner. the tap water here is also at 7.

these questions (most of them) again come down to basic aquarium care knowledge. pH of the water decreases as fish waste/by-products/toxins accumulate, so starting at a lower pH is just asking for trouble with big predatory fishes that are very sensitive to pH fluctuations. if you start at a higher pH you have more working room.

the substrate you added won't buffer the pH...it MIGHT help keep it at a lower level for a little bit, but you will have very little room for error, and frankly i think you'll need all the room for error that you can get. again, aquarium basics regarding pH.

as for the water chem being the same, i don't know. you may have to measure a few times over a 24 hour period to see if it changes. if its the same now as it was before the substrate, then the substrate may not be doing anything...which, regardless, is not what you want/or is supposed to be done with the tank.

look up pH basics.
look up nitrogen cycle basics including cycling, bacteria, and toxic levels.
and then look at the majority of gar information on AP (there are volumes of information there that you won't find anywhere else).

the first of those 3 things should have been done before you got most of your fish, and definitely before the Cuban. this may all sound terse, but understand that these are things that will help you in keeping the fish/fishes alive, as well as things you've been "instructing" others about quite a bit as of late--
--solomon