Bass redundant, but stuck

[Shenanigaens]

So I've been lurking MFK for ages and have dug through the archives, but have just come into a situation I created an account for...

Everything I've found is peacock bass or people who've caught small bass and put them in small tanks, and I've been asked to care for two 780g largemouth bass tanks for a 2-store (and growing) tackle supply chain in Texas. Each tank has four 7-10lb largemouth bass. Each tank has two Fluval FX6 canisters.

I know aquarium care, maintaining parameters and such isn't new to me (I've had a planted 55 community and a 135 cichlid for years) but this scale is a whole new ballgame. Add to that I love bass fishing, and know enough about their habits to know how to catch them, but VERY little about their actual care. I've been digging for information about healthy water specs, but the information I'm getting is all over the place. I found the water quality report (2010-2014) for one of the lakes they were caught, so I have an idea, but damn.

The previous guy has ALL the supplies for these tanks and I have no idea what he's been using (neither does the owner), so I just picked up the basics to keep supply in BOTH stores- stress coat, gravel vacs, an API master kit, Etc. One of the fish has a VERY angry tail fin that looks like rot (I was told it was from fanning the nest during spawn), so I've added melafix and aquarium salt and under dosed- They're hearty and adaptable fish, but I'm not 100% sure what they can tolerate. Is salt even ok? My dependable LFS (who owns an 800g aquarium) said it should be but UGH, I just don't know.

So my desperate plea is this: What is safe for these fish?
Those of you who have experience with aquariums of this size, what are good products?
Those of you who know Largemouth bass care, guidance, please! What kind of water parameters am I looking for?

I'm pretty OCD about my tanks, and if I can't do this right, I'll turn it down, but I know I can if I can just find the information.

 

[EighthNotch]

You're right, bass are hardy fish.

I see you've mentioned a gravel vac. For large fish with large dietary requirements I honestly think that bare bottom, tile, or a super thin layer of gravel will go a long way to assist in keeping water quality at check. This way it's far easier to clean up waste etc. I'm not sure how those tanks are currently setup but, just food for thought.

As for parameters, in all honesty, if you keep it simple and consistent, bass will adapt to it. Don't mess with changing the PH etc. Keep a routine water change schedule and you'll be golden. Monitor your nitrates in-between water changes and figure out how often and how much water you need to change and then stick with It. It wouldn't hurt to take a look at the ammonia/nirtrite and do a complete tear-down of the canisters and really clean them out.

I would skip the salt and just dose the rest of that melafix and when you run out just stick to feeding them well and doing routine water changes. That fish should heal up in no time.

Edit: I don't think you mentioned melafix anywhere lol. I've had a long day at work.

 

[Shenanigaens]

The aquascape is pretty spare, just a tree stump and gravel, which isn't terribly deep. The fish scatter it pretty well and the catfish built a bunker under the stump. The hardest part was pulling all the substrate out from under the tree.

I've dosed melafix and gave instructions on the dosing. I'll be in there in a few days to check on things and test the water before heading to the other store. I did a 20% water change, broke down the canisters and cleaned them out pretty well, but left a couple sponges and some of the bio media so I don't lose the good bacteria. And once I have a routine in place I think I'll just clean one canister every other month. It's been about a month since the last time the tank was cleaned and I was pretty surprised by how good the levels were- 7.8/.25/0/0. The fish are huge, but not over stocked, I don't think. I'll be out to the stores twice a month and given the length between the last cleaning, I have high expectations that thing's should stay pretty balanced.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Largemouths are pretty hardy, my number one rule for them is to never feed goldfish,always quarantine feeder fish for at least a week,as far as food goes provide a variety of critters such as baby sunfish and cichlids,minnows,bullfrog tadpoles,ghost shrimp,crayfish,giant waterbugs,earthworms ,crickets and roaches.

The most common problem I tend to see is obesity,so making your fish work for their food is a good idea.