jardini arowana problem, help!

[Alex8947]

so even the smallest amount of ammonia mean that a already established tank is cycling couldn't the ammonia be from fish waste? and how do i clean the sponges with tank water if i try that way the sponges will always be filled with waste even with the hose it still takes about 10 minutes to clean each sponge

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

oh well but i highly doubt it was ammonia poising that did him in

Judging from what you've shared and how you've been maintaining the tank, i'd bank on ammonia too. You keep this fish in a store?

 

[NiceGuyNick]

I'm no master like alot of guys on here, but this is how I would clean my sponge filters. When doing water changes I would simply take a CLEAN 5 gallon bucket that NEVER HAD ANYTHING TOXIC in it. I would fill it with the water that was being syphoned out of the tank during a water change (not dirty gravel vac'd water - clean stuff) I would remove the sponges and immediately place them in the bucket of tank water and hold them with my hands making a pumping motion to flush out the waste. This may take a few cycles of tank water before they come clean. When the water stays clear in the bucket transfer them back to the filter. Do not let the sponges dry out. This method ensures that the biological bacteria have the best chance of survival during your cleaning routine.

 

[Alex8947]

yes at a family owned store, but normally il have a small amount of ammonia like 0.5 ppm for a day or 2 then it will go away for like 2-3 weeks then it comes back it normally goes up when the rtc lets out colossal poops then goes down. i never get a giant ammonia spike. 0.5ppm at most will cause a little stress not death

 

[ar0wan]

and i do maintain my filter i do a 30%-50% water change every Friday and clean out all the sponges with hot water from a high pressure hose

Never, let the sponges go dry or be exposed to anything but tank water. As long as there is water flowing through them, you'd be better off leaving them dirty. See post above for methodology. Everytime you clean you set off a mini-cycle.

This killed your aro, not the shrimp.

 

[Alex8947]

so i have to let the sponges stay mildly dirty? wont that cause ammonia spikes from large amounts of waste i mean the filter is a proclear aquatics model 400 with a lot of bio balls aren't the bio balls supposed to house almost all of the bb

 

[Gshock]

The reason why you're spiking is because
1. You dont even have a cycled tank
2. Your filters cant handle your bio-load
3. You constantly rinse out your filter media with new untreated water causing your bacteria to die out

Go to the filtration and setup forum and look at the stickies, its all there. Any trace of ammonia is deadly and shouldnt be there in an established tank, end of story. Upgrade your filters and start doing this stuff the right way...

 

[Alex8947]

i cant really upgrade the filter any more than what it already is its a sump for a 400g tank on a 250g all i have in there now is a 15in red tailed catfish, i only rinse the floss not the bio balls, so do i just clean the filter floss like once every 3 weeks or so in tank water?

 

[Gshock]

i cant really upgrade the filter any more than what it already is its a sump for a 400g tank on a 250g all i have in there now is a 15in red tailed catfish, i only rinse the floss not the bio balls, so do i just clean the filter floss like once every 3 weeks or so in tank water?

When you clean your filters, you only rinse the media in tank water. You can do it however many times you want, just dont do it in tap water. Whether it be floss or bio balls, once chlorine touches anything your beneficial bacteria grows on, they will die. Even when you do a water change, shut off your filter while you are refilling the tank and only reconnect the filter once you have dechlored your water. Your main priority is to now establish your uncycled tank that already has fish inside it. You're going to need to be doing water changes every 2 days or so just to keep the ammonia out while it cycles...

 

[ar0wan]

..and what is the pump rated? I'm gussing 400gph
judging by your ammonia levels.
And remember, it's for posterity so, be honest.