My Issue falls into many categories... Summary = UNBALANCED TANK! - Need help...

[CrystaliZed]

Hey MFK!!

Issue here... Quick rundown...

Set up 55 gal. tank in MAY of 2010
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Started with (3) 9"+ Bala Sharks & (1) 7" tropical catfish
='s water quality FINE!

Recently... about 2-3 weeks ago...
Added 2 foot long alligator gars (1 first to make sure he wouldn't pick on the others) and the 2nd about 8-10 days later...

Earlier tonight...
My newest alligator gar starts swimming funny like his swim bladder is all outa wack... I have a liquid tester for just pH... but the test strips for all 7 checks (nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, pH, alkalinity, chlorine & ammonia) & I discover my nitrites/ammonia are off the charts & the pH is a bit low (but not dangerous - around 6.5 | 7 is perfect for these fish...) =(

I take him outa the tank and into a bucket w/ it's own airation & start adding new tap water, similar temp. after testing and seeing the tap water is in great range for the Gar's ideal water. Note: Other fish are acting fine...

I've been doing a Maracin 2 treatment to one of my Bala Sharks in this tank as he has Popeye... no real problems w/ any of them until tonight w/ the Gar, so I have stopped the treatment for now.

I do about a 35% water change, add proper Cycle amount, Marine Buffer to help raise the pH, change in filters (PURA PhosLoc filter pads) and a tablespoon of aquarium salt to the mix, along w/ a small dose of Melafix to help w/ stress & the one shark's popeye, and let settle for about 30-40 min... resulting in NO CHANGE... (granted the filters take time... but in panic to save the fish, I did ANOTHER water change...) 2nd water change was around 80%...

After seeing that the Gar seemed stable (in the bucket), gills & fins moving, I added him back to the tank (by now he had spent a good hour in the bucket), all he did was sink to the bottom of the tank and had to prop him up against a couple small rocks and the tank b/c he keeps wanting to flip sideways... He doesn't make an effort to swim, but neither him nor the other fish are showing signs of panicking or loss of breath... this ill Gar is acting just like the healthy one, but will not swim & keeps showing signs that his swim bladder is messed up...


In conclusion... after trying to fix the tank...
nitrates = normal
pH = 7
alkalinity = normal
chlorine = 0
ammonia = SLIGHTLY high
nitrites = HIGH!

...So... Anyone got any idea?

A) ...is maybe something just up with the Gar?

B) What is a safe way to help bring my NITRITES/AMMONIA down as obviously they still need to be. I've will need to feed them less (probably down to once every 2 or 3 days... when before it was every other day)

C) Would the test strips be less accurate then liquid testing as I've read this could be the case also so I will be taking a water sample into a fish store ASAP...


I've also read about Seachem's granule product for Nitrites to add to empty filter bags to help reduce this. I can't really invest in a specialty filter for the nitrites so I need a different solution. I use Seachems's Prime & Marine Buffer & they both work well w/ my fish and have for many years... as a re-set up of my tank had to be done in '05 when I had a bad case of acid burn and lost a fish... a mix of: prime, cycle & marine buffer was issued for the tank fix, worked like a charm and I've been doing this since.

Other than above... I have no idea what else to do until I talk to some fish guys at a place tomorrow. Guess I'm worried about the Gar dying in the meantime and possibly affecting the healthy fish. I don't really have a way to keep him secluded at this point.

I figured I'd post my issue & hope some expert help here would be listed.

Thanks!

 

[Pharaoh]

With you measuring ammonia and nitrites, you tank is cycling. You also need to know where your nitrates are at as well.

I think you might have cause a cycle by adding huge fish to your tank. Your tank was overstocked before you added the gars. You might look at getting a bigger tank for your fish.

 

[bob965]

Oh man. You've got 6 giant fish in a 55gal. That is the root cause of the problems. Then, the maracin treatment most likely destroyed your biofilter. Stop messing with the filter, stop adding meds and salt and chemicals, stop trying to adjust the pH, and just get the water under control first. Dose with Prime to detoxify the ammonia and nitrite, and do frequent water changes. I would try to limit it to 50% at a time, once or twice a day if necessary. Get a liquid test kit and test frequently till your levels are back under control. Try to obtain a cycled filter or at least some cycled filter media to add to your filter. Get a spare tank or even a big plastic tote set up and running and separate the fish to reduce the bioload. It might be too late for the gar in bad shape, but you can give it a shot. In the future, when your fish's eyes start falling out, it can be a sign that your water isn't fine.


P.S. Welcome to MFK.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Your tank is going through a cycle.
Because you are overstocked.
WAY overstocked.
Yes strips are less accurate than liquid.
Seachem Prime and water changes will detox the nitrite and all that.

 

[CrystaliZed]

Thanks for all the input everyone....

I'm tryin to figure how I'm overstocked... my 2 Gars have replaced a foot long Bala Shark & (2) 4" Clown Loaches I lost 2 months ago while moving... I've been told by several people that fish sit at different levels of the tank and you don't want to crowd those levels which didn't seem to be a problem.... but maybe it is...

On a side note... my sharks eye poppin' was from a move I did from South Dakota to VA back in March... transportation didn't treat them too well for 3 days...

Other than Prime, is their anything else I can do? I wasn't able to use my old filters as they were in bad shape... =/ BTW... the Gar did end up dying...

 

[star_fire]

i never use any meds, salt, peat, or any of that jazz. i rely on water changes anplants for bio filtration. an aqaurium is basically an enclosed ecosystem. my philosophy is to let nature take her course inside the tank with as little interference from the fishkeeper as possible.

i recommend water changes for the tank. 25% or so every 2-3 days to bring the ammonia and such down. i do that when i notice water quality begins to deteriorate in my tank due to overfeeding and such. but if your tank is cycling, its a new ball game. get some cycled media in the filter to get the bio filter running correctly. then do the water changes.

 

[Egon]

Na, he can't be over stocked? No one would add two 2' alligator gars in a 55 that already has three 9" bala's and a 7" cat in there to start with! I think this was a typo and the OP has a 550 gallon tank.

Honestly?

To the OP: Your 550 gallon tank is just going through a cycle, it will stabilize in a week. Keep up with the water changes and don't put fish in buckets. They are under a lot of stress and removing them to a bucket makes it worse. Stop feeding the fish also. They can go a week with out food until the water stabilizes.

Also you have about a year before those gar out grow your 550! Start looking into something twice that size like a 1000 or so or maybe even a pond.

Don't worry about the guys above flaming you about the 55 it's obviously just a typo

I've seen fish soup stocked lighter than a 55 with 2 gator gars in it LOL who would do that? Let alone all the other fish..........

But honestly, look into at least doubling your tank size to 1000 or so, or drop those monsters into a pond. You will be able to feed em neighborhood cats soon!

 

[star_fire]

Na, he can't be over stocked? No one would add two 2' alligator gars in a 55 that already has three 9" bala's and a 7" cat in there to start with! I think this was a typo and the OP has a 550 gallon tank.

Honestly?

To the OP: Your 550 gallon tank is just going through a cycle, it will stabilize in a week. Keep up with the water changes and don't put fish in buckets. They are under a lot of stress and removing them to a bucket makes it worse. Stop feeding the fish also. They can go a week with out food until the water stabilizes.

Also you have about a year before those gar out grow your 550! Start looking into something twice that size like a 1000 or so or maybe even a pond.

Don't worry about the guys above flaming you about the 55 it's obviously just a typo

I've seen fish soup stocked lighter than a 55 with 2 gator gars in it LOL who would do that? Let alone all the other fish..........

But honestly, look into at least doubling your tank size to 1000 or so, or drop those monsters into a pond. You will be able to feed em neighborhood cats soon!

hate to break it to you but i think the fish are in a 55 gallon, not a 550 gallon!

 

[bob965]

Thanks for all the input everyone....

I'm tryin to figure how I'm overstocked...

Na, he can't be over stocked? No one would add two 2' alligator gars in a 55 that already has three 9" bala's and a 7" cat in there to start with! I think this was a typo and the OP has a 550 gallon tank.

To the TS: I can't tell if Egon is being very generous in giving you the benefit of the doubt, or being facetious. Your tank is overstocked because you must take into account the amount of waste your fish are producing, and not just whether or not they will physically fit in the tank. The level of the tank they occupy has nothing to do with it. Most people around here wouldn't put a single foot-long fish in a 55g, much less two plus three 9" fish and a 7" catfish.

 

[CrystaliZed]

It is a 55... you have no idea how many "fish guys" said I was NOT OVERSTOCKED... obviously I know this now considering how much crap I'm getting from here about it... LOL!! A much bigger tank is in the works sometime w/i the year anyway...

Anyway... What kind of filtration can I use that already has the biomedia in it to help out as old ones of mine have been too worn to use again & have been thrown out? And... I have stopped feeding them... and adding chemicals 'n' such... I was never trying to over-do it...