I don't know how much you know about tank cycling, but bacteria are the key to a healthy aquarium ecosystem. When you throw away established filter media, you throw away bacteria that actually do the filtering by breaking down harmful organic compounds into less harmful ones. Your cycle has been disrupted, and it takes time to allow the bacterial colonies to regenerate. In the meantime, you have to either remove the contaminants manually (water changes), or treat them to make them less harmful (Prime), preferably both. There are bacterial supplements available that supposedly jump-start the cycle in a new tank, but I don't use them myself and I've heard mixed reviews of them.
My Issue falls into many categories... Summary = UNBALANCED TANK! - Need help...
- Thread starter CrystaliZed
- Start date
I understand the cycling process and ended up having to use new filters (PURA Phosloc) as the older ones of these were in bad shape. I have been doing major water changes and using Prime... I have also used Cycle as it's worked for me in the past... Guess it's just a waiting game of doing this for awhile?
CrystaliZed;4433280; said:
its all ok dude. live and learn man. i overstock my tanks all the time, lol. the fish gestapo on these forums are usually funny though. (im gonna get it for that one i bet). for now, just keep on the water changes, like i said. even if you order bio media now online, it will take a few days to get to you at least. so maybe the best answer is to just wade it out and chalk it up to learning.
but to answer your ?, this bio media is already seeded they say:
http://www.petsolutions.com/Precultured-Media+I31590020+C10271.aspx
or this:
http://www.petsolutions.com/Aqua-Chargers+I31580005+C10271.aspx
never used them but i bet they would work! good luck!
Thanks star_fire... will look into those... =)
Anyone else have any suggested biomedia for what I have that they know from experience works well... I'm not in a situation to go buying tons of crap from the fish store - LOL!
Anyone else have any suggested biomedia for what I have that they know from experience works well... I'm not in a situation to go buying tons of crap from the fish store - LOL!
CrystaliZed;4432796; said:Hey MFK!!
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...
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?
I've also read about Seachem's granule product for Nitrites to add to empty filter bags to help reduce this.
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.
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
Thanks!
Hi.
I'm going to say a bunch of stuff, and honestly I don't mean any of this to be rude. I'll be the first one to tell horror stories about this my experiences with this hobby.
1) You dont seem to be listening to the people on this forum when they tell you that you are overstocked.
You are.
Way overstocked.
I understand that many "fish guys" have told you that you are not, but please consider that nobody on this forum is trying to sell you anything, and nobody on this forum had any part in creating the issues that you are now forced to face. You have lost one fish (and quite an incredible creature might I add) and you stand to lose more if you dont change strategy.
2) You are focusing way to much on chemical maintenance. This is very tricky even with a light bio load and with the stock you have in that size tank I would say that even the most experienced hobbyist would fail. Your tank needs to cycle, but there are limits to what your filtration can handle. I dont think anyone has even asked what equipment you are using to filter this tank. If I missed that I apologize, but if not: What are you filtering with?
3) Will you really be able to care for these Gar? Not to knock the "fish guys" that have been advising you but you might want to do a quick YouTube search so you can really visualize what these guys are, and if you think that there is some way around ( meaning that you wont have to deal with it) their eventual size...well you are right.
Two options:
A: Find a place to properly care for these creatures, much, much easier said than done btw (been there: Paroon Shark, Pacu).
B: The fish die.
Hope you upgrade soon (You might think Im crazy, but I would say at least a 180G), and get some established media to aid a true biological system. This is the only real solution I see for you if you keep the Gar(s).
Good luck,
Matt
CrystaliZed,
Sorry about #1 on my list. I had misread an earlier post of yours. I retract my statement.
Matt
Sorry about #1 on my list. I had misread an earlier post of yours. I retract my statement.
Matt
THD.... thanks for your input...
Yes... I understand I am overstocked... I would be willing to give my catfish to a store, but my bala sharks I am especially attached to.... it killed me when I was moving my 1, foot long shark one to the East coast and he died along the trip. And I had 2 Gars, but the one died this morning... I am unsure now as to what to do with this last one since yes, I realize I am WAY OVERSTOCKED...
2nd: I am using PURA Phosloc filter pads... if these aren't what's needed, will someone please list me something highly recommended...
The filter housings are the typical ones seen in a 55 gal. set up, the ones that have a tube that goes into the tank and sucks up into a housing sitting on the back ledge then flows off... Think Wisper 60's w/ the PURA Phosloc pads in 'em. I haven't moved to a more hefty means of filtering b/c I knew eventually I'd be moving up to a bigger tank & wanted to invest more in that one...
3rd: yes... a bigger tank is in the works... sometime w/i the next year... I wanted to do 150 gal at least...
Yes... I understand I am overstocked... I would be willing to give my catfish to a store, but my bala sharks I am especially attached to.... it killed me when I was moving my 1, foot long shark one to the East coast and he died along the trip. And I had 2 Gars, but the one died this morning... I am unsure now as to what to do with this last one since yes, I realize I am WAY OVERSTOCKED...
2nd: I am using PURA Phosloc filter pads... if these aren't what's needed, will someone please list me something highly recommended...
The filter housings are the typical ones seen in a 55 gal. set up, the ones that have a tube that goes into the tank and sucks up into a housing sitting on the back ledge then flows off... Think Wisper 60's w/ the PURA Phosloc pads in 'em. I haven't moved to a more hefty means of filtering b/c I knew eventually I'd be moving up to a bigger tank & wanted to invest more in that one...
3rd: yes... a bigger tank is in the works... sometime w/i the next year... I wanted to do 150 gal at least...
CrystaliZed,
As for a filter recommendation, I am a big Eheim fan. Never had any issue recommending an Ehiem. There are plenty of other good filters out there though, and less expensive (Fluval would be my second). You have to make a choice though, being that you will be upgrading fairly soon.
A) By a filter that is good for my current setup and later buy another filter after I upgrade. This is if money is tight at the moment, but you will likely spend more $$ in the long run.
B) Buy a filter that is way over powered for this system (this will help since you already have a heavy bio-load) and then use it for the bigger tank later.
For option "A" I would recommend an Eheim 2217 or equivalent. Later on, after you upgrade you could look into all the various types of filtration systems available and how to combine.
For option "B" I would recommend an Eheim 2260 or equivalent (Fluval FX-5 is one option). This is honestly a crazy amount of filtration for a 55g though...IMO.
If you want to go a bit more "on the cheap" I had good luck with Aqua Clear 500 HOB filters. Get at least two.
For heaters (if you need) I would go Ebo-Jager (and no, I dont work for Eheim, lol) or one of the stainless steal / titanium jammies. With big fish you need a durable, tough heater.
Also, start buying online if you haven't. Get your advise from the fish keeping community, not the people trying to sell you stuff (just my opinion, not knocking all you LFS workers out there).
Peace,
Matt
As for a filter recommendation, I am a big Eheim fan. Never had any issue recommending an Ehiem. There are plenty of other good filters out there though, and less expensive (Fluval would be my second). You have to make a choice though, being that you will be upgrading fairly soon.
A) By a filter that is good for my current setup and later buy another filter after I upgrade. This is if money is tight at the moment, but you will likely spend more $$ in the long run.
B) Buy a filter that is way over powered for this system (this will help since you already have a heavy bio-load) and then use it for the bigger tank later.
For option "A" I would recommend an Eheim 2217 or equivalent. Later on, after you upgrade you could look into all the various types of filtration systems available and how to combine.
For option "B" I would recommend an Eheim 2260 or equivalent (Fluval FX-5 is one option). This is honestly a crazy amount of filtration for a 55g though...IMO.
If you want to go a bit more "on the cheap" I had good luck with Aqua Clear 500 HOB filters. Get at least two.
For heaters (if you need) I would go Ebo-Jager (and no, I dont work for Eheim, lol) or one of the stainless steal / titanium jammies. With big fish you need a durable, tough heater.
Also, start buying online if you haven't. Get your advise from the fish keeping community, not the people trying to sell you stuff (just my opinion, not knocking all you LFS workers out there).
Peace,
Matt
CrystaliZed;4433432; said:
I would say the 180 due to the width. Not sure what the 150g you are looking at measures but my guess is that it is about 18" wide. 24" wide is a HUGE step up in terms of space for your fish and is well worth the extra money.
Matt
THD;4433501; said:
I want this story to have a happy ending and i believe you're doing the right things to correct the current problems but honestly, unless you're going to do water changes every other day, you should just get the filter you want to put on the next tank you're buying and put it on this tank.
Overfiltering is never bad but in this case, it's a necessity.
Side note..you had a 12 inch bala shark in a 12.5 inch tank?
