Ammonia

[TCool]

I can fix your ammonia issues right now. Get rid of the bala sharks (those are bala's right?, kinda tough to tell in your pic). They are already (IMO) outgrown for your tank size and they will grow to larger than any of our biggest tanks can house. They are beautiful fish but should not be sold in the aquarium trade (we're talking suitable only for pond/lake in climates that don't get cold).

I'll have to do some thinking about this. I've had these fish for quite a few years, and they never seemed to cause ammonia issues in the past. As far as ammonia goes, I'm not going to let that be the reason (at this point) for getting rid of some fish I've had for years because I truly believe that is not the problem. I mean, I screwed up and destroyed my cycle, so it makes perfect sense that I have ammonia issues at this point. The rate at which the ammonia in my tank has been increasing does seem to be slowing, so that is a good sign. So I'll be keeping an eye on that.

That being said, since I've started learning more about my tank I've learned I have a few fish that would be much better off in a bigger tank (my silver tipped sharks and pleco are much bigger than the Balas). But, I'm not sure what to do with them. I could take them to a LFS and hope they'd take them, but based on what I've seen at the ones in my area they're probably better off with me in a tank that is too small. I haven't really seen anything bigger than a 20 or 30 gallon set up in these stores, and half the fish look absolutely horrible. So, I think that gets rid of that option.

Also, I don't know anyone with a bigger tank than I have in the area. So, as of right now, the option of giving them away to someone else is out also.

I almost had my dad convinced to build himself a 2,000 gallon tank. So, if I ever happen to be successful doing that, then I'll have a new home for my big fish. Keep your fingers crossed I can convince him.