Nitrates

[7Enigma]

The planted tank has little to do with it, you are just plain overstocked. It will help to remove some of the nitrAte, but that is what PWC's are for. I do a 50% PWC in my planted tank for what its worth.

You need to use the old foam bar, that will be a large portion of your bacteria when adding the new biomax beads. Putting in a new foam bar on top of the new bio-max would surely make your cycle VERY bad.

We generally frown upon using chemical treatments for various preventable issues. The Microbe Lift would fall into the category of chemicals we do not care for.

I think you also need to think about getting rid of at least one of your fish. Preferably the clown loach since it is still very young. They can get as large as your sharks, and you already have a bioload that is most likely too much for your tank (or require very frequent large PWC's).

Plants are a good option but that brings a whole new area of study and care. And for any realistic impact in your tank you would need heavy planting with fast growers, and then you risk deficiencies and algae.

 

[squeekness]

I really need to get rid of the sharks, actually. They are much too big. That is a 110 gallon and they are nearly two feet long each. The trouble is I wouldn't know where to pass them on to and I do feel responsible for them. If I gave them away and to someone who promptly killed them with mishandling, I would feel terribly bad. I've had them for about 10 years now. It's like giving away your dog....

Are you sure a clown loach will get that big? I've never seen one bigger than 5 or so inches.

I bought the biomax insert and left the old, big foam bar in there for now. I wouldn't have replaced the old foam bar and put in the biomax at the same time anyhow. I may replace the foam bar in a couple of weeks once the biomax has settled in. According to the box, it says the biomax should be replaced entirely every three months. Do you do that or just keep using the old one over and over? I know they want you to replace the foam bar often but I never saw the point of that, it's not like they fall apart or anything...

 

[squawkbert]

IMHO - you're overstocked.

You need less fish or a larger tank.
Barring that, you need to
-introduce some java moss or duckweed under a nice light (plecos won't eat it, it can float, they consume nitrates) and
-do more frequent PWCs. Keep upping the #gallons changed and frequency until you start to keep nitrates under 20 or 30 ppm

plants alone aren't a cure for anything but the NO3 problem (you've still got a prodigious stream of fish poop in there).

PS - Carbon doesn't do much of anything after it has been in there a couple of weeks, and it never alters NO2 or NO3 levels. Bacteria convert NH3 to NO2 and they convert NO2 to NO3. In a tank w/o plants, NO3 just builds up unless an adequate PWC schedule is established.

 

[squeekness]

Thanks, squawkbert. Guess it's a good thing I bought that python. It's going to get a lot of use.

 

[squawkbert]

Yep. Don't forget the Prime ($4.99/250mL, BigAl's right now).

 

[squeekness]

The prime? Are you speaking of dechlorinator? I can get that locally.....

I Googled Java Moss and it sounds like it could be of some assistance to me. I read more good things than bad about it. With all of my nitrates, lol, I don't see why it wouldn't thrive.

 

[7Enigma]

I really need to get rid of the sharks, actually. They are much too big. That is a 110 gallon and they are nearly two feet long each. The trouble is I wouldn't know where to pass them on to and I do feel responsible for them.

Find a local aquarist group and contact them. There are some people that have large tanks that would love some Irr. sharks that size. They might even pay YOU for them.

Are you sure a clown loach will get that big? I've never seen one bigger than 5 or so inches.

I've never seen them in person but a quick goggle search shows they can get to 16" or so, and I've heard they are relatively fast growers.

According to the box, it says the biomax should be replaced entirely every three months. Do you do that or just keep using the old one over and over? I know they want you to replace the foam bar often but I never saw the point of that, it's not like they fall apart or anything...

Keep the old one. I've had it now for over a year with no signs of it falling apart. You do need to be MUCH easier with it. Don't crunch it together like you would with a sponge during cleaning. I just roll it in my hand lightly under the water. Truth be told, there is very little if any junk in it since large particles are caught first in the foam pad (what normally clogs and requires a cleaning), and most small things just pass right through.

Right now I have sponge--->ceramic media---->sponge. I'll be soon switching to filter floss before the ceramic media to give an even finer level of filtration prior to the ceramic media which should prevent it from ever getting dirty (and I really have no use for a second foam sponge after the ceramic media). Then it will be sponge----->filter floss----->ceramic media. Honestly though I could probably run virtually without a filter and not have problems. I have a lot of plants and have CO2 and dose ferts so I almost want to experiment without a filter for a day or two, but don't want to risk it. At night the fish are still producing waste (much less than the day though), and the plants won't help then.

 

[squeekness]

I did a Google search on loaches and they said that while they CAN reach 16 inches, they rarely get to more than 8 in captivity. They also said they like to school and I alas, have only one. -sigh- I am certianly not going to add any more fish to my tank. I have enough trouble as it is.

 

[7Enigma]

I did a Google search on loaches and they said that while they CAN reach 16 inches, they rarely get to more than 8 in captivity. They also said they like to school and I alas, have only one. -sigh- I am certianly not going to add any more fish to my tank. I have enough trouble as it is.

Things that create stunted growth are cramped quarters, poor diet, and poor water quality. Right now your tank comprises all 2 of the 3 (I would increase the food variety a bit). I would take the loach back and start looking for a new home for the Irr. Sharks. Sharks as a species tend to have long lives, do you know how long they can live on average in captivity?

 

[MyCatsDrool]

have you considered contacting a public aquarium about taking in the sharks?

 

[squeekness]

There isn't much around me, there is a zoo in Providence, RI. I have to laugh. I recall seeing these huge Oscars there and thinking some poor slob probably dumped them on the zoo because they got too big to feed. I thought that would never happen to me, but it did anyhow. My LFS guy said that IRR sharks get up to three feet, but rarely more than two in captivity. They probably aren't going to get any bigger but they are big enough already. I don't know of any local aquarist groups.

I have no idea how long the sharks live, but I read a comment from a gal who had a pair that were 18 years old and still going strong. - le sigh- Mine are about 10.

I put some java moss in the tank and so far it's been a bit of mess. I used fishing line to tie it one of my rocks, but the sharks when they swim, push so much water that they are shredding the moss with their tails and it's getting everywhere. I've been pulling it out of the filter intakes all morning. Grr. I ended grabbing what I could and putting it in a mesh bag that I use for charcoal. I put a hunk of rock in there in the hopes the moss will cling to it enough that hopefully later I can have it loose in the tank. I don't care if I have to rip up the mesh bag later. (One guy said he had to do that to get it started) But I wonder if my sharks are just going to be too violent with it and it's all going to just end up in the filters later.

EDIT: I changed my mind and took the moss and the rocks from the bag and put it instead in a large pitcher with tank water in it. Another guy from Google said he had good luck with that. And I wouldn't have to cut it out of the mesh after.

 

[squeekness]

Well the water changes are helping. Today, after my latest water change, my nitrates were in the "safe range" for the first time, at around 50ppm. Not great but much, much better than they were. Having the python is a big help. I changed 30% of my water in about half an hour. I don't miss my buckets. At all.