dirty sand

[Japola44]

In my 55 gal i have sand as a substarte, and i can't seem to keep it clean. I first noticed it after my cray fish came about so i figured that its messy eating was the cause. I have done at least 3 pwc and vacumings sense his death and he is obviously not the cause. I can get the majority of it when vacuming but within a day or so its back. Its just these dark clumps in the sand. The only other thingi can think it is are left over from the occasional sinking pellets i feed my bichir or some kind of algea. I will get a pic up once my camera is charged. TIA

[TCTFish]

Test the water for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH. Let us know the results.

Do you know why the crayfish died?

It can be left over food and if this is the case you are feeding too much and may want to switch to a different food as well as cut back on food. I find pellet food to be very messy and weigh heavy in the substrate adding to rises in nitrate. Try changing to frozen food. The bicher would most likely appreciate the fresher meals...and BTW...that bicher will become strong enough to prey on it's tank mates. Gourami ala carte? Very possible...someday...

I notice you have a black ghost knife in a 20 gallon. FYI, As cool as these fish are, they get big. The biggest one I've seen was about two feet in length and it was an exceptional specimen. Even a 55 gallon becomes small. BGK are also nocturnal predators, but are fairly ill equipt to defend themselves. I've heard of them producing mild shocks, but it's all hearsay. I've often come across BGK that have been tortured to near death by fish. They often get nipped at because of their bottom fin seeming to appear like a tasty morsal to some. Their tails are also commonly attacked and then they become weakened from infected. These fish are best in a tank by themselves. They are incredible...especially when they are large adults. They are interesting to watch when they are hunting.

[Japola44]

Test the water for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and pH. Let us know the results.

my pH has begun to settle around 7.4 and everything tested at 0 except my nitrates that are at 10ppms

Do you know why the crayfish died?

The crayfish died, because i had him living in the 55 with the bichir and well he just became another snack. I got it as a present so I didnt have any where else to put him, i didnt want him beating up my BGK. so, the day i was going to put him in the new 5 gal i got for it my bichir got to him first

that bicher will become strong enough to prey on it's tank mates. Gourami ala carte? Very possible...someday...

I am giving one of the gouramis to a friend with a tank already set up, and moving the other to my 20 gal. Then i will move the platinum, also a gift, into the 55, and he will hopefully grow big enough to not become another meal. I make sure to keep my bichir well feed but not over fed just so he doesnt go fish hunting.

Try changing to frozen food

I do feed frozen foods, blood wormssometimes brine shrimp. I only use pellets in the morning before i go to school to feed my bichir even so i only put one or two in that he snatches up quite quickly. I am working on cutting back on how many pellets i give him.

I notice you have a black ghost knife in a 20 gallon. FYI, As cool as these fish are, they get big.

A novice mistake i made and i have sense learned. I am currently looking for a home for him. He was in my 55gal but was harrased and got his fins torn up and even a chunk tanken out of his tail. Poor lil guy. Well I treated him with melafix and is now all better and a happy little fish at that. Hopefully i will find this guy a home. It was a mistake to get him, but i am enjoying him for the mean time.

[Zagz]

I have a lot of fish and my tank gets that too, most of it for me is fish waste. You can tell when sucking it up with the vaccumm if it is waste from the fish or left over food. I used to get left over food but now I feed less and that has helped a lot!

[rippin17]

I used to get the dark clumps of sand although vaccuuming once or twice and its suddenly stopped occurring... i just considered it fish waste and didnt give it second thought. I am bad with overfeeding my fish which is why i have 5 bottom feeders. I have a common pleco, a gold nugget pleco, and a candy striped pleco along with 2 pictus catfish. So the food settling on the bottom is no longer an issue i have.

And yeah ghost knifes can get huge. I read an article not to long ago about how they have been introduced into the natural waterways in Florida by aquarists that no longer want them and they have become a nuisance. The picture they had on the site about it I believe they said the fish was almost 4 feet in length. Thats crazy. But anyway.

Try just vaccuuming it up and lessen the amount of food; see if the problem persists. Like i said it happened to me and this is what i did. Hopefully that will be of some help to you. Good luck!

[Japola44]

thanks for the advice. I would love to get a bottom feeder like a pleco but some one told me once they get big enough they will start sucking on the sides of my bicher and will damage its scales. I will just keep up on the vacuming, and hopefully i will find someone who will take in my BGK, if not maybe i can get the petstore to take him back :|