Help a rookie?

[Sidgenicroskin]

I started three f/w tanks about 5 weeks ago. A 30 gal with blue crayfish and some fire shrimps; a 55 gal with two bala sharks, a pleco, and 5 cichlids; and a 75 gal with 4 red belly piranhas. All were cycled and showed fantastic chemistry the first few weeks. Everyone is growing/molting/eating/etc. The crayfish/shrimps' tank is fine. But the other two are beginning to show higher levels of ammonia. I am having to do water changes every week (sometimes twice a week). I clean out all their poop/old food each time. All fishees are still movin' and groovin' just fine. But I'm a little concerned about solving this problem at the source... before the levels start to creep up. Any advice from you Jedi masters would be deeply appreciated.

Very respectfully,
Sid

 

[Mr. Nowhere]

I started three f/w tanks about 5 weeks ago. A 30 gal with blue crayfish and some fire shrimps; a 55 gal with two bala sharks, a pleco, and 5 cichlids; and a 75 gal with 4 red belly piranhas. All were cycled and showed fantastic chemistry the first few weeks. Everyone is growing/molting/eating/etc. The crayfish/shrimps' tank is fine. But the other two are beginning to show higher levels of ammonia. I am having to do water changes every week (sometimes twice a week). I clean out all their poop/old food each time. All fishees are still movin' and groovin' just fine. But I'm a little concerned about solving this problem at the source... before the levels start to creep up. Any advice from you Jedi masters would be deeply appreciated.

Very respectfully,
Sid

Chances are you didn't cycle your tank if you did what they told you at the fish store. Cycling your Tank takes about a month building up benoficial bacteria in your filter

look up fish in cycling.

 

[labpig]

Check u don't have a dead fish lying somewhere
But then again, if it was fully cycled, this should just produced high nitrates

Just a thought