Good decision???

saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
Yesterday I took my water to my LFS to be tested and everything was fine except Nitrates. They were in the bluish phase, but not baby/sky blue like it was suppose to be. She suggested that I buy the biggest bottle of Cycle and dump in all in my tank. She said that you cant OD on it and that it is all good bacteria. Well, I bought and dumped the bottle. I didnt stay at home lastnight , but when I got here this morning, all my fish were breathing really hard like they just ran a 500m race. Is this something that will go away? Is it happening because the Nitrate is going back down? HELP!!!!!
 
S

sebae0

Guest
its certainly not happening because the trates are going down, and cycle won't get rid of trates either. all cycle will do is supposedly add bacteria to aid in the nitrogen process which will actually make the trates go higher. to reduce trates you should try a water change, use a good skimmer, have lots of live rock, a deep sand bed, all of these aid in natural reduction of trates. reducing the feeding also helps, excess waste and food contributes to nitrates.
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
I would immediately do a major water change. Many times LFS guidance on proper use of bottled medicines or substance bought is not always 100% accurate although well intentioned.
WHen you say that nitrate was a bit high, what was the actual reading? It seems like you have a FOWLR tank w/ a heavy load of fish which may be causing the increased nitrate level? How often do you preform water changes? Do you have L/S or cc as substrate?
Things that come out of the bottle can only provide temporary relief. The root cause needs to be dealt with or the condition will continue. In addition, while we all strive for zero readings, a FOWLR can tolerate a low level of nitrates.
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
I guess I need to go do a water change, right now. I have sand at the bottom of my tank. It is not Live Sand though. I removed about 40lbs of LR yesterday to give the sharks extra space. I cant imagine what is making them spaz out. All the water levels were fine except nitrate.
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
Good luck w/ the water change.
When you get a chance, be sure to fill us in on the rest of the answers to questiones asked so we can help further. Also let us know how they look after the water change. Keep in mind that even dead sand will turn live over time. How long has the tank been up and running? Well never mind about answering these questions now.....chat w/ you soon.
 
maroonclownfan

maroonclownfan

Member
Sharks are messy and in a small tank, in this case 90 gal., I would expect the nitrates to be constantly high. You need to find a way to export those nutrients such as, frequent water changes or maybe a protein skimmer.
Aren't two sharks cramped in a 90 gal?? It only 4 ft long, doesn't seem like a lot of swimming room. IMO a 90 gal is too small for sharks, they need to be constantly swimming for proper oxygen intake.
JM $0.02.......MCF
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
Thanks for all the info, guys. My tank has been up for over a year. One of the sharks is a Remora. He is really small. Shoulnt even be considered a shark.
 
maroonclownfan

maroonclownfan

Member
Your tank has a big bio-load with the shark and eel.
Like I said before more frequent water changes and a protein skimmer might help out w/ the nitrates.
I personally try to stay away from using any kind of chemicals, they can often mask the problem, and maybe cause new ones, the LFS never should have given you the advice they did.
Good luck.....MCF
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
He does have a prizm skimmer and really good filtration. I too believe it may be waste produced from a heavily stocked tank but will reserve judgement until he has a chance to answer the questions posted.
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
Flame, I am not sure of the exact reading, but all I can tell you is that the colors had about 5 steps, where 1 was the best and my tank was about 3. It was still blue-hadnt turned purple yet. The sharks have only been in my tank for two days now. They havent eaven eaten that much to cause a big load of waste. I am going to go buy more sand today to make the bottom layer a bit thicker. I did the water change and I have my powerheads blowing air into the tank at full blast.
 
maroonclownfan

maroonclownfan

Member
Sorry about the oversight on the protein skimmer.
IMO, I would stop running the bubbles, this may be causing stress in your fish. Instead point one of your power heads towards the surface to aggitate the top of the water. This will provide all the gas exchange you need.
MCF
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I suppose this may seem harsh, but, IMO, your tank is WAY overstocked. Taking LR out is a bad thing to have to do, and I am not pleased that your LFS sold you something like a shark to that size tank and apparently without checking your water before selling it.
As mentioned, cycle will do nothing for nitrates, and there is no reason whatsoever to add it to an established tank, IMO...if it is properly stocked and established, there shouldn't be ammonia or nitrite present (which would indicate the need for more biological filtration).
Removing LR may very well have caused trouble...you removed biological filtration at the same time you added two more (big) mouths. I would buy your own water test kits, learn about them. Keep a log, test the water often, especially with the type of fish you keep! Unfortunately, there are many out there, and many turn different colors, and it is hard to know what is going on. Do they use drops or powders to test water?
How much, how often, and what do you feed?
I STRONGLY encourage you to return that remora ASAP. Like YESTERDAY. If it is a remora, indeed, it is not a shark at all, but will be BIG and MEAN MEAN MEAN. Will quite possible end up stressing all the other fish to death, if the lunare (aka lunatic) wrasse doesn't do it first, followed by the squirrelfish (another aggressive big eater). You have a lot of active fish in a small tank. I've had experience with remoras in a 40,000g tank, and they were eventually removed from there because they were killing things and attacking the diver (me!)!
How big is the cat shark, and when are you getting a bigger tank? :)
Definitely water changes (regularly...IMO, at least 15% twice a month, perhaps more). Watch feedings. Trade some things in. Set up a refugium system to export nitrates.
 
maroonclownfan

maroonclownfan

Member
I have to agree with Ophiura....that is alot of BIG fish for a relatively small tank.
Maybe you should think about giving something up.
Remoras really have no place in typical home aquarium. Its one thing for a remora in the ocean to tag along with a shark, but in a 4 ft aquarium I doubt it is a good idea. Not to mention the stress on the other fish.
Hope it works out......also that banded cat shark will eventually get almost as long as your tank. Are you going to upgrade??/
MCF
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
Yes, it is a Remora. He attaches himself to the top of my Cat Shark. I feed just a little bit daily. I put just enough food for the fish to eat. I dont put lots of it to where it is all over the bottom. The Remora sucks down Silversides and the Cat eats them off a stick. I tried getting that Wrasse out but he keeps hiding in the rocks. I dont want to remove them to get him out, but best believe he is coming out. The cat is about 6 inches. I will eventually upgrade to a 125, but no time soon. The test kits they used was drops, not powder.
 
scotts

scotts

Active Member
SF,
I go to a lfs that has a chemical for any problem that came up. After I found this board I stopped adding the chemicals and following the advice of the people here. All of my problems, including my hair algae, are clearing up. My tank is looking better and I am not spending $15 for this bottle and $20 for that bottle.
Scott
 
saltfisher

saltfisher

Member
Scotts, I have gotten wonderful advice from this site. The only reason I bought that $13 bottle was because they said it would help and was almost instant. This FS is huge and known all over the midwest so I fugured they knew what they were talking about.
 
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