first I have kept fish for almost 20 years but I recently must have started doing something better than usual because I have had a population explosion, I know my tank is now overstocked so I am going to upgrade my 55 to a 125 asap but until I can, I doubled the filtration and I am doing water changes of 1/4 every other day, will this get me by until I can get a bigger tank in a few months or do I need to take more drastic measures. I know this method works for African Cichlid tanks that are overstocked to dissipate aggression, I have also added ammonia removing filter media into the canister filters. I don’t want to lose any fish if I can help it, thanks for any advice
Question about overstocked but going bigger soon
- Thread starter Willingtolearnmore
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Willingtolearnmore
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Usually performing 50% water changes are just fine as long as your current nitrate level is low, the new water you add is close to the tank temperature AND your tap (source) water is where it should be for the species of fish you are keeping. Also don't forget to add the appropriate amount of 'dechlor' product for the increased amount of water you change.
Can you provide more details on how many and what fish species are currently in your 55G tank?
Are you currently using buckets to change and add water or are you using a Python water changer or a hose?
Usually performing 50% water changes are just fine as long as your current nitrate level is low, the new water you add is close to the tank temperature AND your tap (source) water is where it should be for the species of fish you are keeping. Also don't forget to add the appropriate amount of 'dechlor' product for the increased amount of water you change.
Can you provide more details on how many and what fish species are currently in your 55G tank?
Are you currently using buckets to change and add water or are you using a Python water changer or a hose?
Hard to say without more information. Nitrate buildup in small quarters (solvable in part with water changes) is not the only reason for a larger tank. Hierarchies and dominance conflicts (such as those that develop over months) frequently result in fatalities or health issues, including death iof non-dominant fish. The ‘big tank’ (the 125g you look forward to have) will just be sufficient for a short time, putting you in the same situation shortly after. Better is to have a plan for the stock and their growth, and to apply it. Good luck!
I am using Prime to dechlorinate as it helps with ammonia as well and using a python, it’s a mixed Barb tank with 4 Rosy Barbs, 6 Tiger, 9 Cherry Barbs and fry, and 4 Silver Dollars that a friend had in a 5 gallon tank so I took the them off him and told him to get a betta, I know it’s not Ideal but I’m hoping with the daily water changes I can keep them alive until I get my 125 gallon
Just to double check since you are using a Python for water changes, are you dosing the entire tank volume rather than the amount of water changed?
Unless the Silver Dollars are adult size, I don't see that the 55G tank is over stocked.
Any chance your water company is using chloramine or has increased the amount of it due to local circumstances which may account for the ammonia you are seeing?
Unless the Silver Dollars are adult size, I don't see that the 55G tank is over stocked.
Any chance your water company is using chloramine or has increased the amount of it due to local circumstances which may account for the ammonia you are seeing?
The ammonia removing media is the wrong direction to have gone. The foundation of the nitrifying bacteria in a tank is ammonia. The ammonia oxidizing bacteria reproduce by dividing and if and how often they reproduce depends upon ammonia levels. When these increase beyond the needs of the ammonia bacteria currently present, they reproduce, On the other hand when the ammonia levels decline, they stop reproducing and their natural death rate results in a shrinkage of the colony. This works for the nitrite ones as well.
So, the more ammonia removing products used the more ammonia that is removed from the water, and thus, the less bacteria you will have over time. What you should have done, should it have been necessary, would be to add more viable bacteria to the tank in the form of either Dr. Tim's One and Only or Tetra's Safe Start. The next best thing to do would be to add live plants. They use ammonia faster than bacteria and do not make nitrite or nitrate. You can float most stem plants which are great nutrient users. If you font want a planted tank longer term, you can start to remove the plants when things are OK in the tank. Remove about 1/4 of them at a time over about 10 days. This allows the bacteria present to reproduce to handle the newly available ammonia.
You gave no readings on any of your parameters, so I am curious how high ammonia got before you decided you needed to take the steps which you did. Please include the pH and temp. of the tank at the time of the ammonia reading as these two parameters determine the potential toxicity of any ammonia reading taken with a kit that reads Total Ammonia. Most, hobby kits do this.
BTW- I breed plecos, and all the tanks (breeding or grow out) are usually overstocked because they always are filling up with new ones. I do not loose fish and I raise and send out healthy fish. My pleco tanks are not planted and they get one big water change weekly.
So, the more ammonia removing products used the more ammonia that is removed from the water, and thus, the less bacteria you will have over time. What you should have done, should it have been necessary, would be to add more viable bacteria to the tank in the form of either Dr. Tim's One and Only or Tetra's Safe Start. The next best thing to do would be to add live plants. They use ammonia faster than bacteria and do not make nitrite or nitrate. You can float most stem plants which are great nutrient users. If you font want a planted tank longer term, you can start to remove the plants when things are OK in the tank. Remove about 1/4 of them at a time over about 10 days. This allows the bacteria present to reproduce to handle the newly available ammonia.
You gave no readings on any of your parameters, so I am curious how high ammonia got before you decided you needed to take the steps which you did. Please include the pH and temp. of the tank at the time of the ammonia reading as these two parameters determine the potential toxicity of any ammonia reading taken with a kit that reads Total Ammonia. Most, hobby kits do this.
BTW- I breed plecos, and all the tanks (breeding or grow out) are usually overstocked because they always are filling up with new ones. I do not loose fish and I raise and send out healthy fish. My pleco tanks are not planted and they get one big water change weekly.
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Just to add to all the above, assuming you've not had a problem with ammonia, what is the highest you've seen your nitrate level at? High nitrate can be a product of what foods you feed and how much of these foods are added to the tank.
It's generally more effective to do larger water changes vs. smaller, more frequent ones. Most of us here don't do less than 50% changes and keep our stocking and feeding such that they don't need a 50% WC more than once a week.
It's generally more effective to do larger water changes vs. smaller, more frequent ones. Most of us here don't do less than 50% changes and keep our stocking and feeding such that they don't need a 50% WC more than once a week.
I have Pothos growing out from the top of the tank to help with nitrates, and I have never had any problems with algae, I don’t have a master test kit but ammonia is 1.5 and ph 6 I know assumptions can be wrong but I can only assume that due to never having a algae problem that I have kept my nitrates in check so far as I have read most algae blooms are caused by high nitrates in the water column.
I have pothos growing out the top of the tank and my ammonia levels are around 1.5-2, I will buy some safe start or some other bacteria culture to add to the tank thanks for the suggestion
The silver dollars are still juveniles and the water treatment I am using removes chlorine and chloramine I have just been taking preemptive measures in case of a ammonia and nitrate spike this is the tank btw
