High Ammonia In My Brackish Tank

[kanzaris]

Hi All

Got a big problem in my brackish Tank. Just noticed that things are floating about in my tank. Checked the external filter (FX 5 Fluvel) and it is completely blocked up. Done an ammonia test and a nitrite test and they are perfect but when I done the nitrate test it is sky high. This has come as a surprise as I always keep my eye on it. Husband says I overfeed. (all the food is eaten within 3 min) Cleaned the filter in tank water of course and done a water change. Any other tips? And how will my fish cope? I have got 4 shark cats, 7 Monos, 1 Archer. Toadfish and 1 GSP. I know the GSP is sensitive to poor water quality.

Any advise

Sabby

 

[nmonks]

Is it the ammonia or the nitrAte that's high? The title to this question doesn't seem to mesh with your message here.

If it's high nitrates, all you can is perform water changes. I wouldn't worry too much until the nitrates are at 100 mg/l except perhaps with the pufferfish, but even then, this is a long term issue rather than something that is going to kill the fish in a day or two. Nitrate remover is always an option but it's expensive and not all that effective in big tanks with big fish unless you use *masses* of the stuff.

Cutting back the food is another solution, but so is switching to a low-protein option. The frozen bloodworms in my freezer contain 6% protein, whereas flake is around 30%, so feeding the same amount of bloodworms as flake will put 1/5th the protein in the aquarium and thus end up with only 1/5th the nitrate. Fish need a trivially small amount of protein per day, something like 1% body mass, so we all probably overfeed our fish.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[kanzaris]

Is it the ammonia or the nitrAte that's high? The title to this question doesn't seem to mesh with your message here.

If it's high nitrates, all you can is perform water changes. I wouldn't worry too much until the nitrates are at 100 mg/l except perhaps with the pufferfish, but even then, this is a long term issue rather than something that is going to kill the fish in a day or two. Nitrate remover is always an option but it's expensive and not all that effective in big tanks with big fish unless you use *masses* of the stuff.

Cutting back the food is another solution, but so is switching to a low-protein option. The frozen bloodworms in my freezer contain 6% protein, whereas flake is around 30%, so feeding the same amount of bloodworms as flake will put 1/5th the protein in the aquarium and thus end up with only 1/5th the nitrate. Fish need a trivially small amount of protein per day, something like 1% body mass, so we all probably overfeed our fish.

Cheers,

Neale

Hi Neale

It is the Nitrate that is high it is about 100 mg/l

I only feed frozen food. Bloodworms, brine shrimp, Mysis, prawns etc.

The Monos are so greedy I always worry that the other fish don't get any food.

Thanks

Sabby

 

[nmonks]

Monos are just amazing at getting food! I sympathise with your problem here.

100 mg/l nitrate isn't good, but it shouldn't cause any serious problems in the short term.

Perhaps the best thing to do is work out food items that some fish will eat the others won't. Have you tried frozen peas? Some fish will eat them, including puffers. If you can find stuff that the puffer and the cats will eat, but not the monos, maybe you can reduce the nitrates a little. Anything in a shell should be mono-proof.

Cheers,

Neale

It is the Nitrate that is high it is about 100 mg/l

I only feed frozen food. Bloodworms, brine shrimp, Mysis, prawns etc.

The Monos are so greedy I always worry that the other fish don't get any food.

 

[kanzaris]

Monos are just amazing at getting food! I sympathise with your problem here.

100 mg/l nitrate isn't good, but it shouldn't cause any serious problems in the short term.

Perhaps the best thing to do is work out food items that some fish will eat the others won't. Have you tried frozen peas? Some fish will eat them, including puffers. If you can find stuff that the puffer and the cats will eat, but not the monos, maybe you can reduce the nitrates a little. Anything in a shell should be mono-proof.

Cheers,

Neale

It is the Nitrate that is high it is about 100 mg/l

I only feed frozen food. Bloodworms, brine shrimp, Mysis, prawns etc.

The Monos are so greedy I always worry that the other fish don't get any food.

Hi Neale

My Monos even steal the prawns out of my big Catfishes mouth.
How would the Nitrate affect the fish? My Puffer is happily swimming about and looking for food. I have noticed that the fish have been flicking against the sand for the last few days.

Thanks again
Sabby

 

[nmonks]

Puffers seem to flick against the sand periodically anyway, maybe like dogs having a good scratch... but flicking can also be a sign of a water quality problem. So long as the puffer is otherwise normal, I wouldn't be alarmed in the short term, and think more about how to feed less (or at least feed specific fish more directly) and/or do more water changes. If you're short of salt, putting a bit less in for one or two water changes will cause zero problems so long as the SG doesn't swing dramatically. Going 2 or 3 points on the SG scale (e.g. 1.012 down to 1.010) is fine (usually). None of your fish will object to a lower salinity for a week or two.

Cheers,

Neale

My Monos even steal the prawns out of my big Catfishes mouth.
How would the Nitrate affect the fish? My Puffer is happily swimming about and looking for food. I have noticed that the fish have been flicking against the sand for the last few days.