wondering

[clueless30]

just wondering, if you were to do nothing to the water in a 4foot tank, something like 300lt, put in about 4 to 6 fish, how long would it take for the ammonia and nitrite levels to rise.
im new to all this and am just worried about not knowing weather i have enough good bacteria in the tank

also the other day i did a 1/3rd water change and then my two silver sharks died for no reason, other than shock maybe, only problem is i still cant find 1 of them, searched the tank for an hour and no sign of him.any ideas.

 

[clutterydrawer]

I don't know how long it would take to rise, but if you do it, test your water every day so you can do a water change if the ammonia/nitrate levels get too high.

A good way to make sure you have sufficient bacteria in your tank is to add some filter media/ gravel from an established tank if you can.

How big was the shark did you actually see it die? could it have jumped from the tank when you weren't looking?

 

[Teelie]

Silvers are also Blackfin or Colombians right? Those eventually turn Brackish and by adult are full saltwater fish though they can be gradually adjusted to freshwater for short periods and brackish for longer.

The shark may well have jumped the tank. Might want to look around it before it starts to smell too.

As to the cycling time, no idea but I would let it cycle before adding more fish if possible.

 

[clueless30]

the sharks were only about 3 inches long, so still babys to me, and no i searched all around the tank and the filter

now i worried that he will cause other problems in my tank, sounds bad, but a dead fish will rot, or will the other fish eat him, i have 2 clown loaches and 2 pearl gourami

 

[Teelie]

Oh and something else I forgot. Those are schooling fish, they grow to over a foot in length and should be in groups of 3 or more so you're looking at maybe 50-75 gallons/189-283 liters for them. Fortunately you have room for them but not much else. They are semi-aggressive.

The Clowns are the same though not as aggressive or brackish, they still need to be in 3 or more and have the same amount of space. If the other fish eat it in time then the ammonia spike won't be so bad but you don't want to risk it.

You have to look at adult sizes even if you're buying them as smaller fish. They don't grow to the size of their tank or any other nonsense like that so you have to look at the long run for these guys.

Have you looked under all the decorations? Taken them out or shaken them good in the water? Depending on the type of filter you have, it might have somehow ended up in that as well.

 

[Katie]

have you looked outside of the tank maybe down the back if it's on a stand. could've jumped out the holes for wires. one of my frogs did that once. rescued it in time tho. lol

 

[clueless30]

took out anything it could hide in, moved all the plants, and look around everything else, not on floor, not in filter, just gone.

 

[Teelie]

Strange. I've heard of Plecos vanishing like this but they're thinner and flatter than most fish so it's easy for them to get into weird places and hide. Do you have any cats or dogs? Animals that might have eaten or otherwise taken off with the fish? Or younger brothers/sisters or if you're old enough, children?

 

[Katie]

maybe your fish already ate it? of the other shark could've had it before it died itself??!
don't know about your fish so wouldn't take my word for it. lol

 

[clueless30]

i was at the tank with 3 other adults and we saw the first one die, the second one shot off to the left and we never saw him again, its been 2 days. no kids around, no pets either
just weird.
just hope it doesnt cause any water problems

 

[SirMinion]

When a Brit refers to a 'Silver Shark' - it's what Americans call a 'Bala Shark'

 

[clueless30]

thanks, ill try to remember that, and im an aussie

 

[Teelie]

Too many common names get interchanged. Too bad there's no way to get a standard going so we're all on the same page as to what fish we're talking about.