Extreemly Low ph in Aquarium

Question
Hi,

I had a 35gallon aquarium set up for over 10 years that started to leak.  One month ago I replaced it with a 55gallon tank using about 75% of the old water and the rest fresh water.  My Amonia levels went higher than the any chart reads (sorry don't have a number) after about 2 weeks the levels went normal (no amonia) so I took out the extra charcoal and amochips (left the appropriate amounts in) and within a few days the amonia spiked again.  It is now almost completely gone but some amonia still remains.  

I have 2 aquaclear 150 filters filled with only amochips and one foam, 2 airstones, 1 mini whisper filter filled only with charcoal, one filter that is rated for a 50 gallon aquarium with a sponge,charcoal and a nitrazorb bag, and an undergravel filter with two powerjets located half way up the height of the aquarium.

There are 2 parrot fish approx 5inches each, one geophagus 6inches, one green severum 6inches, one pleco 12 inches, one 1inch fruit tetra, one 2inch firemouth, one 4inch convic,5 one inch tigerbarbs, one 1inch yoyoloach, one 1inch keyhole, one 1inch kribensi, 3 one inch rams.

My ph level is 5.0. YIKES! I cannot for the life of me get it to go up.  One person tells me to take out 50% of the water and replace it daily and not to clean the gravel and the next tells me 50% water change and clean the gravel.  I use cycle (natural bacteria-the good kind) whenever I change the water as well as Amolock 2 as the chlorine & chloromine remover & stress coat.  In the nutrafin brochure it says that excess bacteria can cause the ph to drop.  Is that the good or the bad bacteria?  Am I adding too much natural bacteria?  I have added the 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt to every 5 gallons of exchanged water.  The smell from the aquarium is rather rank.  It smells like overheated alge but there isn't any.  The water itself doesn't smell per se but the smell is comming from the tank, not elsewhere. I am very causious about overfeeding.  My fish tend to consume everything within about 3 minutes of feeding.  The tap water reads at a ph of 7.2.  I don't have a nitrate test kit.  Only amonia and ph.

Any suggestions.  My fish are dying off.

Thanks.

Colleen

Answer
Hi Colleen;

The tank is way overcrowded and will only get worse as the fish grow to their adult size....if they make it through this. The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon. Many of the fish you have don't follow the "one inch per gallon" rule because they get so big. That rule is meant for fish that only get up to 3 inches. Imagine a 12 inch oscar in a 12 gallon tank. It just doesn't work.

Immediately make a 25% water change and do one every day for the next week, lightly vacuuming the gravel. This will slowly raise the pH without stressing them while lowering the ammonia as well and getting any solid waste off the bottom. After that, change 25% twice a week until the ammonia/pH problem is under control. The low pH is killing off the beneficial bacteria that is trying to establish itself in the filter. Do not change any of the filter media for 4 weeks. Every time you do that it removes the beneficial bacteria that has been able to grow and throws it all back into a 'new tank syndrome' situation. If the filter becomes plugged up, gently rinse the media out in a container of tank water to preserve as much of the bacteria colonies as possible. Don't bother with the ammonia inserts. I would replace that with foam. In order to achieve a permanent cure to the ammonia problem you have to let the bacteria take care of it. The ammonia removers only delay the process further by making it unavailable to the beneficial bacteria. Carbon use is of little value as well. The space it uses in the filter is better utilized with another foam block. In 5 days the carbon has absorbed everything it is going to absorb because the pores are full. It could become a good place for bacteria to grow and help the system, but foam is easier to clean. Besides, the manufacturers say to change the carbon every so often and that removes beneficial bacteria. I use foam and bio-balls or ceramic beads in my filters. Depends on the brand and what the filter will hold. I haven't used carbon or ammonia inserts for a couple of years. My fish are healthy and happy. So much less expensive to maintain too.

Here is a list of your fish and current size vs. how big they will get;

Fish             current size       potential size

Parrots          5"                 8" to 10"
Geophagus        6"                 9"
Green Severum    6"                 7" to 8"
Plecostomus      12"                up to 17"
Fruit Tetra      1"                 2"
Firemouth        2"                 6" to 7"
Convict          4"                 7"
Tiger Barbs      1"                 2.5" to 3"
Yoyo Loach       1"                 4"
Keyhole Cichlid  1"                 4"
Kribensis        1"                 4"
Rams             1"                 3" to 3.5"

Adding up the fish you have at their current size is a total of 52". If you calculate them properly at their prospective adult size, even on the low end they are a whopping 73.5 inches. That will simply never do. This tank is headed for tragedy even worse than you have now. Just so you know, it is a myth that fish only grow to the size of their aquarium. It isn't any different than putting a kitten in a shoe box and expecting it to stay small all it's life. It's pretty miserable, makes them weak and it shortens their life span considerably. The only permanent solutions for the rest of the fish are to get a bigger tank like a 60 or 75 gallon, get a second tank and/or find new homes for many of them.

You should get the population down by keeping only 2 of the bigger fish and maybe 5 or 6 of the smaller ones that stay 3 inches or less. The plecostomus really needs a 100 gallon tank or larger. He could easily starve to death in a small tank like this. He will then begin eating the other fish. Once the system stabilizes, it would be better to have a smaller variety instead. Bristlenose, rubberlip, clown are all smaller varieties that get about 6 to 8 inches.

I hope you have not taken offense to any of my comments. I would much rather "give it to you straight" than have you continue on frustrated and with sick fish all the time. Not to mention sick and/or eaten fish. I really think that is coming next in your tank. You will soon see the larger types feeding on the one-inch guys you have in there, if it hasn't happened already. I'm really surprised they are still alive. I hope thins get better for them soon.........

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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