[Mikey1973]

Well have had my tank set up for a few weeks. Water was good so I decided to go with white tip sharks. Of course after seeing these guys at a LFS and a talk with the owner I got 2. They seem to be doing great so far. My only issue is... My water test..
50 Gal tank
Penguin 350 filter
Ammonia...0 PPM
Nitrites.. 5 ppm
Nitrate.. 10 ppm
pH....... 6.8
Sand Substrate
Temp 82 F
2 plants


Now going with what the LFS guy told me ( and reading about the sharks), I also started dosing salt (using one tbs per 5 gal) in the tank and thats when my numbers started changing. I am using a API FW Liquid test. So wouldn't salt increase my pH and why have my Nitrites/Nitrates gone up? They were perfect for a week before I added the new fish. I also have a Rubber Lip Pleco in the tank as well. I love these sharks and am planning on some other upper level fish for the tank soon. Just ant to try to figure out why the jump so fast. Also exactly how long after a water change should you test your water for everything to mix up? So any words of wisdom? I have been doing 10 gal water changes every other day.

 

[jaysee]

Did you happen to read how they grow to over 12 inches?
Many fish do not tolerate salt well, so should you decided to add more fish, keep that in mind. Plecos generally don't do well with salt.
Also, 82 is way too warm.

Depending on the water conditioner, you may need to wait 24 hours to test.

 

[Byron]

Agree, you are going to have some big problems fairly soon with the so-called sharks. Assuming this fish is Ariopsis seemanni, here is some data from Planet Catfish.
Ariopsis seemanni • Ariidae • Cat-eLog
It notes that young fish must have alkaline water, and older must have brackish. As your water is acidic, this is not going to be good for the fish, and the brackish is not possible for the other fish mentioned. You should either return the sharks, or the other fish. But remember the "sharks" get 13+ inches so a 5-foot tank is minimum.

To the other numbers, nitrites at 5 cannot be accurate; the fish would all be dead at that high a nitrite level. Though ironically, the salt can benefit nitrites. But that is not the way to go.

When the fish are sorted out, and fast for their sake, we can discuss the related issues.

Byron.

 

[Mikey1973]

update

Ok rehomed the sharks.. water changed and retested today and everything is back to normal. someone should tell the place I got them from grow larger then 6 inches and a 48" tank is to short. I agree I could be wrong on the scientific name. they just had them marked as Black fin Sharks. So I did some picture looking on another forum for catfish.
API Test readings today are as follows.
Ammonia...0ppm
Nitrates.. 0ppm
Nitrites... 0pp,
pH.. 7.2
Temp. 82F.

 

[Byron]

Ok rehomed the sharks.. water changed and retested today and everything is back to normal. someone should tell the place I got them from grow larger then 6 inches and a 48" tank is to short. I agree I could be wrong on the scientific name. they just had them marked as Black fin Sharks. So I did some picture looking on another forum for catfish.
API Test readings today are as follows.
Ammonia...0ppm
Nitrates.. 0ppm
Nitrites... 0pp,
pH.. 7.2
Temp. 82F.

A wise decision, thank you for being responsible with the fish. This is what we all like to read.:-D

Common names are often very confusing, especially with lesser-known fish. I mean, "Neon Tetra" is pretty obvious as to the fish species Paracheirodon innesi, but with less common species, the "common" name is often one that is made up by the supplier to sell the fish, or by the store. I have had store owners tell me they will change "common" names just to make the fish more appealing to customers.

The numbers are good too. But the temp is quite high for most fish... do you still have the rubber lip pleco? This may be the species Chaetostoma milesi, L187a. Sources vary on the size, from 4 up to 7 inches. But it does require a good water current. Many other fish will not manage in such flow, so keep that in mind. And definitely lower the temperature. Somewhere around 77-78F is sufficient. The higher the temperature, the less oxygen is in the water (this is especially important for fish from faster-flowing streams which naturally contain more oxygen) and the fish has to work harder the higher the temperature which means even more oxygen.

Byron.

 

[Mikey1973]

A wise decision, thank you for being responsible with the fish. This is what we all like to read.:-D

Common names are often very confusing, especially with lesser-known fish. I mean, "Neon Tetra" is pretty obvious as to the fish species Paracheirodon innesi, but with less common species, the "common" name is often one that is made up by the supplier to sell the fish, or by the store. I have had store owners tell me they will change "common" names just to make the fish more appealing to customers.

The numbers are good too. But the temp is quite high for most fish... do you still have the rubber lip pleco? This may be the species Chaetostoma milesi, L187a. Sources vary on the size, from 4 up to 7 inches. But it does require a good water current. Many other fish will not manage in such flow, so keep that in mind. And definitely lower the temperature. Somewhere around 77-78F is sufficient. The higher the temperature, the less oxygen is in the water (this is especially important for fish from faster-flowing streams which naturally contain more oxygen) and the fish has to work harder the higher the temperature which means even more oxygen.

Byron.

Yes still have the RLP Tested water again today.
API Test readings today are as follows.
Ammonia...0ppm
Nitrates.. 0ppm
Nitrites... 0ppm
pH.. 7.2
Temp. 82F.
I have the heater set on 74f, it was set at 78F. As far as current, my filter does a good job of moving water and oxygenating the tank. The one thing I do not like about the filter is it does keep the water cloudy with air bubbles. Went to a better LFS store today and talked to him about my issues as well. He also can not figure out why the salt messed up my test readings. But also agrees that doing the recommended dose was probably way to much. He said just a light pinch in a tank my size is all he would use, however steering clear of the salt due to the RLP. Plus looking at some Cory's and I know 0 salt tolerance. Now thinking I can go back to my original idea of Cichlids in my tank.

​

 

[Mikey1973]

... do you still have the rubber lip pleco? This may be the species Chaetostoma milesi, L187a. Sources vary on the size, from 4 up to 7 inches. But it does require a good water current. Many other fish will not manage in such flow, so keep that in mind. And definitely lower the temperature. Somewhere around 77-78F is sufficient. The higher the temperature, the less oxygen is in the water (this is especially important for fish from faster-flowing streams which naturally contain more oxygen) and the fish has to work harder the higher the temperature which means even more oxygen.

Byron.

Well from looking at PC the closest looking is the: L187B, L444, Blonde Bulldog Pleco, Blonde Rubber Pleco, Blonde Rubbernose Pleco, Striped Bulldog Pleco, Striped Rubber Pleco, Striped Rubbernose Pleco..
I will try to get a better picture when he/she comes out of hiding. It likes to stay behind my filter intake.

 

[Byron]

Well from looking at PC the closest looking is the: L187B, L444, Blonde Bulldog Pleco, Blonde Rubber Pleco, Blonde Rubbernose Pleco, Striped Bulldog Pleco, Striped Rubber Pleco, Striped Rubbernose Pleco..
I will try to get a better picture when he/she comes out of hiding. It likes to stay behind my filter intake.

Whatever the pleco species may turn out to be, 82F is still much too warm. Heaters often don't calibrate properly. I have had heaters that I set on 72 to give me 77F, and they worked that way for years. Turn it down to where you have the water temp around 76-77F.

Byron.

 

[djembekah]

I was reading in another thread (just so you know) that salt can mess with freshwater test readings. probably why saltwater needs a different test kit from freshwater
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