welp, heres my update...
i tested water today... ammonia and nitrite were high and the fish werent eating as much as normal. I thought this very strange, considering the stress their under i had to move them to a new tank, at least until the tank is cycled. i did about a 45% change, and added some water from another established tank. they seem to be fine and have their new territories staked out in a the new tank their in. the bacteria growth isnt going anywhere, and i thought its possible theres different types of nintrifying bacteria for brackish/saltwater tanks... could my theory be correct? If so, would adding established marine water to this tank help? There isnt as much bacteria in the tank as i originaly though to begin with, a simple stir up of the substrate makes the ammonia jump many ppm. not the nitrites however. It appears the growth of current bacteria is severely retarded. I still can remove the salt eventualy and have it cycle as fresh water. However, considering the nature of these fish, its important for them to have brackish water. Any ideas or suggestions beyond that of periodic water changes? Or any opinions on adding water from an established marine tank?
thanks |