`D` Finally found the culprates

Originally tank P01 Had one Bala shark. Ever since I added the 4 more bala sharks to tank P01 I noticed Two things:
1)The Alpha Bala - The one originally in the tank and also the largest of the 5 basically runs the Bala schoal.
2)One of the newer sharks (The smallest one) was always off by itself .
However I could never figure out why the smallest one was always alone. Finally today I caught two of the other sharks maliciously nipping at the loner. the loner is the smallest of the bunch. It was not damaged but I removed it to the sick tank and I will try to fatten it up some. The plan is to cut back on rations to the 4 others and double rations to the smaller one and I will see what happens.

`D` Now Back to the issue

I did another 50% water change on tank F01 and now Nitrites are 0. I will see how long it takes to elevate. In the AC forum we are working on a concept to add household amonia to the tank as feeders are removed. in theory this could maintain the load on the biological filter even though there aren't really 100 fish in the tank. I will document the progress on this theory as it unfolds.

`D` Feeder tank issue...Forum Drama Round 2...ding ding sing...lol

From: tanks4thememories

Date: 5:15 AM
*Has been removed*

`D` My ongoing feeder tank nitrite saga continues...

Well as posted before you know the issue. So I put the question to a few forums. What developed in one of the forums was very interesting however a little off topic. I post the thread here in ist entirety and let you infer what you will. Since this is from a public forum there is no need to conceal the mnames or the forum name as you could just google key words and get that info anyway.

*Removed due to space concerns* (send me a comment and I will send you a link to the forum.)

`D` Feeder tank issue

Just put 100 feeder gold fish in tank F01 yesterday.
Nitrites are off the scale today. Did 50% water change still beyond measurement. Will do another 50%.

`D` Needle Nose Gar Essay (Xenentodon cancila)

`D` Needle Nose Gar Essay (Xenentodon Cancila)

Needle Nose Gar,Silver Needlefish, Stick Fish (Xenentodon cancila) is actually not a Gar at all, it is actually one of the few freshwater members of the Belonidae (Needlefishes)family. The Needle Nose Gar belongs to the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) Class of fish.

This fish can typically be described as : Having An elongated, needle-shaped body with long, jaws lined with sharp teeth. The lower jaw is slightly longer than the
upper. The back is light brown and the belly is silver-brown. A dark brown band runs from the tip of the jaws to the caudal fin. The rear edge of the caudal fin is convex. The fins are transparent & colorless.

Needle Gar are able to eat prey that is almost twice as thick as their own bodies. Full Grown they can reach a size of from 9"-16" although the lager range is most often only achieved in the wild.

These unique fish are very common in the slow moving streams (both fresh & slightly brackish waters) of; Asia-India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Burma. The climate of this species native enviornment is tropical; 71 – 82°F; 38°N - 5°N. The optimal water conditions for a Needle Gar in an aquarium are: pH 6.2-7.5 with (7.0) being Ideal, 6-20 dH with (9) being ideal, 71-84°F with 80 being ideal. If desired One can achieve A 1% salinity for thier tank by the Addition of 7.5 tsp. salt for every 10 gallons. Needle Nose Gar are preditory ambush hunters. Being a Carniverous fish, in the wild they commonly feast on crustaceans, crickets, & any fish that fit in its mouth. In the Home aquarium they can be fed: live shrimp, fish, crickets, tadpoles,frozen/defrosted shrimp or fish. They strongly prefer live feeder minnows most of all. Many Owners of this fish (myself included) report Needle Gar as only accepting live fish and often having trouble catching feeder goldfish.

In the home aquarium Needle Nose Gar are surface dwellers often treading water almost motionless (resembling a stick floating just beneath the surface of the water) waiting for its prey to venture into striking distance. Then with a very short "Jab" they snare the victim in thier needle sharp teeth (See Pic Below). Surface area in their aquarium is more important than tank capacity as this is where the needle fish will spend most of its time. This is a shoaling species and will be most happy if kept in 3's or more. You will find them stalking in a loose formation awaiting their next meal. They are compatible with any fish that doesnt fit in their mouth and any fish that wont bother them. Especially while young these fish have a fragile thin beak that can be broken or damaged easily. These fish can be considered "Jumpy" and special care must be taken to avoid startling them. Many keepers of this species report major injury, jumping out of the tank, or death as a result of the fish getting startled. It is also recommended that any aquarium housing this fish be well planted to provide "Ambush" opportunities & have a secure fitting lid so as to remain covered at all times. It should also be noted that owners of this fish also report it can sometimes mistake your fingers for food sometimes nipping first and investigating later. To avoid this I do not stick my fingers into the water right in front of them, instead I introduce my hand to the water a little distance away from the fish giving him time to recognize it as a non food item.

Pictures:


My Needle Nose We call him "Garfeild"



Needle Nose Gar Teeth

© 2007, © 2008 LA Productions
aqualandpetsplus.com


References:

Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema,

Rotterdam. - ISBN-10: 9061911648, ISBN-13: 978-9061911647

http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Xenentodon_cancila.html

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/miscellaneous/NeedleNoseGar.php

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Needlenose%20Gar.htm

http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Oddball,%20Gar.htm

http://www.aquaria.info/modules.php?file=speciesdetails&id=1165&op=modload&name=database

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=10124

`D` - Well here is a social update on our current Predator tank (P01):

(1) Jar Aro - 8"
(5) Tri Color Shark's - 3.5 " each
(1) Albino Choc Pleco - 3"
(1) Common Pleco - 4"
(1) Clown Knife - @8"
(1) Needle Gar - 6"
(1) Elec. Cat - 6"

right now they are all babies, But anyway here is how they get along:

Jardini has some days when he bothers no one, other days he spars with the Knife, yet other days he just takes occasional nips at sharks. Sharks are too fast so he never catches them. The Cat comes out at night and EVERYONE respects him...lol they all go topside except the Plecos which the elec cat seems to actually enjoy thier company. I have noticed that as long as they all have swimming space and are well fed aggression is low. If we miss a feeding well then its "Get Ready to Rumble".

`D` His first posts to a blog

Im so proud of him he did an awesome job of testing and posting the results....:)

`S1` Tank F01 Tests

Name: F01
Status: Cycling
Tank: 47 gal
Water Type: Freshwater
Water Condition:
Temperature: 80 deg. F
Amonia: 0.0 ppm
Nitrites: 0.25 ppm
Nitrates: 0.0 ppm
PH: 7.2
PH TOD (Time of Day for test): 10:05 PM

`S1` Tank P01 Tests

Name: P01
Status: Established
Tank: 55 gal
Water Type: Freshwater
Water Condition:
Temperature: 82 deg. F
Amonia: 0.0 ppm
Nitrites: 0.0 ppm
Nitrates: 0.0 ppm
PH: 7.2
PH TOD (Time of Day for test): 10:02 PM

`D` Teaching my son to test

He will post his results shortly.