idgraham

help i have 3 bala sharks and an irridescent shark and a pictish catfish i just moved the tank to a new house.the nitrogen was a bit high but under 110 and they seem to be swimming on a tilt.not straight up and down.any ideas?

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore !!!!hope your fishies get better!!!... what do you mean under 110 for nitrogen cycle? ammonia and nitrites should be 0 and nitrates under 20....

idgraham

all the fish in the tank are swimming on an angle what chemistry problem could cause this! need help on this on fast.brought the nitrates way down to a light pink on the test.

Shawnie

nitrates under 20 are great..but ammonia and nitrites will poision and kill them.they should always be 0....thats what I think you have in your tank so daily water changes of at least 50% and treat the tap water with prime...the bala's are going to be way to large for your 55 gallon so hopefully you have a bigger tank or are getting one...goodluck !!

susitna-flower

HI, WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

Right off the bat, I want you to know that I'm responding to your problem, not wanting to make you feel bad. Take it from someone who has been where you are today....... I had 2 balas in a 55 before I got the big tank!

It is a good thing you have 3 bala sharks, they do best in a group like that, unfortunately, they need a MUCH bigger tank. For the irridescent shark, it has to be in a HUGE tank....read the profiles at the top of this page under "ARTICLES", fish profiles....

The balas should be in a 125 gallon tank or bigger, with a length of at least 72", the other might hold in that size tank for awhile, but will need something more like 300 gallons!

So My first suggestion is to get an API Master test kit for freshwater (liquid), and test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Once you give us the readings for that we can help more. It sounds to me like the move may have disrupted your nitrogen cycle, and you need to be doing daily water changes until it is re established. Shawnie has it pegged, ammonia and nitrites in a fully cycled tank should read 0 and the nitrates will be up, but 110 would be really high, and you should do water changes until you have them down to UNDER 20. This can take lots of work, and gravel vacuuming! Good Luck....

idgraham

well thanks for the advice..i have been changing about 10 gallons a day anyway but tomorrow i will do a bit more. the amonia is 0 but i am not sure of the exact number for nitrate. and i have not tested for nitrites.i just got the tank from a friend last weekend so i need to get a quick lesson in shark care.what you gave me helps and i will read up on them.i did take care of them while she was away at times but i dod not know the depth of commitment. they will be fine...i just needed to know what to do for them.

LilMollieBreeder

well good luck with your sharks and I hope you can maybe get them a bigger tank