Overstocked Tank

[Pufferman]

I am pretty new to fish so please go easy on me. I'll start with a list of the tank and accessories first.
40 gallon breeder tank, Topfin 40 HOB filter, Eheim 2217 canister filter, 200watt heater, thermometer, lid and flourecent light, 40lbs of the really white caribsea arroginite sand, two big pieces of texas holey rock, baby floating grass, and a large piece of driftwood.
Here is what is in the tank now
6 mbuna cichlids, 1 Chinese algae eater, 1 blue lobster, 2 small redclaw crabs, 3 Green Spotted puffers, and about 15-20 of those little pointy snails they gave me at petco to feed my puffers.
I have arranged to rehome the chiclids, algae eater, and blue lobster today.
I just got an api water test kit yesterday and everything is right except the nitrates are reading 160ppm, should I be ok after removeing the listed fish and doing some water changes regularly from now on?

[Pufferpunk]

You've got enough room there for a single adult GSP. NONE of those other fish are BW species.

I'm not surprised at your nitrate level. Lots & lots & lots of daily WC ahead. That blue lobster is pufferfood.

Pointy snails? You mean Malaysian Trumpets? Way too hard for a puffer to chew on--can possibly break their teeth.

Start reading: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19348

[Pufferman]

Thanks, my GSP's are still small and I plan to get either a 75 or 90 gallon tank for them within 6 months. The GSP's are about an inch and a half now, I plan to go brackish as soon as I get the nitrates down. I now am worried about the trumpet snails they all burrowed into the sand right away. I'll get some ramshorn snails I guess in a 10 gallon to feed them until I eradicate the trumpet snails. The ciclids and algae eater and lobster are all leaving today. How much water should I change every day?

[bertie 83]

Excuse me for being slightly harsh but that tank is horrifically stocked. I would perform 50% wc daily if your readings are that bad. You need to consider more suitable housing and fast. The Chinese algae eater and the cichlids may preview unwanted aggression from the puffers

[bertie 83]

Prevoke unwanted attention lol

[Pufferman]

Thanks, I have been reading a lot of stuff on this forum last night and today. I just rehomed the blue lobster and the chiclids and algae eater are going tomorrow by noon. I'm going to do about a 30 percent change right now and when I get back from delivering the fish tomorrow i'll do another 50 percent change. When should I retest the nitrates, all the other tests in the kit showed good?

[bertie 83]

Test them daily until you get the tank under control. If they are reading so high I would personally check your ph to your source water and go from there, if it matches change loads, if it doesn't check out rtrs article on ots ( old tank syndrome).

[Pufferman]

Thanks for all the help, I realized last night how bad I messed up, and everything today reassured me of that.. I just retested nitrate and it looks like its around 80ppm or a hair less. I also shut down the topfin 40 backpack after the water change, i'll save it for a quarantine tank maybe. This is going to happen without loss of puffer, I have faith. At least with ya'lls help. Thanks again and i'll give an update later tomorrow after the chiclids leave and another 50% water change.

[purplecandle]

What do you mean by good? What are the ammonia and nitrite readings.

A 75 is too small for 3 adult gsps, aim for a 90.

Welcome to the forum....You must be in love with the puffers if you got rid of your other fish!

You are now addicted to puffers

[Pufferman]

What do you mean by good? What are the ammonia and nitrite readings.

A 75 is too small for 3 adult gsps, aim for a 90.

Welcome to the forum....You must be in love with the puffers if you got rid of your other fish!

You are now addicted to puffers

I'm about to start saving up for a 90 acrylic, as I am now scared of glass tanks. I've only had the tank for a couple months but the GSP's make one hell of a first impression. I go full out on any pets which you would see in my two dogs, Zeus and Pantera. As for the other tests here you go
ammonia 0ppm
nitrite 0ppm
ph was 7.9 btw
And I do love these puffers, they have some serious game when the dinner bell rings.

[Pufferman]

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo
here is the 90 g I am saving up for, 100 g version is only ten bucks more but i'll give up the volume for the cheaper 48" lighting you can buy used off CL or elsewhere.

[purplecandle]

Since it is so expensive...are you going to just set it up as marine (gsps like marine)

What kind of dogs? We just found out my dachshund is pregnant! Chiweenies on the way!

[Pufferman]

Since it is so expensive...are you going to just set it up as marine (gsps like marine)

What kind of dogs? We just found out my dachshund is pregnant! Chiweenies on the way!

I'm far from rich so if worse comes to worse , i'll take the risk with an affordable glass tank. I just passed up a 210 glass that my friend sold for 325, i'm sure I could have got it for 200 or less but my house wouldn't support the weight. I'd like to go marine if it's cheaper to maintain but i'm trying to learn this stuff in baby steps from where I jumped in. Dogs are American Pittbull Terriers , don't believe the media. They are the best or worst dog depending on what you do with them. They are jealous of my fishtank, lol.
My dogs uncle at work, the rednose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5U-3Dn1tSg
I'm passionate about my dogs so i'll shut up here and pm if anyone else loves bully dogs.

[RTR]

When you go BW or SW, you will need to remove the driftwood also. It rots much faster in BW or SW.

The 2217 is fine for biological filtration only on tanks from 30-75 gallons (no experience w/90s) with FW or BW. If it is used as external mechanical and biological filtration combined, it will be a nitrate factory. When you go SW with the GSPs, conventional FW/BW filtration is no longer used. You will want FOWLR (fish only with live rock) plus a good skimmer and preferably a lighted macroalgae refugium. The you will have a relatively inexpensive tank to operate. SW is too expensive to do normal 50% weekly water changes. Puffers are long-lived fish if well maintained, so arranging for the most economical operating system is highly advantageous. This is why folks are asking questions about the way you are planning to go. Modern SW filtration is quite unlike FW and BW handling.

[Pufferman]

Thanks RTR, it does seem I have a nitrate factory . For now I need to keep the 2217 going for biological and what kind of mechanical filter would you recommend to keep the ehiem from making so much nitrate? I would like to get one that I can use for up to a 90 gallon in case I go that big, I will definitely get a 65-90 gallon acrylic though cause if these guys live 15 years I don't want to risk any leaks when I build a new house in a few years.