How long does it take for ph up/down to settle in a 55 gal tank?

[flamcannon1]

just wondering, cuz i got 2 bala sharks.

[Bettachris]

ok, you are heading down a bad road. overstocking and stocking way to fast.

if i dont recall, u have a couple of mosquito fish, golden CAE, 2 balas, and some barbs.

that is alot of fishes, and alot of fishes way to fast over one week.


balas and CAES are the worest thing to add to your tank, as balas will reach over 14 inches and need at least 100 gallons, chinese algae eatters will pretty much kill everything over time.

[flamcannon1]

Ya, well the guy told me they wud be fine, they can get a lil aggresive if u dont feed em enuff... i know they get 13 inches but i was told in a 55 gal tank they get about 7 to 8 MAX size and they should be fine with the CAE. MY mollies are doing great. They have been playin tag lol, maybin even more than that. The sharks are good, have no problem with the other fish. 55 gal is plent for those sharks, maybe 3 woul dbe too many but they are school sharks, they might nip on the mosquitos and tetras, ill get a seperate tank for those

[Bettachris]

thats called stunting. a process in which u get a fish with a large potiental size and dont allow it to grow. the life span and quality of life decrease.

ex. i have a 5 inch arowana, can i keep it in a 10 gallon, yea but it will not grow and end up dieing within a year. while it can live for 20 years at 40 inches in a 500 gallon tank.

as u can see, it isn't a joking matter. stunting is bad, and it is considered a failure in fish keeping responcibilities. making an animal suffer. To do what is best for your fish i wouldn't listen to the guys at the lfs, as to them it is a sale.

balas like u said will need to school and the math is
big fish + school = big tank. so unless u plan on getting a 125 or greater balas wouldn't be good and cae is just plain bad.

birdlover knows more on stunting, and how bad it is for doing it.

[flamcannon1]

how long does it take for them to get max size? how much is a 125 gal tank. I can bring in some bucks to get one and i can have the smaller fish in the 55 bigger fish in the 125

[Bettachris]

if you get a 125 on top and a dual stand u can have i think maybe the 55 and a 10 gallon on the bottom.

125 set-ups i believe can range from 200-500 usd, but i did see an ad for brand new tanks, .99 / gallon.


unfort for you, balas aren't like clown loaches which have a great potiental size and a slow growth rate. not exactly sure what their growth rate is.

[flamcannon1]

Cool thanks, U can find some pretty big tanks at garage sales, and in the penny saver if ur quick enuff. pretty good deals =) oh btw, u have msn yahoo or aim?

[Bettachris]

have, never use it.

[BirdLuver288]

I have pictures of a stunted cory, it was kept in a one gallon for one month, and thats all it took, my sister had him in her dorm with a betta in the same one gallon, at the time I took him from her, he just still looked like a little baby, less than an inch long..

Well, I still have him now, and he is apart of my cory school in my 29 gallon, he is still the same exact length, but has everything else normale sized!

Albino corys can reach a little over 2 inches, and this guy is around one inch long, you can see he is terribly stunted..because I got some corys that same day, and they are around 2 inches now..If you want pictures, just tell me..

[cstrohmeyer]

As to your original question;
I would stabilize your KH and your ph will follow. There are many methods to do so, I prefer wonder shells. Also a healthy, well maintained system will generally have a stable ph too. The aerobic biological process will produce acids that need to be countered with a proper KH.
This blog will address KH and ph:
http://kh-aquarium.blogspot.com/

For ALOT of more general information, check out this site:
http://aquarium-info.blogspot.com/

Carl
Aquarium Design and Maintenance since 1978
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/

[BirdLuver288]

personally I wouldent mes with the ph, its much safer for your fish..if you are realy wanting to change it, then adding peat will lower it, and adding calcium with raise it