Could use some advice please!

[Davijones8]

Hello. This is my first post on this forum, so please cut me some slack! :) I have used this forum many times though and know how people flip when threads are not posted under the appropriate topic. So i'm going to explain why i posted this here and then explain my fish tank everything! i posted this thread here because I like to consider myself a beginner for the fish keeping hobby, and on this forum. Only been seriously doing so since the beginning of this year! During this time i have developed somewhat of a knowledge, but on paper, or it's more so me having troubles putting together a happy, healthy, aestheticlally pleasing aquarium. So, sorry for that long read, that is my general intro i guess. Currently i got one tank as i'm only a teen and can't afford more. Here it is:

72gal bowfront (oceanic)
Fluval 305 70 us gal
Marineland emeror 400 newest model? 90 us gal
Uv sterilizer w/waterpump
Fully decorated and i almost believe it is too decorated!
Plants are all fake and got 1 piece of bog/driftwood

Fish- Now i am sure te tank will be overstocked and un compatible and i feel stupid posting this knowing it is, but this is why i'm here :p oh and
5x juvenile Zebra Angelfish
2x rope fish 1 is fully grown? And one is much skinnier
1x black ghost which is quite small atm 6-8"
4x breeding kribs (2 pairs)
2x apple snail
I would love to get some apistos too
Oh yeah paremeters are 80-82 degrees depending on heat outside
7.5 ph i know too high for angels and bgk but i dont know how to fix it, fro what i kniw the buffers are bad ideas and peat moss rots and makes a mess
Ammonia 0.25 ppm at most
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 100+ ppm
Now this tank has been fully cycled and im doing a lare water change to keep nitrates down. Any tips?

So this post wa kinda my intro, but at the same time i would like to ask a few quwstions. Also like to say that once i have grown accustomed to the site i will hopefully post pics and stuff. I'm not much of a techie. Now for the q's
1-how overstocked?
2-what are good parameters for the tank?
3- how to lower ph and nitrates safely?
4-what are some good live planta that are beautiful and easy to care for?
5- could i get the apistos if not overstocked?

That's about all i can think of at the moment! Thanks for takibg the time to read it sorry for any spelling and grammar. Im in a tush and on my ipod and its late( gotta get up in 6 hrs to take my dog to get spayed) so ya im oprn to any suggetions and help. Thats why im here. Soo yeah thank you again and i look forward to some help an good advice! ;)

[FinalJenemba]

Hi and welcome at AC!

Grats on starting out with a nice large tank, beginners often start out smaller which I think is a mistake as they are actually harder to keep level.

Is that a typo on the nitrates? Did you mean to type 10+ ppm? 100+ is intense. That stocking isn't to crazy given the size tank, the only major problem I see is the knife. It needs to go before it eats everything and outgrows the tank. How big are the angels?

Something is off with your biological balance if those nitrates are accurate. I wouldn't add anything till you can get that under control.

[ScottishFish]

Welcome to the forum

Your stocking is odd, you've managed to pick an odd mix of fish. When your angels mature you will have a pair so you will have 4 breeding kribs, and a breeding pair (maybe 2pairs) of angels. This in a 72G is ok, your mid-lower levels are fully stocked.

These fish when breeding are all very aggressive so I wouldn't advise on getting apistos, they aren't tough enough. Your BGK can grow to 14inches, rehome him before he outgrows and gets his fin shredded by the kribs. Rope fish really require a bigger tank aswell, they can reach 14inches aswell.

I think if you rehomed them you could get a tougher oddball catfish. I reckon you need a school of tetras to act as dither fish for your kribs to chase so they don't beat eachother up too much.

Parameters need to basically all be 0, somethings up either cycle wise or by your maintenance, your levels are all to high.

Good plants are vallis, cabomba, java fern, all easy to keep

[Davijones8]

THanks for your response! yeah it was a typo. uhmm is it still high at 10ppm? and as for the angels, they are 1-1.5' around ish (not including the fins) maybe 2' at most. and i got the BGK when it was 5" and was hoping it would grow up with the kribs and be fine, not eating them. plus, from what i understand, the bgk's mouth is much too small (even when full grown), to eat kribs which are the only fish it can eat. (with exclusion of fry). I gotta go now so i'll edit this after. thankss again! :)

[Cermet]

Nitrates are very good (for most fish types) at 10 ppm. Your pH is fine for those fish. So just keep doing what you have been doing on water changes/volume. If unsure, simply go to the site in my signature and put in the information that you posted here - it will give water changes, amount and times to change, filter capacity and stocking levels.

As for the black ghost fish, yeah, he needs to go. The angels (five) could be an issue as they get larger - fighting will be serious unless you get lucky. See what happens.

As for plants, do you have a low light tank?

[ScottishFish]

I don't know if you got the wrong end of the stick in my post, the BGK eating the kribs aint the problem, its the kribs nipping the delicate fin of the BGK that will be the problem, aswell as the fact it grows huge.

[Lady Hobbs]

Welcome to AC.

You should be showing no ammonia at all. If you do, it's a sign something is not holding up with your cycle. Perhaps too much cleaning? 7.5 pH is just fine for angels. The only thing I can see wrong here is the amount of angels.
They will definately be doing some fighting before long. If you don't have the means for getting rid of baby fish, then I figure there's no reason to have baby fish. One angel works well for eliminating that problem.

Like the others, I believe the BGK and the rope fish should go. I believe you should be able to do a trade for fish more suitable to your size tank.

You did pick some nice fish but they would have been better suited for a much larger tank.

[Davijones8]

"You should be showing no ammonia at all. If you do, it's a sign something is not holding up with your cycle. Perhaps too much cleaning? and The only thing I can see wrong here is the amount of angels."--------

This makes sense as I just did a complete cleaning of it on Monday. both filters, which i know is not a good idea. i was worried about the carbon leaking into the water because i had been gone for a while and had not cleaned them. would a water change help the ammonia go to zero? For the angels, i got a bit confused. how many do you suggest? from what i researched I knew they could get a bit nippy, but also I saw that you should get 4 or more. From this i decided to try my luck with 5 juvies in hope that they wouuld grow up to be peaceful like my kribs. thanks for your response! ps, sorry i couldn't find the proper quote button.

"don't know if you got the wrong end of the stick in my post, the BGK eating the kribs aint the problem, its the kribs nipping the delicate fin of the BGK that will be the problem, aswell as the fact it grows huge." -----------

Sorry Scott. I did read your response and than you for it, I actually looked at his thread this morning just before i went to get my dog spayed so I was in a rush. I was going to respond after :) anyway. The kribs i have are actually very peaceful. They were fry from my others which were more aggressive. took them back along with the other fry and kept 2 beauty pairs. They were raised with guppies, neons, rummys, cories and some other community fish which are in my dad's tank now. So i don't believe the bgk will get nipped at (hasn't been at all for 2 months?)

"Nitrates are very good (for most fish types) at 10 ppm. Your pH is fine for those fish. So just keep doing what you have been doing on water changes/volume. If unsure, simply go to the site in my signature and put in the information that you posted here - it will give water changes, amount and times to change, filter capacity and stocking levels.
As for the black ghost fish, yeah, he needs to go. The angels (five) could be an issue as they get larger - fighting will be serious unless you get lucky. See what happens.
As for plants, do you have a low light tank?" ---------

Ahh so it is you that created that great site! I have used it, but just for a general idea. I think it is great except I don't believe that my kribs would be snack to BGk, which rarely reaches 18" from what research I've done! Other than those two minor things, I use it every time i am thinking about adding fish and it was your site that got me to post on this as it said with the apistos my capacity was at 148% :s anyhow, as for the plants and lighting, I just have the light that came with the tank because it looks great, but i don't know the wattage. It is fluorescent. I was hoping to use the light I have, and just keep a low-tech tank. I'd be willing to get more light, but I don't want to add fertilizer or co2. Just want the plants to flourish in light (whatever is suggested) and the nutrients the fish produce. Again from my research I learned that this will help with keeping the parameters down because plants utilize them. Thanks for your response and great website!

As for all of you: Thanks again for the great responses and warm welcome. I really appreciate it. Oh, and before i go, why do you all suggest I get rid of the bgk and rope fish. They are so cool and look and are very healthy and happy, not to mention peaceful! Is it physical size or bio-load? I'd hate to get rid of them. Thanks again :D