Floyd R Turbo
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wanted to start a new thread related to this one
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-maintenance-business-121574.html#post1039764
And specifically posts #19 and on. Forget about the part about 'getting into the business' and review the tank setup if you like, but I believe this is a dire situation that needs an immediate remedy, which is why I broke this out separately.
I tested his Nitrates and the reading was off the scale before I got done with the 1 minute shake. I have no idea how high they actually are without diluting the sample. I will test again (maybe several times and with a different lot, since I have a new Nitrate test kit as well) to make sure I didn't get an erroneous reading, but I'm not expecting anything different.
Now the way I figure it, I can't screw this tank up any more than it has been. Coral growth has stopped or receded, several fish died within the last few weeks, the sump is dingy, skimmer is nasty, and it generally has been neglected. The owner doesn't even know how often PWCs are being done, but I'm guessing at a minimum of 10% every 2 weeks. Hopefully it's more, but it doesn't look like it.
At least most of the fish are alive, but I wouldn't think they're too happy, and are probably susceptible to disease and distress.
Honestly at this point I think I could do a better job than what they're getting now, and it's not because their guy doesn't care or isn't intelligent, he's a very nice guy and knows just abut everything, he's just way too busy and there are other factors as well I won't go into here.
I plan on suggesting (and probably assisting) in a 20% PWC to start, cleaning the sump, skimmer, replacing filter media (pads, not bio balls), and adding a nitrate removal media product into the sump somewhere.
I am a big fan of Seachem Purigen, but right now Nitrates need to drop fast. What about Nitra-zorb or another similar product? Any suggestions? As with any system, I never add chemicals directly to the water unless it's an absolute must, so a passive removal is what I'm going for.
After that I think a 10-15% PWC weekly would be in order until they are brought down to nominal levels, then maybe adding Seachem de*Nitrate (after Nitrates are <20ppm) in the sump in a low-flow area would assist in harboring anaerobic bacteria to keep the Nitrates down, in addition to the Purigen.
PLEASE COMMENT!!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-maintenance-business-121574.html#post1039764
And specifically posts #19 and on. Forget about the part about 'getting into the business' and review the tank setup if you like, but I believe this is a dire situation that needs an immediate remedy, which is why I broke this out separately.
I tested his Nitrates and the reading was off the scale before I got done with the 1 minute shake. I have no idea how high they actually are without diluting the sample. I will test again (maybe several times and with a different lot, since I have a new Nitrate test kit as well) to make sure I didn't get an erroneous reading, but I'm not expecting anything different.
Now the way I figure it, I can't screw this tank up any more than it has been. Coral growth has stopped or receded, several fish died within the last few weeks, the sump is dingy, skimmer is nasty, and it generally has been neglected. The owner doesn't even know how often PWCs are being done, but I'm guessing at a minimum of 10% every 2 weeks. Hopefully it's more, but it doesn't look like it.
At least most of the fish are alive, but I wouldn't think they're too happy, and are probably susceptible to disease and distress.
Honestly at this point I think I could do a better job than what they're getting now, and it's not because their guy doesn't care or isn't intelligent, he's a very nice guy and knows just abut everything, he's just way too busy and there are other factors as well I won't go into here.
I plan on suggesting (and probably assisting) in a 20% PWC to start, cleaning the sump, skimmer, replacing filter media (pads, not bio balls), and adding a nitrate removal media product into the sump somewhere.
I am a big fan of Seachem Purigen, but right now Nitrates need to drop fast. What about Nitra-zorb or another similar product? Any suggestions? As with any system, I never add chemicals directly to the water unless it's an absolute must, so a passive removal is what I'm going for.
After that I think a 10-15% PWC weekly would be in order until they are brought down to nominal levels, then maybe adding Seachem de*Nitrate (after Nitrates are <20ppm) in the sump in a low-flow area would assist in harboring anaerobic bacteria to keep the Nitrates down, in addition to the Purigen.
PLEASE COMMENT!!