tkucifer
Member
So after a couple of months with a 34 gal reef tank downstairs, we started looking for a tank for the bedroom. Having dropped about a jillion dollars already on the first tank--and with no relief in sight I might add-- we decided to check Craig's List for some ideas for tank #2 (well, #3 if you count the freshies). Sure enough, there was what seemed to be a great deal: a 46-gal bow front marine tank with 150 lbs of LR, a pair of clowns, a couple of other fish, a Remora pro skimmer, 2 powerheads, a stand, all the supplies and a 10K MH lighting system, minus one bulb. The whole thing was up for $375 so I couldn't pass it up!
Enter reality: the tank is in pretty good physical shape although the front-back brace is melted away from the MH lights. For safety, that will be one of the first structural issues to face but not a huge deal. However, I think when the guy decided to get out of the hobby he pretty much gave up on the tank. He gave us the flakes he's been feeding and a whole box of test equipment that looks years old, told me as we were leaving that he does water changes about once every six weeks (so probably less, realistically), and couldn't really ID the fish in his tank (one might be a damsel, ugh). His other fish died (surprise surprise!) and although there's about 75 lbs of LR (close enough to 150 I guess) there's no mechanical filtration other than the skimmer and no CUC.
I am always up for a challenge, and I am determined to VERY SLOWLY nurse this tank back to health. I am really hopeful that the fish will make it through, otherwise I'd move faster. Because it's what they're used to and a QT would definitely kill them, they're all back in the tank with the water they've been living in. It just about killed ME to put them in there, but there weren't really any safe options tonight so back in they went.
I tested the water just as it came out of their tank:
pH 8.65 (Hanna meter)
Spec. grav. 1.020 (refractometer)
NO2 0.2 (Hagen)
NO3 ~100 (Salifert)
KH off the charts; not sure if guesstimating means anything that high but maybe 22? The chart stops at 16 (Salifert)
Ca ~620 (again, off the charts, had to go to 1/2 strength testing with lower accuracy)
PO4 3... yes, 3! Not 0.3, just 3! I have never seen that color! (Salifert)
I definitely have my work cut out for me. This will be an interesting process and I will be following my fish guru around like a hungry puppy while I try to get this back in shape. Our first order of business after structural safety is going to be adding a power filter (HOB for now) and a CUC. Eventually I'll add a sump but one thing at a time.
Wish me luck!!!
PS--can anyone tell me what that greenish ball in shots 2 and 3 is??????? If it really is a green ball sponge (closest thing I could find online) I'm sure I killed it; he never mentioned it was in there and I pulled it right out into the air, sigh.
Enter reality: the tank is in pretty good physical shape although the front-back brace is melted away from the MH lights. For safety, that will be one of the first structural issues to face but not a huge deal. However, I think when the guy decided to get out of the hobby he pretty much gave up on the tank. He gave us the flakes he's been feeding and a whole box of test equipment that looks years old, told me as we were leaving that he does water changes about once every six weeks (so probably less, realistically), and couldn't really ID the fish in his tank (one might be a damsel, ugh). His other fish died (surprise surprise!) and although there's about 75 lbs of LR (close enough to 150 I guess) there's no mechanical filtration other than the skimmer and no CUC.
I am always up for a challenge, and I am determined to VERY SLOWLY nurse this tank back to health. I am really hopeful that the fish will make it through, otherwise I'd move faster. Because it's what they're used to and a QT would definitely kill them, they're all back in the tank with the water they've been living in. It just about killed ME to put them in there, but there weren't really any safe options tonight so back in they went.
I tested the water just as it came out of their tank:
pH 8.65 (Hanna meter)
Spec. grav. 1.020 (refractometer)
NO2 0.2 (Hagen)
NO3 ~100 (Salifert)
KH off the charts; not sure if guesstimating means anything that high but maybe 22? The chart stops at 16 (Salifert)
Ca ~620 (again, off the charts, had to go to 1/2 strength testing with lower accuracy)
PO4 3... yes, 3! Not 0.3, just 3! I have never seen that color! (Salifert)
I definitely have my work cut out for me. This will be an interesting process and I will be following my fish guru around like a hungry puppy while I try to get this back in shape. Our first order of business after structural safety is going to be adding a power filter (HOB for now) and a CUC. Eventually I'll add a sump but one thing at a time.
Wish me luck!!!
PS--can anyone tell me what that greenish ball in shots 2 and 3 is??????? If it really is a green ball sponge (closest thing I could find online) I'm sure I killed it; he never mentioned it was in there and I pulled it right out into the air, sigh.
