Keeping My Friend's 100G Coral/Fish Tank Alive

[visal911]

One of my good friends passed away recently while on a snorkeling trip on a coral reef. He was an avid aquarium keeper and he has a 100 Gallon tank in his family living room. The family wants to keep his tank in his honor and I offered to help them out in any way I can.

Except for helping him setup the tank and watching him add water every week or so I have no experience with salt water tanks nor any experience with salt water fish.

I do know that he feeds them every morning and adds water with conditioner every week. As long as he had the tank, he never did any water changes. I know how to check PH and Alkalinity. I was wondering how do I check Amonia and Nitrate levels in a tank? What do I do if any of these levels spike?

Here are some pictures of the tank. There is a sump and Reverse Osmosis system setup as well.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kmyd4gm75x1tjdc/AAAR6wYdBhxAcBv8eD8j-zo0a?dl=0

 

[beth]

I'm sorry for the sad new of a friend.

I will comment that unless you really are an enthusiast to this hobby, it will be very difficult to go forward with the commitment. Its expensive, and there is a learning curve that takes dedication. There are downsides all along the way, which is why you would be a bad match unless you are genuinely interested in learning and pursuing this as a hobby for yourself....it will consume your time, and takes more dedication then you may think, especially a reef tank.

Do you plan to move the tank to your house?

 

[visal911]

I'm sorry for the sad new of a friend.

I will comment that unless you really are an enthusiast to this hobby, it will be very difficult to go forward with the commitment. Its expensive, and there is a learning curve that takes dedication. There are downsides all along the way, which is why you would be a bad match unless you are genuinely interested in learning and pursuing this as a hobby for yourself....it will consume your time, and takes more dedication then you may think, especially a reef tank.

Do you plan to move the tank to your house?

I won't be moving it to my house, I will simply help the family keep it up. I'm not overly enthusiastic about fish tanks in general but I'm definitely interested in learning.

I have done some general research on these kinds of tanks and I have a rough idea of what is needed as a routine. I'm only worried about the actions to take if something catastrophic was to take place in the tank.

Thank you for your response.

 

[beth]

I would suggest that you speak earnestly with the family and let them know that this undertaking will also require them to get involved with this. Readings for water should be taken regularly. Someone needs to be looking at the tank daily to observe signs of stress with fish and corals. Obviously, the fish will need feeding, and usually daily water top off is needed in the tank for evaporation.

I would suggest getting a good basic hobbyist book, such as The Conscientious Marine Hobbyist, that will address many areas for overall care and maintenance of a tank. You can always post here for assistance as things come up and its better to do that earlier rather than waiting to see what happens when something is not quite right.

 

[Chad C.]

I'm sorry for your loss. An aquarium requires daily routine tasks to be done, so if you are not living in the house with the aquarium, you might need to enlist the families help. There are plenty of informative questions and answers you can get by this forum and googling, but it is a full time hobby. If you are interested, I would recommend researching the basics first and delving into fishkeeping. It will get discouraging at times, but if you remain determined the positives will outweigh the negatives.

Again, I am sorry for your loss and hope for you the best