Deemos's 200 Gallon Dubai Tank - HELP

[deemos85]

Hi All,

So before i get started.

I have a 200 gallon display tank.

1- Radion gen3 pro lights
2- Reef octopus skimmer DC with pump outside
3- 2 Reef octopus reactors , one for carbon and one for biopellets

Salinity: 24
PH: 8.1
temp: 25
Always use RO for water changes and topups


After 2 years of trying to keep a proper reef tank i was finally able to do it with the help of a few LFS'S who setup everything for me.

I removed my filter socks this week because its a pain in the %%% to clean every time. I then decided to add a bio pellet reactor but only to find microscopic bubbles being sent through the return pump and its driving me crazy.

I keep having to clean the glass almost on a daily basis , there is some green/brown dust on the glass.

My fish and Corals are healthy as far as i know , I have not had any fish die in months.

If it helps I get LFS'S to do maintenance on my tank every 2 weeks. what really makes me mad is they come,finish and don't really tell me what to do after.

Can someone please help me ? I want a good looking tank and im ready to spend whatever amount !!!

 

[deemos85]

I forgot to add my skimmer won't stop overflowing.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

You need to talk to the people you are paying the money to and get them to advise you what you need to do on your part. Tell them the problems you are having and find the solution.

 

[leviburns89]

+1^^^

If you have the money, trust your lfs.

 

[deemos85]

easier said than done

I changed LFS'S 3 times already and they only seem to care about making me spend on useless things which i never agree on doing.

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

 

[Sapelo]

For the most part, I think a lot of us fall into two camps: those who want to know everything about the tank and how to care for it, and those who want to look at and enjoy the tank but are willing to hand the work over to someone else.
It sounds like money is no object for you, that you don't really need to know the ins and outs of your tank, you just want it to look amazing.
I think that comes down to hiring a maintenance company that works for you. Maybe you need to spend some time looking at tank profiles and asking what each maintenance company offers? It's kind of like asking us to advise you on which dog walker to hire: it's really personal preference and you'll just have to find someone that fits.
Tanks take a lot of time and a lot of effort. I'm not sure that anyone here can tell you how to hire someone to make your tank look and preform the way you want it to.
We can offer lots of advice on what YOU are doing with your tank and how YOU can handle maintenance, but it's very hard to tell you what to do if you want to pass that knowledge on to someone else since we don't really know what they are doing or not doing correctly.

Having said that, two more thoughts:
1. Lots of us clean glass several times a week, it's just part of the deal. Maybe you could get your system down to super low nutrients and not need to do anything between maintenance visits from whomever you hire, but in general if you want spotless glass you are probably going to have to do some work yourself.
2. A big (HUGE) part of maintaining a good reef tank is stability. If you change the maintenance schedule frequently -- by changing cleaning companies -- your tank is less stable. You might help your situation by finding a company that you like and sticking with them for a longer period of time and giving the tank a chance to adjust to one schedule and routine.
Since you're not losing fish or coral, plenty of things are going right for you. It sounds like you're at a point of fine tuning a business relationship, not trying to problem solve some tank issue.

Good luck!

 

[deemos85]

Im sick of having to depend on someone to take care of the tank. I want to start doing it myself and its a waste of money.

1- I took my filter socks off and am sockless now, I have some filter pads in the area of my socks, is that dangerous? Can it create nitrates ?

2- Since the biopellet reactor was installed , my skimmer kept overflowing I have since disconnected it and taken out more than half of the pellets and will see if this solves the problem.

3- is it possible to make any other recommendations based on the pictures?

 

[homer1475]

So do you have any knowledge on how to keep a reef tank?

I would suggest reading the setting up stickies at the top of these forums if you don't.

I personally would keep the socks in, just buy a few more and change them out regularly(like every couple days). If you buy enough you only have to wash them in a washing machine like once a week.

You added a biopellet reactor, do you know what its used for and how to use it?

 

[Frostyfishman]

Read the set up stickies. You don't need to buy more stuff you need to study.