OK, we've worked it out on the phone. I am taking him 10 gallons of my water and bringing his hermits home to live with me for a while. We are replacing the water in his tank with good, aged water. He is going tomorrow to get a new heater I think. Anyway, we are doing this Saturday. Problem solved...for a while. I am giving him my book by Robert Fenner "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" to read. Poor thing, he's ready to toss the tank into the yard.