OK. So I invested in a $400 skimmer setup to help improve the water quality. I figured jumping from a Berlin Classic to an AquaC could make a noticeable difference in the overall health of my tank. The tank wasn’t in the greatest shape before the skimmer went in, and now that it has gone a week without skimming anything, things are going downhill fast. Three fourths of my brain coral is now bleached, frogs spawn is in hiding, and my mandarin goby is now suffering from fin rot(he’s new so it may not be a result of changes in the tank, but sucks either way). I’ve done 15% water changes in the last 2 days and plan to do another tomorrow. The skimmer has now been running for a week without producing any foam. I don’t have a lot of experience and need to develop a plan of action. I’ve already setup a quarantine/hospital tank for the mandarin and will try to catch him tonight. How the heck do I lure him out of the rocks and into my net? Any other ideas for what I should do, test for, or change? I’m getting close to throwing in the towel because it seems like no matter how hard I work, or how much I spend nothing improves. What am I doing wrong?
Ammonia = 0
Nitrates ~ 5mg/l
Nitrites = 0
Phosphates = 0.1ppm
PH = 8.3
Alkalinity = 3.5mEq/L
Calcium = 350ppm
What else should I test?
Thanks,
A Dejected Reefkeeper/killer
