My tank needs some house calls – willing to pay

LeslieP

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I’m looking for help getting my 6 yr old 125g tank back in order again. It’s been in a slow decline for a while now and I haven’t been able to get it back on my own. I've been in the hobby for over 20 years so I'm not a newbie, but I admit I haven't given the tank the attention that it deserves.

I am NOT looking to work this out on-line; I AM looking for a local (I’m in Waterford, CT) experienced and knowledgeable someone who will commit to stopping by my house every week or two until we can get things back in shape again. I am willing to pay, but I don’t know what any going rates are for this type of help. Thank you
 

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I’m looking for help getting my 6 yr old 125g tank back in order again. It’s been in a slow decline for a while now and I haven’t been able to get it back on my own. I've been in the hobby for over 20 years so I'm not a newbie, but I admit I haven't given the tank the attention that it deserves.

I am NOT looking to work this out on-line; I AM looking for a local (I’m in Waterford, CT) experienced and knowledgeable someone who will commit to stopping by my house every week or two until we can get things back in shape again. I am willing to pay, but I don’t know what any going rates are for this type of help. Thank you
Try reaching out to any LFS, often they offer this service. In some cases, it is the basis of their business model and the brick and mortar exists mostly to drum up attention.
I am in Ohio, but the two LFS in my area offer maintenance services hourly + cost of equipment/testing/chemicals. It is not cheap, my understanding is that they have certain visit minimums starting at around $100
 
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LeslieP

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Thank you for the good thoughts. I do belong to a local reef club, but I haven't been all that involved lately - members often frequent this site which is why I posted here. I'm also in the process of posting in other areas where I know they lurk :) Unfortunately, the closest LFS are about an hour away, but I have a few contacts that may be able to help as well
 

brandon429

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we should design a path to regeneration based on logged works already done (online) and then the in-person person just runs the plan. Not only is willingness to come over there a factor, but a portfolio of work already done helps

post your full tank pic here/curious

*where I'm going with this: any tank that old, in challenge, needs to be taken apart and 1000% cleaned out then put back together without losses. That's a rare trick to pull off...any form of dosing/tinkering/adjusting through the water is not ideal and wont have the same protection for your system over the next 7 years. time to evacuate pent up waste.
 

Katrina71

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That's a thought. A full reboot. Would you mind posting pics?
 

Katrina71

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I wish you lived near me. I work for snacks! I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as some, but I would help.
 
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LeslieP

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we should design a path to regeneration based on logged works already done (online) and then the in-person person just runs the plan. Not only is willingness to come over there a factor, but a portfolio of work already done helps

post your full tank pic here/curious

*where I'm going with this: any tank that old, in challenge, needs to be taken apart and 1000% cleaned out then put back together without losses. That's a rare trick to pull off...any form of dosing/tinkering/adjusting through the water is not ideal and wont have the same protection for your system over the next 7 years. time to evacuate pent up waste.

I'm not sure that I agree that a total 100% clean is the way to go- there are plenty of successful reefs older than 6 years, but I do agree that I need some serious re-vamping of things.
 

rtn

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Thank you for the good thoughts. I do belong to a local reef club, but I haven't been all that involved lately - members often frequent this site which is why I posted here. I'm also in the process of posting in other areas where I know they lurk :) Unfortunately, the closest LFS are about an hour away, but I have a few contacts that may be able to help as well

You're super close to Credable Coral Lab in New London. I know you're talking to @Good_vibes_reefing, but they could be another option.
 

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Hey Leslie Sorry to hear about the tank. What's going on with it?
 
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LeslieP

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Hey, long time no see! It looked great for the first two years and then the corals went into a slow decline and new frags would slowly fade away. Nothing too obvious with the usual tests, so I played around with the lights for a long time, I thought they might be too high - has to be gradual changes, as you know. Played with nutrition (too much, too little), alk was a tad low, so a little vinegar dosing. Took the GFO off, stopped the vinegar dosing, yada yada yada. All things very gradual so all of this was over 2-3 years. Now I’m getting some algae blooms and it’s time to ask for help. Fish seem to be healthy, a few corals are still hanging in there but not like they were in their glory. I’ve lost some corals that I had for over 15 years - it’s been very upsetting.
 
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LeslieP

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Hey, long time no see! It looked great for the first two years and then the corals went into a slow decline and new frags would slowly fade away. Nothing too obvious with the usual tests, so I played around with the lights for a long time, I thought they might be too high - has to be gradual changes, as you know. Played with nutrition (too much, too little), alk was a tad low, so a little vinegar dosing. Took the GFO off, stopped the vinegar dosing, yada yada yada. All things very gradual so all of this was over 2-3 years. Now I’m getting some algae blooms and it’s time to ask for help. Fish seem to be healthy, a few corals are still hanging in there but not like they were in their glory. I’ve lost some corals that I had for over 15 years - it’s been very upsetting.
 
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LeslieP

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Hey, long time no see! It looked great for the first two years and then the corals went into a slow decline and new frags would slowly fade away. Nothing too obvious with the usual tests, so I played around with the lights for a long time, I thought they might be too high - has to be gradual changes, as you know. Played with nutrition (too much, too little), alk was a tad low, so a little vinegar dosing. Took the GFO off, stopped the vinegar dosing, yada yada yada. All things very gradual so all of this was over 2-3 years. Now I’m getting some algae blooms and it’s time to ask for help. Fish seem to be healthy, a few corals are still hanging in there but not like they were in their glory. I’ve lost some corals that I had for over 15 years - it’s been very upsetting.
 
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