Ok, first off I would like to say that I have never tested or had my water tested. I have had my 75 gal. salt reef for over 2 years now and have never had a problem.
I got a skimmer with UV built in six months ago and up graded my lights around the same time. I used to breed discus and simply modified my mag. 350s with AquaClear 500 filers. My water was and has always been crystal clear. Three weeks ago my corals and other critters started dying off. In my panic I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to do a 20% water change, I might add that I use RO water only and change at most 20% of my water every four weeks or so. Oh, I need to add that I do have under gravel filters and five power heads in the tank, also I have around 200lbs. of live rock. I keept my eye on the tank and things were not improving.
Friday rolled around and I drove up to the Chicago Subs. to pick up my Sons, I arrived early and spotted a pet store and decided to stop in. I was greetted by a young punk kid, not more than 18 years old. I took a look around and started to quiz him on salt water. This was his department and I was shocked to see all of the tanks were in perfect order, I began telling him what I had and that things were dying off, and this is what he told me:
Turn off your UV, unplug your Magnums, put this in your tank and you will be fine in two days. (He had reached into the liverock holding tank and scooped up a cup of the crap off of the bottom.) He told me that I need only do 10% water change every six weeks and all will be fine.
Well, things were dying in the tank anyway so I did just what he told me to do, and guess what happend. My tank sprang to life! It really only took two days, and not only is everything doing well, I am finding new things all the time.
It turns out that my water was too clean and every thing was starving to death. Not only that, but the UV was killing off any new small little critters that were drifting around in the tank. This method I just found out today is called the Berlin Method, and am hoping that I can find others that have done the same, I have alot of questoins and concerns.
Oh, as it turns out, he was young, but I will not think of him as a punk kid anymore. Take care
I got a skimmer with UV built in six months ago and up graded my lights around the same time. I used to breed discus and simply modified my mag. 350s with AquaClear 500 filers. My water was and has always been crystal clear. Three weeks ago my corals and other critters started dying off. In my panic I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to do a 20% water change, I might add that I use RO water only and change at most 20% of my water every four weeks or so. Oh, I need to add that I do have under gravel filters and five power heads in the tank, also I have around 200lbs. of live rock. I keept my eye on the tank and things were not improving.
Friday rolled around and I drove up to the Chicago Subs. to pick up my Sons, I arrived early and spotted a pet store and decided to stop in. I was greetted by a young punk kid, not more than 18 years old. I took a look around and started to quiz him on salt water. This was his department and I was shocked to see all of the tanks were in perfect order, I began telling him what I had and that things were dying off, and this is what he told me:
Turn off your UV, unplug your Magnums, put this in your tank and you will be fine in two days. (He had reached into the liverock holding tank and scooped up a cup of the crap off of the bottom.) He told me that I need only do 10% water change every six weeks and all will be fine.
Well, things were dying in the tank anyway so I did just what he told me to do, and guess what happend. My tank sprang to life! It really only took two days, and not only is everything doing well, I am finding new things all the time.
It turns out that my water was too clean and every thing was starving to death. Not only that, but the UV was killing off any new small little critters that were drifting around in the tank. This method I just found out today is called the Berlin Method, and am hoping that I can find others that have done the same, I have alot of questoins and concerns.
Oh, as it turns out, he was young, but I will not think of him as a punk kid anymore. Take care
