Lobsters

[Lazonby]

So I'm getting really ticked off at the guy that is supposed to come and take care of our commercial lobster tank at work. He couldn't give a rat's *** about it, unless we call, and then only because he has to. I want to do the work myself. I'm just wanting to verify a few things.

I would like to keep a stable 52F temp. 0 ammonia and nitrites. Less than 10ppm nitrates. pH will be about 7.8 out of the tap--this is not possible to change because of time and money that I can't spend. The tank the lobsters are in is a Marineland set-up. It comes with a chiller, very large bio-wheel that 'filters' the water from a cheap sump filtration system, UV filter (the bulb hasn't been replaced in 3+ years!), and some unconventional integrated-cross-breed protein skimmer.

Any comments or suggestions? I've been around aquariums for a good long while, but I've never really concentrated on lobsters before. Thanks for any help you can provide!

[Guy W]

I've never used a Biowheel, UV, or tried to keep a tank that cold, so I don't have much to offer other than...

1.) If your using tap water, you do dechlorinate it correct?

2.) If you want to get that pH up to 8.3 it's really easy to add a couple teaspoons of PH buffer to the tank weekly.

3.) Doing water changes with fresh saltwater regularly will help maintain a PH of 8.3 as well.

Sorry I couldn't offer more insight.

Guy

[Guy W]

Opps...

[mogurnda]

The only suggestion I can make is water changes. Without live rock or sand, your nitrate will continue to climb and needs to be exported somehow. Your only choice is to replace the water. That should also improve your pH, because the salt mix should be buffered for a pH about 8.1.
May as well turn off the UV, a 3 year-old bulb is useless. Do you know the manufacturer? It's not that hard to replace, but the bulbs are pricey. The other thing is that the sleeve surrounding the bulb is probably covered with scum, blocking the UV. That should be cleaned.
What kind of skimmer? Airstones, venturi? Is it producing skimmate? If nothing's been done in many months, it will probably need to be broken down and cleaned, and airstones, if any, replaced.