300 gal acrylic marine tank

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

NFR-22467-A

AC Members
Feb 27, 2005
36
0
0
41
Laurel, DE
well, i began a job today that has a huge 300 gal acrylic marine tank in the waiting room, about 3 feet in the air on a huge bench-type thing, chock full of fish, completely neglected. there was algae covering the sides of the tank and all over the rocks, and the things been scratched to no end.

being new to marine tanks, any tank over 30 gallons, and acrylic tanks, i though this would be the best place to start! i need help in getting this thing back to proper working order. any tips on cleaning acrylic tanks, huge tanks in general and any helpful tips would be great.

the tank is in direct sunlight. i know not good, but it isnt moving. i believe it is also overcrowded (not horribly overcrowded, i think, but knowing little about marine fish, im not altogether sure how much water each fish should be allocated in it- they all get along, however) and i really have no idea how to go from working on 10 and 20 gal freshwater tanks to a 300 gal marine tank. i also know that the lighting is poor, but have no ideas how to light a tank like this.

i can figure out all the fish for you guys later on if you want to know what they are, but for now, any tips on getting this mammoth cleaned out and in proper working order would help a lot!

thanks! (sorry, on second thought, this should be in marine newbie....)
 
Last edited:

OrionGirl

No freelancing!
Aug 14, 2001
14,053
342
143
Poconos
Real Name
Sheila
First--don't plan on any fast changes. Fast changes are never good. Changes that happen too rapidly tend to shock fish and kill them faster than long term exposure to poor conditions.

First things to identify: Parameters! Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, salinity, alkalinity, pH are the big ones for a fish only. Second: Maintenance routine. How often is water changed? Percentage? Cleaning? Top-off and water change source? Third: What type of filtration is on the system?

Figuring out what fish are in there is important as well. Marine fish tend to be more sensitive to overstocking issues than most freshwater fish. While things like algae are ugly, and symptomatic of other concerns, algae isn't a bad thing, and actually helps clean water. I wouldn't plan on removing it until you know the filtration system is up to the job--and even then, I'd plan on removing just one portion at a time, and leaving several portions still covered, as algae is a great food source for a variety of fish and animals.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store