I need help!!!

[Mayday]

Hi I Work at a Scuba shop that has 2 salt tanks, one is a reef tank. I have had fresh tanks for as long as I can remember, but I have never ventured into the salt arena ( I have never thought I needed one enough to go against all I believed about conservation of oceans but thats another topic :D ) anyhow... This tank has been cared for by a "professional" maintance company for a number of years (tank is probably 8-10 years old or better) The guy said we needed new bulbs...old ones died so we replaced them, then the balasts went out so we replaced them, now he says we need a new protein skimmer, ok we can get one... my questions however are this... we have had several things die in the past few months ( the fish, shrimp, and hermit crab seem to be doing ok, he has us feeding them 2 times a week and adding coral vite at the same time. so we are now having a green stingy algee problem and there is an algee growing on the back wall that looks like fur?? and every week when they come in they do a water change and take a powerhead off the back wall and use it to " blow" off all the rock?? So am I crazy or do we need to maybe have someone from the big fish store here come give us a second opinion on this tank?? I have a feeling that this ISN'T what this tank should look like but I don't have enough experience to cause a ruckus about it without some info... so what do ya think??? scream or let it go. I don't want these poor critters suffering.
Thanks for any information
Mayday :|

[steve1s]

More information would be needed about the tank before anyone would be able to help.

Size of tank
Light set-up
Water parameters: Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and such.
Complete description of filter set-up including L/R, substrate and total tank GPH.
Current protein skimmer and skimmate output.
Water chemistry: Alkalinity, Calcium, magnesium and PH.

Those are a few to start.

Cheers
Steve

[phistio]

also...it may be safe to assume that (due to the age of the tank) old tank syndrome might be contributing to the downward spiral of the tank...

sometimes trace elements build, and build over time that eventually they reach near caustic levels...

but as said before, who knows...maybe it's one little thing throwing everything out of balance...say if some copper somehow got in the tank, or some other hazardous element...

without knowing water conditions and parameters, it's hard to say...do you know anything about the conditions in your tank...

also, we know nothing about the service company...have they recently undergone new management? seems like with all these little added pop-up costs, i might start getting leary that they're taking advantage of you...do they have a pretty good track record? do the value you as a customer and truely look out for your best intrests, as well as the haelth and care of your tank, or do they just come, service the tank, and leave presenting you a bill?

[aquarium keeper]

Try doing a large 40% water change then regularly doing small 10% water changes twice a week. Stop adding any more additives until you test the water paramets. Make sure the protein skimmer is performing adequately.