New to MFK Need helpful opinions

[PetcoFishGuy]

Hi I dont know where to post this at im new to MFK But here is my problem

I work at a Petco store and I am supposed to be the Aquatic Specialist, But in all of the tanks (2 saltwater banks & 9 freshwater banks) in our store wich are the marineland MaRS. Systems where they have 3 tanks staked on top of eachother and each is divided into two or three seperate compartments.

The problem i am haveing is what i have been told is alge in the tanks but it dosn't look like alge to me. Its a brown film that covers everything in both salt and fresh water and it forms every day. I can scrub it all off and do a gravel vac and change filter pads and 30-50% waterchange but it never fails it comes back within a day and it covers all the glass and plants rocks everything. Does anyone have any experiance with anything like this forming in there tanks or any solutions on how to keep the tanks cleaner. i cant use any chemicals or anything so what can i do my job is on the line.

ANd another question?

The store is almost 2 years old so the tanks are the same. the water parameters never show anything out of the normal for Nitrates nitrites and amonia all of wich are right at 0 according to the dip strips. I know the liqued test kits are more accurate but the strips are all we get. Another problem we have is that we cant keep any loachs, catfish, knifes, and barbs alive more then just a few days. As a company policy we have to have Freswater aquarium salt in the tanks so we put a cup of salt in a small palstic cup with holes in every tank one on evry right hand tank compartment. could this be the reason they die so quick?

 

[felixxx]

almost certainly the salt killing the loaches!

 

[Zfishies]

hey when u learn more stuff bout here on MFK u guna be the manager of that place!!!! (well the fish part anyway) i can only help with the catfish... what kind are they?

 

[geronimo69]

Test for phosphates, it sounds like diatom algae...

Second, do you pre mix the salt before adding it to the freshwater tanks? If you add salt directly into the tank, it's caustic, acts almost like poison to the fish. You should be mixing it for a minimum 12 hours with fresh water before adding it to the tank... Just my opinion.

 

[knifegill]

The salt is a band-aid. Healthy freshwater fish don't need it, but since your fish come in from nasty farms and often host various parasites, the salt is used to keep that parasitic action down. Without a large quarantine area, you're probably stuck using it. And, yeah, loaches hate salt. Test your water with a Specific Gravity tool and see how much salt is actually dissolved into it. How much water do they change there every week? That water could be brine by now.

Is there a way you can sneak by using less salt than they recommend/mandate? Maybe tinier holes in the lids to reduce the amount that escapes each week?

The brown algae is an indicator of excess phosphates for sure, and is also seen when nitrItes are high. Take some of your water to a nearby reputable pet store and ask them to use the liquid reagents on it.

 

[PetcoFishGuy]

I forgot to metion the sharks die right away as well like bala and redtails
the catfish range, we sell albino, emerald, and juli corydonas but we dont lose too many of them the big ones that die are the pictus, silver tipped cats, and otocinulus and occasionaly the raphels. Our small plecos that are 1.5-2 inch barely last 3 days and most are dead. iv already made it known to my managers i dont like putting freshwater salt in the tanks as i have been told alot of times it does more harm then good


Even as an employee i cant take pictures of the brown slime build up as its aginst store policy as im told to take any pictures of any animals we sell or their cages

 

[geronimo69]

I forgot to metion the sharks die right away as well like bala and redtails
the catfish range, we sell albino, emerald, and juli corydonas but we dont lose too many of them the big ones that die are the pictus, silver tipped cats, and otocinulus and occasionaly the raphels. Our small plecos that are 1.5-2 inch barely last 3 days and most are dead. iv already made it known to my managers i dont like putting freshwater salt in the tanks as i have been told alot of times it does more harm then good


Even as an employee i cant take pictures of the brown slime build up as its aginst store policy as im told to take any pictures of any animals we sell or their cages

I don't know how you can work for a company that doesn't let you do the job properly.( ie. take care of the fish properly ). I'd quit.

 

[PetcoFishGuy]

Test for phosphates, it sounds like diatom algae...

Second, do you pre mix the salt before adding it to the freshwater tanks? If you add salt directly into the tank, it's caustic, acts almost like poison to the fish. You should be mixing it for a minimum 12 hours with fresh water before adding it to the tank... Just my opinion.

If its Diatom alge what will i need to do to fix the problem?

No we dont premix all we are allowed to do is put a plastic cup with a preforated lid full of salt in the tank and let the salt disolve out of the cup. and add a new cup when prvious one is almost empty.

 

[Pharaoh]

What is the water change schedule like? You could use some Phos-sorb pads in there to remove some of it, but once again, its a band-aid.

 

[PetcoFishGuy]

The salt is a band-aid. Healthy freshwater fish don't need it, but since your fish come in from nasty farms and often host various parasites, the salt is used to keep that parasitic action down. Without a large quarantine area, you're probably stuck using it. And, yeah, loaches hate salt. Test your water with a Specific Gravity tool and see how much salt is actually dissolved into it. How much water do they change there every week? That water could be brine by now.

Is there a way you can sneak by using less salt than they recommend/mandate? Maybe tinier holes in the lids to reduce the amount that escapes each week?

The brown algae is an indicator of excess phosphates for sure, and is also seen when nitrItes are high. Take some of your water to a nearby reputable pet store and ask them to use the liquid reagents on it.

I went a week without putting salt in and got threatend to be fired. I have tested the water spec grav but I make sure i do a 30-50% change atleast each week on each system. I have a liqued test kit and i have used it once on our stores tank. but call me selfish i dont want to use my $30+ liqued test kit in the store when i need it on my african tank and my discus tank. he cups are pre preforated and nothing i can do to reduce the ammount of salt released.