Im getting shocked, Need new lights? also, tank renewal.

Hi guys, long time no see. So I have a little bit of a problem that needs fixing. Let me do a bit of background so you guys understand. Sorry for long post but please take time to read (thanks in advanced). Im going to sort of list the problems and what I have solved so far. I have a standard 150G tank.

I've had my tank for around 10 years give or take. ( jesus, time flies fast). I still have almost all my original fish, at exception of a few. I went to college and graduated (lol did i say time goes fast?) so my mom has been taking care of my tank and for the most part she has done a great job.

1)---Now that I am back home, I was in the verge of selling my tank but I just can't part with it. The little corals I had died unfortunately and now i just have my huge toadstool who isnt looking too good today. I checked the water and it was 70degrees. Might have been in the 60s or lower last night. I noticed the heaters had stopped heating. Not sure how long they were busted. I bought new ones today, and I also bought a wave maker WP-40. Kind of an impulse buy, but I did needed it since my koralias stopped working too. All the fish look 'ok', my porcupine looks like he may have ich, but he seems like he will pull through. He eats like a champ. 4 mysis cubes and like three big pieces of krill.

2)--- Ive had quite a bit of cyano, but since i have a porcupine puffer, that guy eats a lot and I cant exactly buy a clean up crew. All my fish are kind of old, and anything new I add doesnt really survive except a foxface i bought recently. Im not sure why. (old tank syndrome?) The rest of my fish are about 9+ years old.
I have 6 Chromis, a porcupine, 2 clowns, Yellow tang, Foxface and sailfin tang.

3)-- ***Most important and the reason why its an emergency thread*** My lightfixture is shocking me. (and i dont mean it in the good way). I've been shocked like 3 times during feeding. I touched the side of it where the protective plastic cover is and got a good ZAP! Enough to scare me quite a bit. (the lights from my sump did the same thing.. They are the same brand.. i wonder if there is a connection there...) Any how.. These lights are also around 10 years oldish. Do you guys think I should scrap them and buy new ones? Ive already tried cleaning them but I still got zapped. Its kinda scary. I turn them off at night now just to make sure. A few of the bulbs are pretty much none-working. So either i need to buy a new set of bulbs or an entire new fixture.
LFS has these LEDS that he says are great for the tank. They cost 150 dollars each, and he says that I basically only need 3 and i can keep all sorts of coral. I will call tomorrow with the brand and specifics. But if its true that means that i would only spend 450 dollars for new lights. This sounds too good to be true but could it be?
If you guys suspect old tank syndrome, what steps should I take to bring my tank back to life? Hopefully that wont cost me an arm and a leg.
Maybe you guys can point me into the right direction for similarly priced LED fixtures that would be great for a mixed reef tank? I may not be able to buy lots of corals but if at one point i decide to return the puffer and get corals instead, I need to have the proper lights for any corals i want. (anemones or SPS).

 

The fixture that my LFS was talking about kind of looks like this one. It may be this one but im not sure. He suggested to buy 3 of these and it should be enough?


http://www.ebay.com/itm/WIFI-Dimmab...dc31549&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=281449104608


These are cheaper.. look the same? maybe 4 of these?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Full-Spectr...t&_soffSubType=SALE_EVENT&_trksid=p5731.m3795

 

Those are "Chinese lights", what they do is instead of quality LED's they use more LED's. People have great success using fixtures like those. Me personally I prefer name brand, more expensive but you will have warranty. I'm not sure about the customer service with those fixtures but I know company's like Aqua Illumination and Radion will have great customer service. I'm very new to the hobby and newer to LED's so maybe someone else can better help you.

 

"Chinese lights" and "Great Success" sounded like an oxymoron lol I mean, LFS says theyre great, but like you I feel weary when it comes to cheap things. Is it easy/cheap to buy the replacement bulbs whenever they stop working? Or do you have to buy new fixtures every time? What types of LEDS would you recommend for my tank? The ones from ebay that are 94 dollars each, I could buy 5 or even 6 of those fixtures.. It might be overkill? considering LFS suggested 3. Im not sure how well corals would do under those on a 150G. will the lights actually reach the bottom of the tank? My biggest pet peeve on tanks is dark spots... thats why I usually buy the huge six feet fixtures.

 

I should mention, I dont need fancy (like with controls and wifi and other stuff) I just need something that will last me and will look great/better than my current T5s.

 

To my knowledge you will have to buy a new fixture when your lights go out. And I have a nano setup, so on a tank your size I'm not 100% sure..... I would maybe start looking at Hydra 52's made by Aqua Illumination. You would have to ask someone with a bigger tank. I do know that DSC is thinking of going LED's and civic did go LED's. They both have a big system so I would try to get there input. They are on here frequently so hopefully they can help.

 

Hopefully they see this thread. In terms of whether I need a new fixture or not? Do you think, given the circumstances, I should be looking to replace them ASAP? or perhaps there might be a way to fix the shocking problem?
Also feel free to chime into the other issues in the tank such as a way to revitalize the tank?

 

I would definitely try to fix the shocking ASAP. That can be dangerous, it sounds to me as if it may have a cut wire touching your tank. Somewhere it's passing current to your tank. That may be a contributing factor to why things are dying off? I would test water parameters as well see what the water looks like. Your nitrates may be very high. How long has it been since you had a water change? And the temp needs to stable out.

 

Sorry forgot to quote your post so you.

 

Check out high out put fixtures on marine depot, they have good equipment. They also post on threads from time to time, maybe they can help. And about your fish with ich, as long as it's eating you are good.... Make sure it keeps eating.... That is important for it to make a come back. Ich isn't the best thing for your fish, but that said it's not the end of the world. You can get some food with garlic init. I forget the name of the food. People have posted both ways on it...... I have never used it. You can also read up on fresh water dips and copper treatment. But read up on them before as it is can stress out your fish....