I havent checked the phosphates at all, I dont think I have a test kit for it. My test kit does amm., nitrites, nitrates, ph and something else i forgot. What kind of kit do I need to test for phosphates?

I tried 3 times to put a cleaning crew in there and each time they all die off within a couple of weeks.

the tank has been up and running for over a year. I got it from someone else. I have 2 55w actnitic PC bulbs (110 watts per dual bulb? or 55w per dual bulb?) running 8 hours a day.

When you say cut back on the feeding, do you mean 1 lifeline cube every 3 days and then flakes in between there?

I havent done a water change in about a month. When I do a water change I do ~15 gallons.

If I put some LR rubble in the sump (which there isnt much room in the center chamber) how many pounds should I put in? I already have about 100lbs in the tank.

So bioballs just capture all the waste and hold it in the bio-balls which I then assume have to be cleaned once a month or so?

thanks guys.