Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Mike Sydney]

Welcome to Randy's Tank and Learn Thread!

First, why that particular title?

I started my last reef tank in August of 1995, and ultimately took it down in March of 2016, after more than 20 years of enjoyment. I’ve learned a lot since then, but not nearly enough. The title reflects the idea that this tank thread will be different than most, and will be focused around learning, both for readers and for me. As I proceed to set up and maintain a new reef tank, I will encounter all sorts of challenges that I will address extensively in this thread. Some recent days the list of challenges seemed endless. Some I’ve already encountered and gotten great help for, and will recount these in this thread. Future challenges will include things I’ve done before, and some I have not. For many of these topics, I will request input from readers on how to best do certain things, and what are the pros and cons of the various paths forward. Some will obviously be chemical challenges (e.g., what to dose and how and why, DIY materials of various sorts, etc.), but others will not be (e.g., what corals look best in white light). My intent overall is to first tell folks what I'm thinking of doing, gathering suggestions of how others think I might go about it, then doing it, tracking if it seemed to work, etc. My hope is that a wide range of folks will follow this thread, both to learn things they do not know, and to help with things they do. In many cases, each post I make will have a heading that summarizes it in a “topic of the day” type of discussion.

I won’t belabor the reasons for taking down my previous tank, but electricity cost was a big factor. Fast forward to today, and there have been huge changes in the reefing world, not least of which is more electrically efficient equipment. Rev (revhtree, owner of Reef2Reef) asked me a couple of times if I had an interest in restarting a tank, and I decided last fall that the time was right to start again. In discussions with Rev, he suggested that perhaps some Reef2Reef sponsors might be willing to help out, and that has turned out to be true. I want to express a very big thank you to three companies:

TBS (Tampa Bay Saltwater), providing their “package” of rock, sand, and some clean up crew

Tunze, providing powerheads (Stream 6105 eco), a skimmer (9410), an Osmolator 3, and an RO controller (8555)

BRS (Bulk Reef Supply), providing discounts on a wide range of items (still being set up)

As my tank story unfolds, there will be more about why I chose these specific items, how I’m using them, etc. An important thing to note is that these are the specific items I felt would best serve this tank. Folks may have noticed a bunch of threads I started recently asking for folks experiences with various things (e.g., lights, bulkheads, etc.). This tank is why. I made a wish list of items I wanted and Rev worked to find a way to help make it happen. Thanks, Rev! It was not the other way around, of a company trying to convince me to try something. I picked these things so it’s on me to have chosen correctly.

So let’s roll on, have fun, and learn together!

Interestingly I started my first saltwater tank in 1979 in Australia, back then you could hardly even buy salt to make up seawater and if you found it, it was horrendous in price, we collected it from the ocean. Protein skimmers were fairly new technology and under-gravel filters were what everyone used. And Coral to buy was almost nonexistent, you collected it yourself

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My 9410 AC has been an absolute tank. It ran non-stop on my last tank for 6 years with very minimal maintenance (cleaned pump twice I think). I got out of the hobby and put it into storage for a few years. It's running on my current tank now. I told myself I'm not going to buy a new Reef Octo Elite until the Tunze dies. It's been running for a year and a half on my latest tank with zero cleaning. I'm actively trying to kill it to justify the DC reef octopus. My ONLY complaint is that it's a little loud. But aside from that, it's an amazing skimmer.

Thanks. I’m hoping for similar success. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

And Coral to buy was almost nonexistent, you collected it yourself

Bet that doesn’t go over well now. lol

 

[Miami Reef]

Randy, I received the Biota Yellow Tang yesterday!

 

[Mike Sydney]

Bet that doesn’t go over well now. lol

Nope You cannot do that since the early nineties, collecting seawater is ok
You can trawl for plankton which is also ok
You can collect coral with a permit, but it is hard to get a permit

 

[LiverockRocks]

Base Live Rock and Sand from TBS

Air cargo to Boston is confirmed for Monday, so that's the big day!

Assuming nothing unforeseen happens before then, that will be Official Tank Day #1.

I better have extra coffee that morning, since the first shipment is 9 x 50 pound boxes. I hope I can pull up to a dock.

Boxes are 17" tall x 14" deep & wide.

Will they all fit in a Tesla Model Y?

The back cargo area can fit 2 across and maybe 3 rows (very close, 1/2" to spare).

The back seat can fit 3 across

Passenger seat can fit 1, possibly 2.

Looks good to go, but then again, unexpected things happen. lol

How far from BOS do you live?
We could ship the sand and a couple boxes of base rock on Monday, then a week later ship the remainder of the base rock. Lmk if that would be helpful.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How far from BOS do you live?
We could ship the sand and a couple boxes of base rock on Monday, then a week later ship the remainder of the base rock. Lmk if that would be helpful.

Thanks very much, but getting it all on Monday will work best! I’m not far from BOS and the expected and backup flights will both avoid the main rush hour traffic. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy, I received the Biota Yellow Tang yesterday!

Nice! How does he seem today? Did you see any of their facility?

 

[Miami Reef]

Nice! How does he seem today? Did you see any of their facility?

I was worried because he didn’t eat initially, but I bought Reef Masstick from Biota, and that seemed to get him eating again.

He’s thriving! He’s the cutest fish I have.

Biota doesn’t allow any outside visitors in their facility for biosecurity reasons. They bring the orders to your car. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Biota doesn’t allow any outside visitors in their facility for biosecurity reasons. They bring the orders to your car. :)

Ah, ok. Do you know if they raise the yellow tangs there, or do they do that elsewhere and just hold them for shipping from that site?

Glad he is eating. The little yellow tang I got 30 years ago was super cute. He liked to swim against the current right in front of a return pipe. Like a person on a treadmill. He stopped doing that as he (or she?) got older.

 

[twentyleagues]

He liked to swim against the current right in front of a return pipe. Like a person on a treadmill. He stopped doing that as he (or she?) got older.

Yeah it hard to find the time or will to work out as you get older.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I was worried because he didn’t eat initially, but I bought Reef Masstick from Biota, and that seemed to get him eating again.

He’s thriving! He’s the cutest fish I have.

Biota doesn’t allow any outside visitors in their facility for biosecurity reasons. They bring the orders to your car. :)

I have 2 right now in my observation tank. They have been there with some others for about a month now. They have really colored up nicely. I have a full size biota yellow and it is an incredible fish.

 

[Miami Reef]

Ah, ok. Do you know if they raise the yellow tangs there, or do they do that elsewhere and just hold them for shipping from that site?

Yes, I do.

They breed them in Hawaii and distribute them in Florida:

Biota captive-bred tang are native Hawaiian, bred in Waimanalo and parents are directly from the wild. Only time they're not in Hawaii is when they're at our distribution facility in Florida or in your tank.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Sorry, I’m like 25 feet away being lazy on my couch. But. That’s my full size biota.

 

[Miami Reef]

Sorry, I’m like 25 feet away being lazy on my couch. But. That’s my full size biota.

Wow! How long have you had him for?

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Wow! How long have you had him for?

15-18 months. I feed heavy heavy heavy. Frozen 5 times a day and flake 4 times a day. I have well over 10 tangs in this display. So I curb aggression with fast food.

 

[jonelder68]

Base Live Rock and Sand from TBS

Air cargo to Boston is confirmed for Monday, so that's the big day!

Assuming nothing unforeseen happens before then, that will be Official Tank Day #1.

I better have extra coffee that morning, since the first shipment is 9 x 50 pound boxes. I hope I can pull up to a dock.

Boxes are 17" tall x 14" deep & wide.

Will they all fit in a Tesla Model Y?

The back cargo area can fit 2 across and maybe 3 rows (very close, 1/2" to spare).

The back seat can fit 3 across

Passenger seat can fit 1, possibly 2.

Looks good to go, but then again, unexpected things happen. lol

Do you plan on adding live rock directly to the tank? I would suggest adding to a holding tank. I removed 4 stone crabs and 3 gorilla crabs while in 3 month holding tank. I’m currently trying to catch a 2” gorilla in the refugium and a tiny 1/2” stone crab from DT. These little buggers are talented at hiding for weeks on end.

Only found/noticed the gorilla crab in refugium after adding some gorgonians. He was out ripping them into pieces :( Again he’s massive and have never seen him over the last 6 weeks otherwise.

 

[rishma]

Do you plan on adding live rock directly to the tank? I would suggest adding to a holding tank. I removed 4 stone crabs and 3 gorilla crabs while in 3 month holding tank. I’m currently trying to catch a 2” gorilla in the refugium and a tiny 1/2” stone crab from DT. These little buggers are talented at hiding for weeks on end.

Only found/noticed the gorilla crab in refugium after adding some gorgonians. He was out ripping them into pieces :( Again he’s massive and have never seen him over the last 6 weeks otherwise.

This is a good point. Lots of destructive hitch hikers can come with the rock. I’m not sure what options you have, but I wasn’t thorough and I think I still have a pistol that kills every shrimp and nearly every snail i add to the tank.

I probably removed 6 or 8 crabs from 25lbs of rock.

I’ll use live rock on my next tank too, but pest/ hitchhiker removal will be part of my plan.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Do you plan on adding live rock directly to the tank? I would suggest adding to a holding tank. I removed 4 stone crabs and 3 gorilla crabs while in 3 month holding tank. I’m currently trying to catch a 2” gorilla in the refugium and a tiny 1/2” stone crab from DT. These little buggers are talented at hiding for weeks on end.

Only found/noticed the gorilla crab in refugium after adding some gorgonians. He was out ripping them into pieces :( Again he’s massive and have never seen him over the last 6 weeks otherwise.

IYKYK - I’ve killed at least 20 Gorillas. I caught two stones. I thought I did good when I went through the rock before it went into the display. I have a pest tank that has about 10 gorilla and many other things I pulled. I just found. Green mantis. It’s been hiding for 5 months, lol.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, I do.

They breed them in Hawaii and distribute them in Florida:

Thanks!