Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy - before we get back on track, can you send me your book.

Now we can get back on track.

OK, off track a bit more. Yes, I can send it, but I have not looked at it in a decade. I'm not even sure which version is which. Not being any sort of expert on how to actually write novels, I wrote them as if I was telling a story, and I use passive voice a lot. I'm sure I do it here all the time. Later I read that authors are strongly encouraged to not use passive, so I rewrote some but not all of it. Made other edits at the time too. Now I realize I probably should just have stuck with what I thought seemed right in my head, since such rules are dropping by the wayside.

In any case, few folks have read the whole thing. I submitted the requested summary stuff to a bunch of sci fi literary agents at the time (about 2014), but got nothing positive enough to proceed, so it sits stored on my hard drive.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Copepod Culture Update

Recall that I set up a couple of copepod cultures for fun. Both tisbe, one normal
And one hokey.

Hokey first. At some folks suggestion, this one entails a banana peel in salt water in a glass milk bottle with pods added, put outside. Day 2 a squirrel knocked it over losing 3/4 of the volume. I tied it up in a way to defeat the squirrels.

Today, wife says get rid of it. She’s worried rats might be attracted to the banana peel. It’s black by now and soaking in salt, but it was removed.

I cannot tell if there are pods in it or not due to all the detritus, but I think I see movement. Removed the peel, added a bunch of tank water and some ro/di to bring salinity down to normal, and added a lot of ulva from my refugium. I added a slow bubbler and will keep it inside with some light from the refugia. I have no idea what will happen. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Copepod Culture Update 2

The more normal pod culture, in new artificial seawater (not my tank water) with live phyto and pods added seems fine. I see pods in it, but I cannot tell if they are reproducing. Same setup with a slow bubbler near the refugium lights. Too early to judge tisbe, I think.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Current Parameters

pH 8.06
Alk 9.45 dKH

Alk has drifted up by 0.7 dKH in the last 3 days, so the previous AFR dose is too
much. I see it was actually set at 25 min on the doser, not the 20 I thought, but regardless, I dropped it to 11 min per day and we will see how that does over the next week. :)

 

[rtparty]

So the real question is: who is going to do the audiobook?

 

[twentyleagues]

So the real question is: who is going to do the audiobook?

Well I have a suggestion, unfortunately it will have to be made via AI as James Earl Jones is no longer with us. But every time I read what Randy writes thats the voice I hear in my mind. Not necessarily the Vader voice and effects though, sometimes but not usually.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well I have a suggestion, unfortunately it will have to be made via AI as James Earl Jones is no longer with us. But every time I read what Randy writes thats the voice I hear in my mind. Not necessarily the Vader voice and effects though, sometimes but not usually.

Oh, nice. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Fish Update

Was talking to Mike/Dr Reef today about the new foxface, and it got me realizing something that I do not recall seeing in my previous tank with these same species.

The three chromis, the yellow tang and the foxface seem to like to be together. They seem to often move as a pack. The tang and foxface bodies are sometimes very close, almost touching, even if both are eating or just drifting around. Maybe it comes from being tank raised with a crowd of fish all the time?

Even the chromis, not tank raised, move around with them. It seems like a happy family, though I don’t want to read too
Much into it.

The main deviator from that scenario is the biggest chromis, who often lurks right under where one of the prime reef flake feeder dumps 4x per day. It’s also right under a powerhead, so currents bring food there. Maybe that’s why it is so big: very food focussed. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Current lighting

 

[rishma]

Current lighting

You went wild with the blues!

 

[twentyleagues]

Current lighting

Do you notice more fluorescence with these settings? Is it too blue?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Bear in mind there are a lot more (3x) LEDs controlled by the bottom 3 slider (the freshwater blades) than the top 3 sliders (the coral Glow) and the drop of the “Blue Balance” from 50% to 40% more than offsets the rise in the UV and violet. So it’s not more blue than the all channels equal, but may have more deep blue.

The idea was to boost fluorescence and/or pigmentation driven by violet and uv, but it’s not something that I have actually noticed a difference. :)

Spectrum and schedule is still a work in progress. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Fish Feeding Macroalgae

I brought some red ogo gracilaria up from the refugium. The tang and foxface love it. I’m still in fattening them up mode, but before long they may have to earn their keep scraping the rocks and maybe ulva for a lot of their diet. :)

 

[Miami Reef]

Current Parameters

pH 8.06
Alk 9.45 dKH

Alk has drifted up by 0.7 dKH in the last 3 days, so the previous AFR dose is too
much. I see it was actually set at 25 min on the doser, not the 20 I thought, but regardless, I dropped it to 11 min per day and we will see how that does over the next week. :)

I knew it. I was gonna say something, but I didn’t want to act like a know-it-all.

The BRS 1.1mL actually output 2.1mL (based on the 4-5 I’ve bought.)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I knew it. I was gonna say something, but I didn’t want to act like a know-it-all.

The BRS 1.1mL actually output 2.1mL (based on the 4-5 I’ve bought.)

Following the adage to remain silent and be thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt? lol

 

[Miami Reef]

Following the adage to remain silent and be thought a fool rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt? lol

…yes actually.


I’ll do better next time. I promise.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I started a thread in the anemone forum asking about the half and half bleached look of my LTA and how long it might persist:

Half bleached LTA?

I have an LTA that I asked about identifying here a couple of weeks ago. It is doing fine, and I’ve recently been feeding it fresh clam, but it is still half bleached, as it was when I bought it. I’m wondering how long such half and half scenarios continue. I have no objection to the look, but...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[rishma]

I started a thread in the anemone forum asking about the half and half bleached look of my LTA and how long it might persist:

Half bleached LTA?

I have an LTA that I asked about identifying here a couple of weeks ago. It is doing fine, and I’ve recently been feeding it fresh clam, but it is still half bleached, as it was when I bought it. I’m wondering how long such half and half scenarios continue. I have no objection to the look, but...

www.reef2reef.com

Oh that’s interesting. I feel like it was all white when you got it? made it hard to ID. Repopulating zooxanthellae?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Oh that’s interesting. I feel like it was all white when you got it? made it hard to ID. Repopulating zooxanthellae?

It was actually half light and half dark when I first got it. It’s bigger and more expanded than before, but maybe not colored much different.

 

[XtraKargo]

It was actually half light and half dark when I first got it. It’s bigger and more expanded than before, but maybe not colored much different.

We had a sebae that my wife loved that was all white with purple tips. Within about 2 months it colored up to a drab brown that she didn't really like as well. So we tend to avoid the whites in corals and anemones since they may be bleached.