Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Freenow54]

Ok will have to be tomorrow

Sorry this took so long got sidetracked also have bumble bee snails which I rarely see because they get into the substrate, same for Trochus

. But here are the Nassarius which clean your rock unbelievable

changed mine from black to a weird green , but will also knock off unsecured coral . I only had two coral that were not glued down, lost both

 

[Miami Reef]

Nice job, Randy!

The tank glass is so clear; I don’t see ANY etching from here.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

Day 1 (March 8) added with first fish

This week. Growing but lost its dark red. Assuming from low nutrients &/or the white full spectrum light? Just ordered everything to start dosing ammonia and phosphate. Hopefully will help color back up.
Nitrate- 0
Phosphate- .02

Been dosing a capful of chaetogro daily and 1ml of iron weekly.

The TBS remote fuge is sure growing all kinds of variety of algae’s. New kinds popping up daily. It’s fun to check everyday to see what’s new.

I have the same macro and it does that when it's dying or in low nitrate/low light situation. Whenever I have high nitrate this thing is a plague and hard to remove from my rocks... I have been trading it in at my LFS

 

[twentyleagues]

Sorry this took so long got sidetracked also have bumble bee snails which I rarely see because they get into the substrate, same for Trochus

. But here are the Nassarius which clean your rock unbelievable

changed mine from black to a weird green , but will also knock off unsecured coral . I only had two coral that were not glued down, lost both

Those are turban snails. Good for eating algae.

 

[jonelder68]

I have the same macro and it does that when it's dying or in low nitrate/low light situation. Whenever I have high nitrate this thing is a plague and hard to remove from my rocks... I have been trading it in at my LFS

Getting ready to start dosing some ammonia to boost nitrates. As yes, it test zero. We’ll see what happens.

It defiantly isn’t dying I wouldn’t think as it’s still growing pretty quickly. Reds I’ve always heard like less light than greens. It’s getting about 100 par. Lowest setting I can go on my horticulture light.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Stocking List

First posting of stocking list, including expected arrivals in the next few days:

Organism	Date Added	Source
Live Rock	4/16 and 5/15/2025	TBS
Live Sand	4/16/2025	TBS
Fish
Yellow Tang (tank raised)	5/21/2025	Dr Reef
Green Chromis (5)	5/21/2025	Dr Reef
Mandarin Pair (tank raised)	5/21/2025	Dr Reef
Coral
Cali Tort	5/20/2025	dwest
Green leather	5/20/2025	dwest
Aussie Elegance	5/20/2025	dwest
Fiji Yellow Leather	5/20/2025	DIYreefer
Macroalgae
Mastocarpus stellatus and others	3/10/2025	Local Ocean
Gracilaria species	3/12/2025	afboundguy
Other Inverts
Astrea snails	5/15/2025	TBS
Florida hermits	5/15/2025	TBS
sea cucumbers (2)	5/15/2025	TBS
peppermint shrimp (2)	5/15/2025	TBS
Brittle stars (2)	5/15/2025	TBS

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Nice job, Randy!

The tank glass is so clear; I don’t see ANY etching from here.

Thanks. The roughness is mostly on the end, in the upper half, so doesn't show in straight on pictures, but also is hardly visible in general from the outside looking in.

It is visible when looking through the front glass to the side glass, but that hardly matters. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Tunze Skimmer Update

I’ve been collecting from the skimmer since April 18 using the extended collection hose:

Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

You did a nice job with the aquascape. I like the small rock coming out of the sand on the right; that’s the best part. It reminds of a rocky shore or an island. Thanks. Hopefully the same can be said after the remainder of the rock is added. lol

www.reef2reef.com

In that time, I’ve collected about 1.2 liters of skimmate into the repurposed rock bucket described in the link above. I have no idea what amount is good or bad given that there was little in the tank except base rock and the refugium, but I’m happy with it and the lack of needed regular emptying.

The neck needs cleaning and I’ll do that sometime in the next few days.

I probably will also add GAC to the bag on the skimmer outlet before long.

 

[rtparty]

Sorry this took so long got sidetracked also have bumble bee snails which I rarely see because they get into the substrate, same for Trochus

. But here are the Nassarius which clean your rock unbelievable

changed mine from black to a weird green , but will also knock off unsecured coral . I only had two coral that were not glued down, lost both

None of those are nassarius snails

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Lighting

While I recognize the limitations of par measurements, especially comparing very different light spectra, I’m planning to take some measurements today or tomorrow for several reasons:

1. I really do not know how much par will be produced by my relatively unusual mix of lights.

2. I want some idea of the relative intensity at a variety of locations in the tank where I expect it varies a lot due to depth and shading, but am only guessing.

3. I’m curious about the par/app % relationship. For example, do the lights at a 10% setting produce 10% of the par compared to a 100% setting. What do others find in this context?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

GAC

I ordered some ROX 0.8 from Amazon for same day delivery. Even though it is BRS brand, the 1 gallon container was cheaper from Amazon than BRS, and with free same day delivery. Kind of strange, but ok. :)

Assuming it arrives as expected, I’ll start it in the skimmer bag. I will give it a rinse before use, but this GAC has generally been pretty clean for me in the past.

In my last tank, I used Marineland Black Diamond for a long time, and I think it contributed to some HLLE type issues in a yellow and hippo tang. Then I started to acid wash it myself and finally switched to ROX 0.8 and the problem eventually receded.

For quite a while I was using ozone with a very large amount of the Marineland carbon on the water effluent from my reactor, and either the ozone or the carbon may have contributed, but the problem was there before ozone was used.

 

[Freenow54]

Those are turban snails. Good for eating algae.

I was replying to one person. I am not an expert but my dealer is, and told me Nassarius Snails

 

[Miami Reef]

the 1 gallon container was cheaper from Amazon than BRS

Just ordered. Thanks for the info.

 

[Freenow54]

None of those are nassarius snails

So I can admit when I am wrong. They are Trochus Snails

 

[revhtree]

Reefing, so easy a chemist can do it!

Ha! Nice work Dr. Randy!!! This will prove to be such a valuable build to the reefing community as a whole.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Reefing, so easy a chemist can do it!

Ha! Nice work Dr. Randy!!! This will prove to be such a valuable build to the reefing community as a whole.

Thanks, Rev. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

A limpet hitchhiker (I’ve seen several) decided that since I cleaned the glass, the next best place to feed was on the back of a sea cucumber. lol

 

[strich]

I was completely unaware that carbon dust could wreck so much havoc in aquariums!
I wonder how many tanks out there buy cheaper stuff, coz why wouldn't you, and neglect washing protocol - who really does acid washes for example.
Could be a lot of people out there with such issues and no idea.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Tank Salinity

I made my 35 ppt/53 mS/cm conductivity standard using table salt:

dissolve 1 teaspoon (6.20 grams) of Morton's Iodized Salt in 182 mL (182 g) of fresh water (making a total volume of about 184 mL after dissolution of the salt). This solution can be scaled up as desired.

Reef Aquarium Salinity: DIY Calibration Standards

Reef Aquarium Salinity: DIY Calibration Standards By Randy Holmes-Farley One of the most important issues facing marine aquarists is providing a suitable environment for their aquaria's inhabitants. Among the important properties for a marine...

www.reef2reef.com

I first checked my Pinpoint Salinity device in it. It read a bit low (which I knew). It read 51.1 mS/cm in the 53 mS/cm solution. Since I cannot calibrate it, I will just multiply all readings with it by 53/51.1 =1.037.

I measured tank water to be 49.8 mS/cm. Multiplying up that gives 51.65 mS/cm, which is equivalent to 34.1 ppt or sg = 1.0257.

I’ll ensure that new salt water for AWC has at least 35 ppt in it, then just watch the tank salinity for a while to see if there’s a trend.

 

[rishma]

Lighting

While I recognize the limitations of par measurements, especially comparing very different light spectra, I’m planning to take some measurements today or tomorrow for several reasons:

1. I really do not know how much par will be produced by my relatively unusual mix of lights.

2. I want some idea of the relative intensity at a variety of locations in the tank where I expect it varies a lot due to depth and shading, but am only guessing.

3. I’m curious about the par/app % relationship. For example, do the lights at a 10% setting produce 10% of the par compared to a 100% setting. What do others find in this context?

Don’t tell @BeanAnimal :)

Did you buy a par meter?