Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Makes me want to barf just thinking of that smell

I will probably use it more since i bought 3 bottles to get free same day delivery from Petco (it took 3 days, so I ended up getting it free).

I'll only use the other bottles when we are about to leave the house for at least half a day.

 

[dwest]

The pic doesn't show for me, but it is this:.

Thanks. I’m gonna try it. My green cyano is heavy and calcium carbonate and regular ish blowing off hasn’t helped appreciably.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. I’m gonna try it. My green cyano is heavy and calcium carbonate and regular ish blowing off hasn’t helped appreciably.

Good luck with it! :)

I did not notice an effect 24 h later, but did see an effect after a week, and maybe earlier but I wasn’t there to look.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Today’s Chem Test Update


Alkalinity 7.3 dKH. I upped the AFR dosing timer by 10% to 33 min. I’ve never calibrated this BRS 1.1 mL per min doser.

pH 7.9 seems fine

Nitrate 9 ppm. Seems fine. No change to ammonia dosing

phosphate 0.28 ppm. Seems steady and fine

Salinity 37.8 ppt. Definitely too high. I shut off the addition portion of the AWC for a while and am reducing salinity in the AWC water back to 35 ppt for when I turn it back on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Molybdate Dosing

Since molybdate is a needed trace element and it was quite low in my tank (and also low in IO in rtparty’s salt study) I decided to dose it.

I bought this from Amazon:

Amazon.com : Sodium Molybdate - Na2MoO4*2H2O, >99% Pure - 1 Pound : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Sodium Molybdate - Na2MoO4*2H2O, >99% Pure - 1 Pound : Patio, Lawn & Garden

a.co

$26 plus shipping for a pound that will last me for centuries. Share it with your friends. lol

Sodium molybdate dihydrate
Na2MoO4*2H2O
About 40% molybdenum by weight

Dissolve 10 gram in 1000 mL RO/Di. Concentration is 4000 mg/L or 4 mg/mL.

Adding 1 mL per 100 gallons boosts molybdenum by 4mg/378 L = 0.011 mg/L (11 ug/L).

According to Oceamo, my molybdenum is 1.6 ug/L. I want to boost it to 15 ug/L, or a rise of 13.4 ug/L.

I estimate my water volume is about 900 liters, so I need to add about 12,000 ug (12 mg).

Thus I would add 3 ml of my dosing solution of 4 mg/ml.

I will add that in several smaller portions to prevent high concentrations from impacting organisms before it mixes in.

I also added a similar concentration to my new salt water.

@rtparty

 

[Thrillik]

Hello. Have not been following the full thread. However, wanted to ask about where you purchased your magnifica anemone. I've heard it can be difficult to find them healthy.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello. Have not been following the full thread. However, wanted to ask about where you purchased your magnifica anemone. I've heard it can be difficult to find them healthy.

I got it from Pacific East, and would get another from there if I wanted one.

 

[jonelder68]

I will probably use it more since i bought 3 bottles to get free same day delivery from Petco (it took 3 days, so I ended up getting it free).

I'll only use the other bottles when we are about to leave the house for at least half a day.

I’ve been dosing it weekly with my diy coral snow. Coach @Miami Reef turned me onto it. No cyano since! Had little to no results with MB7. Much prefer MB7 smell though over it Every time I dose it the wife, “ oh my! what stinks in here” then checks our baby for a poopy diaper I will never tell her it’s the fish tank

 

[tripdad]

Yes, the smell is " unique"!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Foxface Camouflage

There is construction of a new enclosed deck against the wall that the tank backs up to. There have been many huge bumps that seem to scare the fish considerably. Most just hide, but the normally yellow with a black spot foxface also goes into camo mode:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Magnifica takes a toll

As I let the magnifica do what it will, it seems to be staying in the back middle top. Curiously, that is a low flow area directly under the glass brace which likely gets less light than a few inches to the side, but I’m continuing the strategy to let it decide.

But as it has hung there, I think it was stinging and/or shading the coral under it (called a PC Rainbow). The coral was easy to move so hopefully it won’t have further issues.

The before:

After relocation:

 

[rishma]

Interesting. I thought magnifica liked quite a bit of flow.


Please Take a PAR reading on pedestal and where mag is hanging out. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Interesting. I thought magnifica liked quite a bit of flow.


Please Take a PAR reading on pedestal and where mag is hanging out. Inquiring minds want to know.

So did I, and maybe it does but something else makes it prefer this location.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

High Salinity

I figured out why I have high salinity. Both of the AWC pumps (BRS 50 mL/min dosers) have lost the will to go on. Probably the outflow pump died first, leaving just inflow.

Anyway, I’m in the market for better pumps. Maybe Stenner, but I’m open to ideas. :)

 

[X-37B]

High Salinity

I figured out why I have high salinity. Both of the AWC pumps (BRS 50 mL/min dosers) have lost the will to go on. Probably the outflow pump died first, leaving just inflow.

Anyway, I’m in the market for better pumps. Maybe Stenner, but I’m open to ideas. :)

Kamoer for reliability. My carx has ran nonstop for 1.5 years now. I also use one to dose kalk.
I am dosing 3.5mlm of kalk so around 5 liters a day.
You can spread your AWC over the coarse of 24hrs if wanted.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. They seem to have tons of different models. Which model is yours?

Kamoer for reliability. My carx has ran nonstop for 1.5 years now. I also use one to dose kalk.
I am dosing 3.5mlm of kalk so around 5 liters a day.
You can spread your AWC over the coarse of 24hrs if wanted.

 

[X-37B]

Thanks. They seem to have tons of different models. Which model is yours?

FX-XTP

 

[dwest]

High Salinity

I figured out why I have high salinity. Both of the AWC pumps (BRS 50 mL/min dosers) have lost the will to go on. Probably the outflow pump died first, leaving just inflow.

Anyway, I’m in the market for better pumps. Maybe Stenner, but I’m open to ideas. :)

I still use Spectrapure liter meter pumps. They are extremely reliable but are pricing themselves out of the market unfortunately. I am trying a dos (with my Apex) for AWC because of this.

 

[dwest]

Foxface Camouflage

There is construction of a new enclosed deck against the wall that the tank backs up to. There have been many huge bumps that seem to scare the fish considerably. Most just hide, but the normally yellow with a black spot foxface also goes into camo mode:

That’s awesome!

 

[rishma]

I still use Spectrapure liter meter pumps. They are extremely reliable but are pricing themselves out of the market unfortunately. I am trying a dos (with my Apex) for AWC because of this.

I used my first one for 15 years until it finally died. I bought a second one, used it for a couple years but it’s currently out of service waiting or me to think of a use. Good pumps.