Randy's Tank and Learn Thread

[Euphylliaphyle]

We used to paddle across the inlet at Wrightsville beach to Mansonboro island to catch the break there, a shipping lane and a 1/4 mile paddle through insane current. Anyway, my first trip a friend says "be careful the rocks are really slippery on the Masonboro side."

As I stepped out of the water onto the rip-rap, I thought "what a baby, slippery.. meh?" and then I stepped on the second rock. Long story short, I am lucky I am alive. I am rather sure that I surfed with a concussion that day and I don't remember the paddle back to Wrightsville.

Those rocks are like teflon coated ice.

But better and a much longer story than there is room for here, we had a friends friend come on a surfing trip to Barbado, Short version. He was trying to hang with us surfing breaks he had no business paddling out in. Day 3 of a 2.5 week trip he got absolutely rolled across a shallow reef (knee deep) by 1.5x overhead wave. He stood in shock as if to say "I'm good" and within seconds you could see trickles of blood seeping form hundreds of razor cuts all over his chest, back, arms and shoulders, knees, etc. like he had been tenderized. Then he stepped on several black long spine urchins trying to walk in.

We poured peroxide on him for 2 weeks. He fizzed like mentos in coke every time and screamed like a little kid at the dentist. It was amazing. Yes, I said that out loud, worth the price of admission and then some. One of the greatest things I have ever seen and been part of... in an that odd kind of way.

I am glad you didn't get hurt Randy.

Oyster colonies do not make for a soft landing.

 

[dwest]

I literally put tire studs on the soles of my creek wading fishing shoes because of slippery rocks. Slippery rocks are no joke.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Oyster colonies do not make for a soft landing.

Ohh, a lot of it was fire coral. My only hard contact was in a bed of turf algae. The break is called “soup bowl”. Massive rip to the left and crossing waves that make that area treacherous if you are not strong enough to paddle out of the rip to the break. Peroxide boy wasn’t strong enough and the reef rash was his reward. Break is outside center, often easily double overhead. Left is shallow all the way out. You can see the rip in front of the group. You ride the rip out and then paddle hard right to get into the lineup. If you can’t paddle, you are not goi going to have a good time.

Anyway, back to Rand’s adventures. Mine are for another day.

 

[Minifoot77]

Ohh, a lot of it was fire coral. My only hard contact was in a bed of turf algae. The break is called “soup bowl”. Massive rip to the left and crossing waves that make that area treacherous if you are not strong enough to paddle out of the rip to the break. Peroxide boy wasn’t strong enough and the reef rash was his reward. Break is outside center, often easily double overhead. Left is shallow all the way out. You can see the rip in front of the group. You ride the rip out and then paddle hard right to get into the lineup. If you can’t paddle, you are not goi going to have a good time.

Anyway, back to Rand’s adventures. Mine are for another day.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Chorda Filum for the Win!

Contrary to internet lore, my yellow tang and one spot foxface are both eating the Chorda Filum I added to the tank on their normal clip. Now I just have to hope it grows in my refugium. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Seaweed Update

The yellow tang and one spot foxface consumed all of the Chorda filim shown in the picture below. It was consumed in less than 24h, so I presume they like it fine. They suck it in like spaghetti.

They seem less interested in the Colpomenia peregrina, which are the green/golden brown hollow glob seaweed shown in the picture below. I’ll leave it in by itself for another day and see what happens, but it may have been dead when collected, making it less appealing.

 

[Reefering1]

They seem less interested in the Colpomenia peregrina, which are the green/golden brown hollow glob seaweed shown in the picture below

Is this the same stuff? Baruch and I were trying to id it in the past and were inconclusive.
It is hollow, easy to pull off the rock and crunchy like lettuce..

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Looks pretty similar. In the rocky ocean area I collected it, they were free floating hollow blobs. I presume some were attached deeper down.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

They are identified in a picture on page 4 of this Massachusetts government document, but I do not know for sure that they got it right.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/non-native-seaweed-in-massachusetts/download

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Mandarin Update

The mandarins are doing very well and are certainly friends if not mates. They often travel together and both are looking quite healthy. I do not feed them aside from the live phyto I dose nightly to boost pod growth.

 

[Reefering1]

They are identified in a picture on page 4 of this Massachusetts government document, but I do not k iw for sure that they got it right.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/non-native-seaweed-in-massachusetts/download

That certainly looks like it!