Randy's Tank Description

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Several of the brutes were filled 2/3 or more full of largish rocks, so a powerhead at the bottom would probably stop working and I wouldn't know it. But it is a legit concern, and I cannot remember exactly how I dealt with it, but one way was to deliver the water near the bottom and remove it at the top.

Even if the water entered through a bulkhead near the top, the water was channeled down to near the bottom with PVC internal to these rock filled ones.

The two sumps has a lot of flow and no rocks, so there was no concern with them.

 

[Mickey]

I hadn't thought about running a pipe to near the bottom of the barrel, that's a good idea.

I am also planning on have one or two barrels filled with rock as I have at least one box full of rock that was at one time in my tank but is now dried and stored. I thought I'd resurrect it and add some additional live rock from a supplier.

It seems that I'm just going to have to plan as best I can then adapt as needed. I notice the brute cans are much more expensive than they were a few years ago so I want to get it organized so all I need to do is tweak rather than scrap and start over.

Thanks again for taking the time.
Mickey

 

[SauceyReef]

Glad to have made it here. Thank you for all the help you have given me in the past. Lovely tanks!! Hope to see some more update photos.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Glad to have made it here. Thank you for all the help you have given me in the past. Lovely tanks!! Hope to see some more update photos.

Thanks. :)

 

[LgTas]

@Randy Holmes-Farley I noticed you've been responding in the present tense regarding what dosing etc. you do. Have you restarted your system?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley I noticed you've been responding in the present tense regarding what dosing etc. you do. Have you restarted your system?

No, I haven't. I sometimes answer in the present tense for things I was doing when last the tank was up and which i would still do to not make people think I "was" doing something, but then switched to something else.

 

[Miami Reef]

What are your top favorite corals that you would or wish you could keep in a theoretical tank of yours? Price and difficulty of care doesn’t really matter; just what makes you happy.

A top 3 list would be interesting to see. :)

 

[Miami Reef]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My top favorite thing is not a coral, but a large giantea anemone, perhaps blue, with a group of ocellaris clowns living in it. Way more interesting than any coral, and just as colorful.

I also like bright yellow leather corals. Not as interesting as the anemone with clowns, but the yellow color is really appealing.

I like elegance corals, but never had one thrive indefinitely.

In general, I like things that move, so many sps that might as well be artificial don’t make the cut. lol

 

[Formulator]

In the summer, the water is cooled by sending cold tap water through a big coil of plastic tubing int he sump, and then out tot he yard to water plants. The flow is controlled by a solenoid connected to one of the temperature controllers.

THIS IS BRILLIANT

 

[cdemoss01]

@Randy Holmes-Farley can we get more pictures?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

@Randy Holmes-Farley can we get more pictures?

The tank was taken down a while ago, so all I have are old pictures.

here are some:

 

[threebuoys]

The tank was taken down a while ago, so all I have are old pictures.

here are some:

Do you think you will ever start up a tank again? Appears you were very successful at getting the movement you wanted.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Do you think you will ever start up a tank again? Appears you were very successful at getting the movement you wanted.

Probably. Right now I travel too much to make it a good idea.

 

[myclang]

Probably. Right now I travel too much to make it a good idea.

I've followed you for years, read your articles, and greatly admire the amount of knowledge and info that you constantly provide no matter how many times the questions been asked and not to mention the amount of patience that requires to repeat yourself, but it breaks my dang heart to find out you don't have the ability to run your own tank currently. I hope one day life balances out a bit more and you can enjoy waking up and viewing your own piece of the reef. Thank you for continuing to provide all of us hobbyists with your vast knowledge.

 

[SauceyReef]

Probably. Right now I travel too much to make it a good idea.

Agreed! You could potentially setup a little self run closed top nano. Throw a decent ATO and food doser in there and you could be gone for weeks or up to a month with the tank just running on its own accord. With advances in technology it’s very much feasible.

Here’s my 6 gallon that’s just a flower vase with a closed top. I barely do any maintenance and if it had an ATO & doser could go a month without touching it.

 

[danreef55]

Top off water is RO/DI collected in 2 x 44 gallon Brute cans (plumbed together).

It is mixed with limewater in 3 x 44 gallon Brute cans (plumbed together), and pumped to the tank with a Reef Filler pump on a big float switch in the sump.

New salt water is mixed in 2 x 44 gallon Brute cans (plumbed together). I use Instant Ocean, and add to each batch about 100-150 ppm of magnesium (I don't measure it, I just add about the same amount each time). I maintain the tank at ~35 ppt (sg ~ 1.0264).

I use the new salt water for automated water changes using a dual head Reef Filler pump on a time so it changes about 1% daily spread over many 15 minute periods of the day. I mix the salt water for about 24 h then turn off the powerhead (unless I forget :D ) and let it sit unstirred. I never heat the new salt water, except in emergency need of a lot of water. The old water is sent down a basement sink drain.

Temperature is controlled with a whole bunch of ordinary heaters on two Dynasense temperature controllers.

In the summer, the water is cooled by sending cold tap water through a big coil of plastic tubing int he sump, and then out tot he yard to water plants. The flow is controlled by a solenoid connected to one of the temperature controllers.

Water coming down to the basement from the main tank enters the first of three 44 gallon Brute can refugia, at the bottom. It rises through mostly live rock with macroalgae growing in the top 2-10% of open space. The water leaves that can and enters the bottom of a second, essentially identical can. Water leaves that second can and enters the first 44 gallon Brute can of the sump (yes, I like Brute cans :D).

In the first section fo the sump is the cooling coil, the skimmer inlet and outlet, a canister inlet and outlet, and another refugium inlet and outlet.

The skimmer is a ETS gemini 800 on an Iwaki 55RLT.
The canister I won at a MACNA raffle (along with a lot of other stuff) and it is filled with a mix of ROX GAC (from BRS) and GFO (from BRS).
The third refugium is mostly identical to the other two, but with less live rock (about 12-18" open water at the top with Caulerpa racemosa). It is fed by a powerhead and drains back tot he first sump section.

The second sump (44 gallon rute can) gets water from the first sump section. It has the heaters and temperature sensors for the temperature controller, and the outlet to the return pumps (two x Iwaki 40RLXT in series) that send water back upstairs to the main tank.

AE Tech ETS skimmers were awesome I wish I could find one !

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

AE Tech ETS skimmers were awesome I wish I could find one !

I ran it with an Iwaki 55RLT pump, which sucked up 250 watts 24/7. If I set up a new tank, the skimmer will be far less of an energy hog. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've followed you for years, read your articles, and greatly admire the amount of knowledge and info that you constantly provide no matter how many times the questions been asked and not to mention the amount of patience that requires to repeat yourself, but it breaks my dang heart to find out you don't have the ability to run your own tank currently. I hope one day life balances out a bit more and you can enjoy waking up and viewing your own piece of the reef. Thank you for continuing to provide all of us hobbyists with your vast knowledge.

Thanks. I’m thinking about a tank…

 

[danreef55]

I ran it with an Iwaki 55RLT pump, which sucked up 250 watts 24/7. If I set up a new tank, the skimmer will be far less of an energy hog. lol

I knew Gary who invented ETSS skimmers and owned AE Tech. He was local to me. I was doing wholesale at the time and had over 10 of their larger skimmers operating and they were extremely effective. You can't beat Iwaki but now there are definitely alternatives. Best of luck.