randy holmes

I am looking for something that tells me the balanced levels of calc. and alk. In other words if I have 420ppm of calc what is the balanced level of alk i should have

I just thought that I would share this with you all. If you are using www.aquariumwatertesting.com for occasional water testing I found this to be interesting when I saw that my salifert was reading 448ppm and there test was reading 212ppm. So I sent an email asking what was up with that...

i went up to ace hardware today to get some painting stuff, and i saw out of the corner of my eye that they had 50lb bags of pelladow, and 50lb bags of magnesium chloride, so a lightbulb went off in my head after reading farleys article in reefkeeping a few months back. and since im almost out...

Ok, I know that Magnesium and Calcium go hand and hand, Strontium is also somehow added as well. What exactly are all the relationships with the three, how do they work together and against each other?? What levels of each are going to be most beneficial and stable in a reef tank, and if one...

I've gone with Kent's Tech CB. It says on the label "Now Stronger 56,000 ppm on part A, and Now Stronger 7840 dKH on part B. The instructions state to use no more than 1/2 ml per gallon per 12 hours. As instructed I dose just that, when I leave for work at 6 am, and before dinner at 6pm...

Well it is the start of the new year and the start of the bi weekly discussion's. we all know they tend to run a little longer sometimes... just to let any one who is not familiar with the bi-weekly. at any time you can post and ask or share knowledge, i just ask that you dont jump too far...

Who doses kalk? do you run a calcium reactor ???

Can someone point me in the right direction to get more good knowledge on the chemistry side of things. I am really taking a liking to the chemical balances of the tank. I just want something that is semi lamen term, and gives me more of a break down of the complex water conditions we try to...

This is strange i decided to check my mg last night, it probably doesnt matter since i only have a bunch of base rock in the tank. i am waiting to get some uncured rock to start my cycle. but this is what i got from my testing. dKH - 11.2 (SeaChem) Mg - 1950ppm (Salifert) Ca - 300ppm...

I just spent three hours reading through the DSB myth thread and decided in all fairness to put up a pro DSB thread. Although I have not been in the hobby as long as many on here have. I research constantly for ways to improve the quality of life for the animals I choose to own. This is in no...

Here's a few pics of my new tank and fish room. 220 Display tank w/ 55 gal sump. I've never realized how small a 55 gal tank can really look. Here's the beginnings of the wall that the fish tank is built into. And here's the tank on the stand. I sure am glad that I have a 6" ledge...

I have traditionally utilized protein skimming to remove as many of the materials that I can, which would otherwise become part of the nitrate chain. I know there are complex systems in plenum, etc. all the way to simple periodic water changes to help keep nitrates at bay. Frankly, having been...

ok, i have a pair of rubbermaid, brute trash cans that i have been using to mix salt for waterchanges. i let a friend borrow them for a large waterchange, and after filling, he noticed a powerdery film over everthing, and his tds read 50, while straight out the ro read 0, so im...

I'm just kinda wondering what if anything you guys dose in your tanks. I my self use Randy Holmes Farly's two part Cal. and Alk. solution. Every once in a while a little Turbo Calcium. Brett

I'm falling high in zone 1-high alk and Ca. Accordingly I'm suppose to wait for the two to fall into the red box (Randy Holmes-Farley's 2002 Advanced Aquarist Online article dealing with Calcium and alkalinity problems). So the question is, how long should it take to fall? Ca. 480, but the...

been planning this for a while now, watching and waiting in a local forum for the the right deal to come my way. looks like it finally did- just made a deal for a 135gallon! its acrylic, 60lx18wx24h with rounded front corners. scheduled to pick up this thursday(im being optimistic by posting...

Now that my tank has been set up for a week or so with everything running on the AC Jr, I think my tank's temperature has equalized. It is usually right around 82 in the morning before the lights come on and reaches 85-86 at night by the time the lights shut off. I have the canopy fans...

Well, I know it is partially my fault, but green hair algae has all but ruined my love of this hobby. My tank has looked like an Irish Chubaka since late November. I had the entire tank disassembled in late January when it was moved from Woodbury to Cottage Grove and the entire tank scrubbed and...

alright a buddy of mines got a 10 gallon tank, lr and softie frags, and a clownfish. he started dosing kent nanoreef 2 part and his dkh is over 15, but his ph is real low at 7.6. i thought that the higher the dkh the higher the ph would be, but with the alk being that high does that cause ph...

After reading another thread on this forum, I have come to believe that I have severe Dinoflagellates in my nano tank. All my snails in that tank are dead and dying, and have been for the past month or so, I added 5 new ones and they are dying as well. I could not figure out why. Its covering...