Randy’s Flock o' Reef Tanks

[RandyC]

Frag Tanks

Getting pinker by the day. Thought this mariculture piece was going to go red/maroon, but looks like pink is the winner.

April 18, 2025
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April 5, 2025
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March 21, 2025
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March 12, 2025
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March 3, 2025
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Frag Tank

An update on this mariculture piece. This thing is super hairy. Bright green polyps with a bright hot pink/fuchsia flesh. I've started calling this "The Hairy Pinky"

June 24, 2025

Here's a another shot of it with the polyps a little retracted showing the hot pink flesh goes through the entire branch.

I think this one has turned out pretty nice. It's been about 3.5 months since I got it.

March 3, 2025

 

[Darkxerox]

Frag Tank

An update on this mariculture piece. This thing is super hairy. Bright green polyps with a bright hot pink/fuchsia flesh. I've started calling this "The Hairy Pinky"

June 24, 2025
View attachment 70577

Here's a another shot of it with the polyps a little retracted showing the hot pink flesh goes through the entire branch.
View attachment 70579

I think this one has turned out pretty nice. It's been about 3.5 months since I got it.

March 3, 2025
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What's the general consensus on when a maricultured or wild colony is considered conditioned or reliable in captivity? A year?

Looks really cool though with how different it can appear depending on polyp extension!

 

[RandyC]

What's the general consensus on when a maricultured or wild colony is considered conditioned or reliable in captivity? A year?

Looks really cool though with how different it can appear depending on polyp extension!

For me, it's really isn't about time. There's too many variables to consider. Between pests, swinging parameters from not so good husbandry, equipment failures, bacteria, etc, I'm good if I see it's growing, encrusting and gaining color. Then keeping it alive is possible. Yeah, it could be more sensitive than other corals, but as long as someone can grow it, there's a way.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

Frag Tank

An update on this mariculture piece. This thing is super hairy. Bright green polyps with a bright hot pink/fuchsia flesh. I've started calling this "The Hairy Pinky"

June 24, 2025
View attachment 70577

Here's a another shot of it with the polyps a little retracted showing the hot pink flesh goes through the entire branch.
View attachment 70579

I think this one has turned out pretty nice. It's been about 3.5 months since I got it.

March 3, 2025
View attachment 70578

That's a dope piece....reminds me of Grover from Sesame St.

 

[RandyC]

If anyone is curious about my tank parameters, I just sent some in on Sat to Triton for most of my tanks. I usually don't send in samples very often. I usually just dip my finger in the tank and hold it up to the wind.

150 Gallon Tank

Triton Lab Showroom - Explore this water test results and click on the image above.

Someone wants to show you the water test results and shared this link to the evaluation. Click on the image above to explore the water test results.

www.triton-lab.de

IM75

Triton Lab Showroom - Explore this water test results and click on the image above.

Someone wants to show you the water test results and shared this link to the evaluation. Click on the image above to explore the water test results.

www.triton-lab.de

Torch Tank

Triton Lab Showroom - Explore this water test results and click on the image above.

Someone wants to show you the water test results and shared this link to the evaluation. Click on the image above to explore the water test results.

www.triton-lab.de

Frag Tank

Triton Lab Showroom - Explore this water test results and click on the image above.

Someone wants to show you the water test results and shared this link to the evaluation. Click on the image above to explore the water test results.

www.triton-lab.de

 

[RandyC]

150 Gallon Tank (Day 106)

Some eye candy for you all.

June 28, 2025 - POTO Flamethrower. Growing, but seems to have lost a little bit of color.

May 28, 2025

Jun 28, 2025 - RRC Rainbow Splice continues to encrust after moving it onto a rock from the frag plug.

June 1, 2025

June 28, 2025 - Battlecorals Cricket Spine

May 28, 2025

 

[RandyC]

150 Gallon Tank (Day 123)

My kryptonite, maybe almost everyone's? I've tried to keep speciosa alive a number of times, but that just always ended up in pure dead sadness. So, giving it yet another shot.

It has a lot of coloring up to do and is supposed eventually show shades of pink and purple, but first I gotta keep it alive long enough to do it. I'll be happy just to see it encrust and have new nubs grow after a year. *fingers crossed*

July 17, 2025

Other acros in the tank continue to do well. The POTO Flamethrower seems to almost ready start a big growth spurt. Seemed to have a lost some color, but looks like it coming back. I was a low on Potassium (around 370ppm) so I threw in some Potassium Chloride a couple weeks ago and brought it back up to around 400ppm. I've also added a little Potassium Chloride to my salt mix batches.

July 20, 2025

June 28, 2025

May 28, 2024

July 20, 2025 - SC Orange Passion has some coloring up to do.

May 31, 2025

July 20, 2025 - This one is turning out to be a pleasant surprise. SBB Magenta Flow. Didn't think much of it, but I'm digging the lavender flesh and super fuzziness.

May 28, 2028 - don't look like much when I first got it.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

Looking good! What was your dosage for the KCl?

 

[RandyC]

Looking good! What was your dosage for the KCl?

1g of KCl will add roughly 1ppm of Potassium per 265 gallons.

So for my 150 gallon tank which is probably around 160 gallons, that was around 0.6g per 1 ppm of Potassium. So I put in around 18g over a period of a couple days.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Those colors are amazing and the polyp extension is phurry!

 

[RandyC]

150 Gallon Tank (Day 138)

Some enabler mentioned a good deal on a tank to me and not surprisingly, I went and got it. I ended up adding an IM25 AIO tank to my 150 Gallon display tank. I plan to use this add on tank for bounce shrooms only. Plumbing this thing while the 150 was running was a pain in the ass because of the solid plywood wall of the stand. It's not as clean as I would like it, but it's running without leaks after having to replace one faulty bulkhead that was new.

I removed the AIO section and drilled two 3/4" return lines and added a Marine Modular overflow.

Plumbing has become a tad messy now. The two separate IM25 returns are powered by two IM MightyJet Minis (266 GPH). There are now four return pumps and a UV pump running here - hence the Mario Bros pipe maze. I had to drill two new 2" holes in the back of the stand two accommodate the new return pipes.

The IM25 is running two 3/4" drains. I decided just to plug up the third drain in the overflow box as I think it's unnecessary for such a small tank. I still need to permanently secure the drain lines as cable ties are what's supporting it now. The other three 1" lines are from the 150 display.

Other than this add on, tank is still chugging along. Acros still look to be doing well and growing.

Progression of BigR Walt Disney

August 4, 2025

July 8, 2025

June 15, 2025

 

[RandyC]

150 Gallon Tank (Day 138)

Some enabler mentioned a good deal on a tank to me and not surprisingly, I went and got it. I ended up adding an IM25 AIO tank to my 150 Gallon display tank. I plan to use this add on tank for bounce shrooms only. Plumbing this thing while the 150 was running was a pain in the ass because of the solid plywood wall of the stand. It's not as clean as I would like it, but it's running without leaks after having to replace one faulty bulkhead that was new.

View attachment 71886

I removed the AIO section and drilled two 3/4" return lines and added a Marine Modular overflow.

View attachment 71887View attachment 71888

Plumbing has become a tad messy now. The two separate IM25 returns are powered by two IM MightyJet Minis (266 GPH). There are now four return pumps and a UV pump running here - hence the Mario Bros pipe maze. I had to drill two new 2" holes in the back of the stand two accommodate the new return pipes.
View attachment 71889

The IM25 is running two 3/4" drains. I decided just to plug up the third drain in the overflow box as I think it's unnecessary for such a small tank. I still need to permanently secure the drain lines as cable ties are what's supporting it now. The other three 1" lines are from the 150 display.
View attachment 71890View attachment 71891

Other than this add on, tank is still chugging along. Acros still look to be doing well and growing.

Progression of BigR Walt Disney

August 4, 2025
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July 8, 2025
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June 15, 2025
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Oh and here's why unions are so important in large tank or multi tank setups. If I had to replace that faulty bulkhead (the one at the top of the picture) while it was still installed on the tank, I don't think I could have done as easily as I did. I would have had to drain the whole tank, disconnect everything and move the IM25 setup to cut out that bulkhead. With unions, after just draining the water to below the bulkheads into the sump, I was able to just remove the external overflow and cut and replace the bulkhead in under 10 minutes.

 

[Patio]

What was your tool of choice for removing the all-in-one plastic and glass?! I remember how tough it was removing...

Great job with the water height with the modular marine. A lot of us go too high with it.

 

[RandyC]

What was your tool of choice for removing the all-in-one plastic and glass?! I remember how tough it was removing...

Great job with the water height with the modular marine. A lot of us go too high with it.

Standard rectangle razor blade and 50lb test fishing line.