Guides
Long-form guides written for people who want to know why, not just what number to dose. Every fact is cited to a primary source — usually Randy Holmes-Farley, occasionally BRS, Triton, or peer-reviewed marine biology.
- Starting a reef tank: the chemistry-first checklist9 min · 1,650 wordsWhat actually matters in the first 90 days. Cycle, salt, lighting, livestock — in the order that prevents the avoidable disasters.
- Two-part dosing, explained8 min · 1,500 wordsRandy Holmes-Farley's recipe, the chemistry behind it, and the calculator that turns dKH drop per day into mL per day.
- Reef tank lighting: PAR, PUR, and the Apogee correction11 min · 2,050 wordsCoral lighting targets explained — PAR vs PUR, DLI, Apogee's underwater immersion correction (built into the MQ-510, ×1.32 for an MQ-500), and the PAR ranges for SPS, LPS, softies.
- Vinegar dosing in a reef tank, sourced9 min · 1,600 wordsCarbon-source dosing with distilled white vinegar to lower NO₃ and PO₄. Randy’s dose, ramp-up protocol, vodka comparison, when to stop.
- ICP testing for reef tanks: ATI, Triton, Oceamo, ICP-Analysis10 min · 1,850 wordsWhen ICP earns its money, what each lab tests, how to read the report without panicking over sub-ppb heavy metals.
- The aquarium nitrogen cycle, sourced16 min · 3,500 wordsWhat's actually happening when ammonia goes to nitrite to nitrate — fresh and saltwater. The Nitrospira correction, fishless protocols, and cycle-complete criteria.
- Ideal reef parameters: the sourced version6 min · 1,100 wordsEight numbers, each defended with a primary citation. What the consensus actually says vs. what gets repeated on forums.
- Sizing a protein skimmer for a reef tank5 min · 800 wordsHow to read manufacturer ratings honestly, the air-draw rule of thumb hobbyists actually use, and when to size up vs. down based on bioload.
- Sizing a RODI system for a reef tank5 min · 750 wordsGPD ratings vs. real-world output, when 75 GPD beats 150 GPD, and the booster-pump math for low-pressure homes.
- Sizing a UV sterilizer for a reef tank4 min · 650 wordsWatts vs. flow rate vs. dwell time — the three variables that actually decide whether UV kills ich, dinos, or just algae.
- Sizing an ATO reservoir for a reef tank4 min · 620 wordsHow many days of evaporation buffer you actually want, climate-by-climate, plus the math for kalk-dosed ATO setups.
- Hurricane prep for reef tanks: the 72-hour outage plan11 min · 2,400 wordsWhat kills tanks in outages, how to size a battery air supply and generator, the 72-hour pre-landfall checklist, and regional notes for Florida, the Gulf, and the Carolinas.