Long-Form Guides
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 checklist
9 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, explained
8 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 correction
11 min · 2,050 wordsCoral lighting targets explained — PAR vs PUR, DLI, the Apogee MQ-510 in-water correction of 1.25, and the PAR ranges for SPS, LPS, softies.
Vinegar dosing in a reef tank, sourced
9 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-Analysis
10 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, sourced
16 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 version
6 min · 1,100 wordsEight numbers, each defended with a primary citation. What the consensus actually says vs. what gets repeated on forums.