Frogfish Friend

 Hi friends! I get asked a lot of questions every week about my reef tank. One of the more common questions I get asked is along the lines of: "How do I get to the next level in reef keeping?".  I LOVE vague questions like that. Everyone's reef tank experience is different and everyone learns at different paces. So this is a hard question to blindly answer for everyone. But if I were to give a general blanket statement, I would recommend everyone brush up on their biology and chemistry. Learning the basics of these two sciences can greatly expand what you know and connect all of the dots.    There is a lot of overlap for the two, so it helps to know a little of everything. First, if you have not checked out my posts about cycling a tank, check them out here:  Cycling a tank  Ways to cycle a tank Its the nitrogen cycle! These links will help you understand a little more about the biology process going on inside of the tank and why things such as live rock are so important

 Hi friends! Today I would like to introduce you to a person that helped me deep dive (get it?) into the reef tank hobby. Randy Holmes-Farley is a chemist by trade that is very active on reef tank forms (primarily Reef 2 reef). He has been in the reef tank hobby for a little over 30 years and has helped advance the hobby to where it is today. He has a BA in chemistry and biology as well as a PhD in chemistry. He breaks down a lot of water chemistry and parameter topics into something easy to understand and use.  Water chemistry is a fundamental part of excelling in the reef tank hobby. There is a difference from having your tank functioning and surviving to thriving and glowing. An understanding of water chemistry will help you know what the coral and fish will need and how to keep things stable and safe. If your alkalinity is low, for example, your coral may have stunted growth. Knowing how much of what to add (I use ashe water for alk drops because of him as well), how slowly, and wh