Color theory is my favorite tip to date. Yes, a box of vibrant colorful coral looks amazing, but too often tanks look like the owners threw up a box of crayons. Here's another gardening tip people can barrow: Want a cooling effect? Plant blues. Warm and inviting? Reds and oranges. Want to make people anxious? Heavily focus yellows... I see very few tanks with well executed color schemes. But you'll find examples all over the gardening world when you explore flower and fragrance oriented plantings. However, while it could certainly be an effective goal; I wouldn't make it a hard and fast rule.
About placing new frags/corals, the best tip i read somewhere was a guy placing sheets of diffusing paper on top of the net (anti jump guard), exactly above the coral. Starting with 3 sheets on top of eachother and every couple of days he removed one sheet, so the coral gets slowly more and more light.
Being back in the hobby after 14 years, the huge emphasis on drags is a big difference from what I was used to. Before, I’d buy a big hammer or colony of zoas and would just lay it on or between some rocks. The other main differences I’ve noticed are the lights (super small and powerful), no more live rock and fancy refugiums, reactors and dosers
I share your aversion to frag plugs, I just will not allow them in my reef, I have passed by so many corals because they couldn't be removed from a plug because they are heavily encrusted and removal would destroy the coral...live rock rubble all the way as frag substrate
I always leave the coral on the plug until i figure out where it looks good and is gonna be happiest. Imagine gluing your frag down only to find out the flow/lighting isn't right. Also, no need in cutting the coral and fircing it to heal again.... take some tile nippers and cut some irregular cuts out of the disc. It looks more natural and youre not cutting your already stressed coral.
We're now offering "wet tested" par meters. All of the same stuff you used to get in the old rental kit. You can keep it or return it within 60 days for a refund minus a $69.99 restocking fee (the cost of the old rental program, but you can keep it longer if you wish). Full details at the link below. www.bulkreefsupply.com/wet-tested-mq-510-full-spectrum-underwater-led-par-meter-apogee.html
For those saying they “can’t afford” a $500 par meter… if you make it a priority over corals/livestock then you should be able to afford it. I bought a meter before my first coral (granted some came with the tank), but I intentionally had to say NO to all the pretty corals until I had a par meter AND appropriate lighting/pumps, not to mention a set of Hanna/test meters to make sure my chemistry is spot on. I also looked up manufacturer chart on projected par and compared with my initial par readings. I have an apex so naturally I went with the pmk, had considered the seneye but the former made more sense.
Best thing you can do is ask your lfs if they loan one or join a local reef club and likely be able to borrow one from another member. Buying one isnt worth it as most people only need to use it once or twice
The bottle of glue sales so good because its great for mounting frags to plugs when transferring or adding to frag tanks lol I don't think many people buy it to use underwater lmao
Love your videos after many years out of marines I've forgotten a lot unfortunately. But you guys are full of good info. Like the comment on using rubble to make your own natural frag's. Phil hobart Australia
I dont know why people dont use purple star polyps on back glass! It looks so cool! Its like neon green lights because you dont see the purple bushiness to it just the center tiny neon green!
Kinda wish someone would invent a ceramic tile with waves in it like sand....then I could just grow all kinds of stuff bare bottom and remove them with out damage to colony...sure I can use regular tiles but I just am not a fan of the perfectly flat tiles on the bottom of tank...I want some irregularity
@@marcelrodriguez2067 interesting....I always thought it'd be cool ....plus if they did the bottom that touches the glass like a marine pure block....that's be amazing
Kind of new to reefing, but I leave the plugs on anything I put in the substrate...keeps them stable even when crabs and snails are digging around, was my thought process...should I not be doing this?
#24. Not storing your superglue bottles in the freezer. The glue doesn’t harden up in the nozzle (other than a slight crust right in the tip) and you get to use the whole bottle without needing a new tip
Hey yall? You both mentioned putting "Torches and all your Euphyllia together along with Hammers along with Frogspawn"? I was told Torches should only touch Torches, Hammers also can only touch other hammers, etc etc? Can they all touch? I thought some would kill the others?
I have been holding out forever on mounting corals. Just because I have many more to buy and not sure how I want to arrange it! I watched another brs on the tunze epoxy and he siad glue first then tunze then glue again. What do you recommend? Another reason I havt mounted is my zoas and not crazy about some that were colorful but didin t relize how small heads were. When making a zoa garden I am asumming to make it with zoas that grow about the same pace? Will one take over if I dont? Also how can you get rid of problem spreading zoas? I have a pandora and a solid green, also yellow with blue lashes. one tank has Pandoras everywhere and yellow with blue lashes and the other has green on my rockwork that I dont want zoas on! If I mount torches or something over the green ones will the torches smother it out or is that a problem? If not I need to get rid of them!
Anything wrong with the old school egg crate stuff from home depot?? Ive been wanting to switch to mesh like this since i feel the egg crate does block more light.
You were speaking about sweepers on torchs and I have one torch only that has these couple of crazy long tentacles that extend really long sometimes! Are those sweepers? I also have a hammer that does it . I have about 6 hammers and 3 torches and its only those two! can I put hammers, torches, frogspawn all together or will they kill each other? I also wnated to comment on using gsp on the back of a tank! I dont like that look, just to wild and wavy but purple star polys is super cool! I started to on my main tank but am going to on anothe instead! It looks like twinkling green tiny lights because oyu cant really see the purple polyps in the water but only the neon green centers! My lfs has it like that and covered a statue with it too! Awesome but really wanted the coraline once it started coming in so down went the psp!
A lot of times you can just use a coral bone cutters and pop the plug off the frag. If it's encrusted on the plug, you can usually at least pop off the stem part of the plug.
@Mandy Majestic easy, either snap them off (in the case of branching frags like frogspawn). Or take a pair of meat scissors and just carefully cut right at the seam between frag and plug. The glue their stuck with comes off fairly easily, as soon as there a wedge between frag and plug, the glue just let's go
Not exactly. We now have what we call "wet tested" par meters. You buy the meter, wand, and carrying case at a discounted price, then can return it for a refund minus $69.99 restocking fee within 60 days of purchase. More info on the page in the link below www.bulkreefsupply.com/wet-tested-mq-510-full-spectrum-underwater-led-par-meter-apogee.html
@@truereefkeeping6022 well you used to have to put down a deposit for the full price of the meter anyway plus you only used to get 7 days. Now you get 60 days with the meter return it and get a refund minus the $70.
![Oasis - Oasis Live '25 [Official Trailer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gol_JnuEtKM/mqdefault.jpg)
I really think vendors need to provide multiple pics of their corals, to include the parent colony showing, or explaining, their growth form.
Color theory is my favorite tip to date. Yes, a box of vibrant colorful coral looks amazing, but too often tanks look like the owners threw up a box of crayons.
Here's another gardening tip people can barrow:
Want a cooling effect? Plant blues. Warm and inviting? Reds and oranges. Want to make people anxious? Heavily focus yellows... I see very few tanks with well executed color schemes. But you'll find examples all over the gardening world when you explore flower and fragrance oriented plantings. However, while it could certainly be an effective goal; I wouldn't make it a hard and fast rule.
About placing new frags/corals, the best tip i read somewhere was a guy placing sheets of diffusing paper on top of the net (anti jump guard), exactly above the coral. Starting with 3 sheets on top of eachother and every couple of days he removed one sheet, so the coral gets slowly more and more light.
Can you do vid on other coral placement and growth patterns? Since most of us buy frags I'm sure some are confused as I am. Favias specially. Thanks
I love the idea about breaking and reassembling rocks for fragging. I’d love to see videos that go deeper into fragging and tools for fragging
Awesome vid guys as always. I also respect the fact that Ryan and Randy say their glue works great but this other glue works better!
#1- answered question I had as I hate that oval thing to but didn’t want to cut it because I wasn’t sure it was safe for the coral
I wish I would have seen this video BEFORE I started, I think I have been guilty of all of them.. I had a big learning curve
Being back in the hobby after 14 years, the huge emphasis on drags is a big difference from what I was used to. Before, I’d buy a big hammer or colony of zoas and would just lay it on or between some rocks. The other main differences I’ve noticed are the lights (super small and powerful), no more live rock and fancy refugiums, reactors and dosers
Frags! Lol
Love the videos! Thank you guys for what you do for the community!
I share your aversion to frag plugs, I just will not allow them in my reef, I have passed by so many corals because they couldn't be removed from a plug because they are heavily encrusted and removal would destroy the coral...live rock rubble all the way as frag substrate
I use dettol for dipping corals and standard super glue for fixing them to a rock and it only costs £2
is there any videos around where removing plugs is explained? i dont really have space for a band saw and would really love to see some alternatives!
Usually a coral bone cutter is enough to pop the plug off if the coral hasn't encrusted onto the plug.
I always leave the coral on the plug until i figure out where it looks good and is gonna be happiest. Imagine gluing your frag down only to find out the flow/lighting isn't right. Also, no need in cutting the coral and fircing it to heal again.... take some tile nippers and cut some irregular cuts out of the disc. It looks more natural and youre not cutting your already stressed coral.
Awesome Video, great tips! Thanks for all the great videos!
Randy is such a goofball lol Thanks for awesome and helpful video guys!
I like seeing the sweepers but I think the way acans attack is cooler to watch to me
I completely agree. I use the putty. Makes a mess. Looks ugly and doesn’t stick well.
# 2... BRS not offering a rental par meter any more has seriously restricted my ability to know where to place my corals!!!
Right!!! I need to check my par but can’t afford 500$
We're now offering "wet tested" par meters. All of the same stuff you used to get in the old rental kit. You can keep it or return it within 60 days for a refund minus a $69.99 restocking fee (the cost of the old rental program, but you can keep it longer if you wish). Full details at the link below.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/wet-tested-mq-510-full-spectrum-underwater-led-par-meter-apogee.html
For those saying they “can’t afford” a $500 par meter… if you make it a priority over corals/livestock then you should be able to afford it. I bought a meter before my first coral (granted some came with the tank), but I intentionally had to say NO to all the pretty corals until I had a par meter AND appropriate lighting/pumps, not to mention a set of Hanna/test meters to make sure my chemistry is spot on. I also looked up manufacturer chart on projected par and compared with my initial par readings. I have an apex so naturally I went with the pmk, had considered the seneye but the former made more sense.
Best thing you can do is ask your lfs if they loan one or join a local reef club and likely be able to borrow one from another member. Buying one isnt worth it as most people only need to use it once or twice
The bottle of glue sales so good because its great for mounting frags to plugs when transferring or adding to frag tanks lol I don't think many people buy it to use underwater lmao
The best advise as normal thanks guys
Love your videos after many years out of marines I've forgotten a lot unfortunately. But you guys are full of good info. Like the comment on using rubble to make your own natural frag's.
Phil hobart Australia
I pinched a little Hollywood stunner for my 2 ft cube. And guess what I glued it to a rubble rock from my sump. 🙂
Agreed with on number 4 👍
I love you guys 😘 greets feom germany
Love your videos
Wayne’s world ! 🥰🐶😂 u BRS boys are very good boys, I hope u gets some treats today 🥰🐶
these magnetic products need folding pull rings for easy removal some are way op and a pain to get off because there is nothing to hold onto!
I dont know why people dont use purple star polyps on back glass! It looks so cool! Its like neon green lights because you dont see the purple bushiness to it just the center tiny neon green!
Kinda wish someone would invent a ceramic tile with waves in it like sand....then I could just grow all kinds of stuff bare bottom and remove them with out damage to colony...sure I can use regular tiles but I just am not a fan of the perfectly flat tiles on the bottom of tank...I want some irregularity
Theres a guy in reef2reef that used to sell them and at an amazing price too.
@@marcelrodriguez2067 interesting....I always thought it'd be cool ....plus if they did the bottom that touches the glass like a marine pure block....that's be amazing
I keep getting told Torches can not go next to Hammers?
Torch next to Frogspawn yes
How do I get a small leather frag off a plug?
Kind of new to reefing, but I leave the plugs on anything I put in the substrate...keeps them stable even when crabs and snails are digging around, was my thought process...should I not be doing this?
A lot of times, pest organisms lay their eggs where the coral meets the plug. By removing the plug, we're lowering the chances of introducing a pest.
#24. Not storing your superglue bottles in the freezer. The glue doesn’t harden up in the nozzle (other than a slight crust right in the tip) and you get to use the whole bottle without needing a new tip
Hey yall? You both mentioned putting "Torches and all your Euphyllia together along with Hammers along with Frogspawn"? I was told Torches should only touch Torches, Hammers also can only touch other hammers, etc etc? Can they all touch? I thought some would kill the others?
I try epoxy glue and they are just a big mess. The mixing part is the worst if you don't mix them well together. They will not work.
I have been holding out forever on mounting corals. Just because I have many more to buy and not sure how I want to arrange it! I watched another brs on the tunze epoxy and he siad glue first then tunze then glue again. What do you recommend? Another reason I havt mounted is my zoas and not crazy about some that were colorful but didin t relize how small heads were. When making a zoa garden I am asumming to make it with zoas that grow about the same pace? Will one take over if I dont? Also how can you get rid of problem spreading zoas? I have a pandora and a solid green, also yellow with blue lashes. one tank has Pandoras everywhere and yellow with blue lashes and the other has green on my rockwork that I dont want zoas on! If I mount torches or something over the green ones will the torches smother it out or is that a problem? If not I need to get rid of them!
What’s a good par meter to use?
I used the plug for my plating monti just because they are already brittle like potato chips without trying to get it off the plug.
Good PAR meter under $100?
Anything wrong with the old school egg crate stuff from home depot?? Ive been wanting to switch to mesh like this since i feel the egg crate does block more light.
For frag racks, the regular white egg crate works great! That said, the black egg crate does hide algae better
Coral Euphoria has a great way in mounting his corals.
yeah if you just started a new tank otherwise you have to drill the rocks and take them out
@@aquaticnstuff7666 that's true, when I start my new tank it will be the I mount my corals going forward.
You were speaking about sweepers on torchs and I have one torch only that has these couple of crazy long tentacles that extend really long sometimes! Are those sweepers? I also have a hammer that does it . I have about 6 hammers and 3 torches and its only those two! can I put hammers, torches, frogspawn all together or will they kill each other? I also wnated to comment on using gsp on the back of a tank! I dont like that look, just to wild and wavy but purple star polys is super cool! I started to on my main tank but am going to on anothe instead! It looks like twinkling green tiny lights because oyu cant really see the purple polyps in the water but only the neon green centers! My lfs has it like that and covered a statue with it too! Awesome but really wanted the coraline once it started coming in so down went the psp!
You're exactly right on the sweepers. It's usually best to separate the torches from your hammers/frogspawn so that they don't touch.
Oh and people can get caught off guard if they go to put different species of scan together certain ones will kill the rest
we need a 360 update :)
Its on instagram
I would love to be able to test my par but who has 500$ to front out
How do take then off the plug if you don't have a wet saw
Most times you can use a large coral bone cutter and pop the plug off that way without using a frag saw.
how do you remove a frag plug when you dont have a professional saw?
A lot of times you can just use a coral bone cutters and pop the plug off the frag. If it's encrusted on the plug, you can usually at least pop off the stem part of the plug.
1st. Great topic
Par.. of course.. duh pft😭
Please show the corals when you are talking about corals and It is hard to understand for beginners.
I find this funny since you guys always do what worldwide Coral says but that’s not how they do it
We highly respect the folks at WWC and how they do things. That said, we do have our own way of doing certain things and that's ok 🙂
Par meters are so elusive, idk anyone who has used one
I take all my frags off the plug and glue them to a small piece of rock. I thought this was SOP
@Mandy Majestic easy, either snap them off (in the case of branching frags like frogspawn). Or take a pair of meat scissors and just carefully cut right at the seam between frag and plug. The glue their stuck with comes off fairly easily, as soon as there a wedge between frag and plug, the glue just let's go
Is BRS not renting PAR meters any longer?
Not exactly. We now have what we call "wet tested" par meters. You buy the meter, wand, and carrying case at a discounted price, then can return it for a refund minus $69.99 restocking fee within 60 days of purchase.
More info on the page in the link below
www.bulkreefsupply.com/wet-tested-mq-510-full-spectrum-underwater-led-par-meter-apogee.html
@@BRStv oh awesome that sounds like an even better system than you had before!
@@BRStv why..... just why
@@truereefkeeping6022 well you used to have to put down a deposit for the full price of the meter anyway plus you only used to get 7 days. Now you get 60 days with the meter return it and get a refund minus the $70.
@@brandonmills4253 when I first was looking it was only 70$ to rent it for 7 days not full price, I can do 70$ but not 500$