Reusing fixer too long is such a sneaky trap because the film still looks developed, it just slowly stops clearing. That orange brown stuff you saw is leftover silver not getting washed away, so your shadows go muddy and lights bleed. Now I just mix fresh every 6 to 8 rolls and do the leader test before a real shoot, drop a film leader in the fixer and see how fast it clears.

Soft shells mean you wait too long" is the simplest fix I've ever heard for something I've been overthinking for years. Three bucks of oyster shell beats blaming the poor hens.

Wait, they charged you and still used the free template?