THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

September 22, 2012

What's more impressive than a 40 foot Long, 40 ton Fish?

Good question indeed !

By Leonard Ho - and Aquarist Magazine

How about 400+ of them?! According to a recent study, aerial and surface surveys of a 2009 phenomenon counted over 420 whale sharks dining together on freshly spawned tunny and mackerel eggs in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.

This is the largest gathering of whale sharks ever recorded.

With detail and an areal view

Link: http://tinyurl.com/8mtmzek

Albert

Edited September 22, 2012 by albertthiel

September 22, 2012

The glass vase on the far right of this pic is what I was maybe thinking of converting into a pico. The problem maybe lighting for it however and just where I situate it although I have a number of possibilities for placements.

Yes that looks like a good size indeed ... but re the lighting remark you may need to hang one down from the ceiling or find a clip on but the glass of the jar many not be thick enough for it to hold and not break it.

Then, I guess what type of light you are going to use will depend on what you put in it?

Any ideas yet?

I would not leave it on the window sill though, but that's just my opinion ... maybe somewhere near where you have your PC ...

Keep us posted .... and good Pico Reefing

Albert

September 22, 2012

Coral Pictures from Aquaristic Aquarium

Catalina Goby

Link: http://www.facebook.com/aquaristicaquarium

Albert

Edited September 22, 2012 by albertthiel

September 22, 2012

More Corals by Aquaristic Aquarium

Link: http://www.facebook.com/aquaristicaquarium

Albert

September 22, 2012

Looking at Maria's got2envy's Thread and the Pics

I have to say that she got some really nice frags ... and not just a few ... it looks like she got so many that she many need a "bigger" tank :- )

Seems also like that event was really well attended too ...

For those who have not seen the Pics you may wish to check her Thread. Here's the link to the Pics of what she got at the Swap:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=4030592

Great buys Maria !

Congrats on all the new ones you got !

Albert

Edited September 22, 2012 by albertthiel

September 22, 2012

Building a Proper Marine Aquarium Library as recommended by Steven Pro

Note that this is Steven's list of suggested books, there are of course a lot more, and many books are not listed in this article which goes back to 2008.

Nevertheless it is worth taking a look at:

Link --v

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php

Albert

September 22, 2012

Links to 3 Articles by Dr. Ron Shimek on Grazers for our Aquariums

1. The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

2. The Grazing Snails, Part II - Abalones, Limpets and Nerites

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/rs/index.php

3. The Grazing Snails, Part III: Conchs, Ceriths, Cowries, and Columbellids

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/rs/index.php

Albert

September 23, 2012

Propagation of Anchor and Brain Corals (Fragging and Cutting)

Includes:

- Propagation of Brain (Lobophyllia) Corals

- Propagating Flabello-Meandroid Euphyllia/Anchor Corals

Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/gh/index.php

Albert

September 23, 2012

You Have To See This Tank ... this is maybe not unique but certainly close to it

The tank is an 18x18x18" frameless cube running a closed loop through two bulkheads in the bottom of the tank. I'm using a Eheim 1262 (900GPH) pump for curculation and I've also got a Aquamedic Mini chiller and a heater in the closed loop.

There's 33lbs of live rock and the light is an Arcadia 150W Metal Halide. I built the cabinet myself. It's now been set up for 4 weeks and I'm just getting rid of the hair algae.

Plenty of Pictures !

Link:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=970993

Albert

Edited September 23, 2012 by albertthiel

September 23, 2012

Artificial Propagation of Corals — The Soft Corals

Soft corals are generally considered to be more hardy than most hard coral species. While aquarium husbandry of hard corals, especially the small-polyped scleractinians (SPS), is considered to be a challenge for the experienced reefkeeper, keeping soft corals in the aquarium presents something of a challenge for the newcomer.

Despite this, there are many aquarists who love the beauty of the soft corals and their gently moving branches and polyps.

A little “forest” of beautiful tree-shaped Nephthea corals makes many aquarists raise their eyebrows, and a colony of pumping Xenia that looks like waving hands immediately makes them smile.

Soft corals are quite adaptable to different environmental conditions because they are used to strong variations in conditions in their natural environment.

As a result, much more is known about their requirements than about the needs of many of the hard coral species, and they are the first corals to have been successfully propagated in modern reef aquaria.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/btlsh9z

Albert

September 23, 2012

Coral Fragmentation: Not just for the Beginner Anymore

The industry of coral propagation seems to be reaching a state of enlightenment where the knowledge of fundamental procedures for the simple division of reef invertebrates is becoming time tested and even commonplace.

It is wonderful to see so many corals in captivity that once were thought to be impossible to keep alive not so long ago now routinely pruned like shrubbery.

In gross terms, the captive propagation of coral may be categorized by the action of the event: induced passively, naturally occurring or imposed.

Passive induction would include strategies of division that neither result in the immediate production of a free-living clone, nor will they necessarily occur unassisted.

Rather, such techniques are methods for spurring budding through fission. Some examples of induced passive division include slicing or notching the periphery of the stolon mat of hardy soft corals such as Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia) or nicking the exposed and illuminated stalk of a leaning (or forcibly tilted) stalk of an Alcyoniid, which often spurs the budding growth of beautiful multi-stalked colonies.

Another great Article on Coral Propagation

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/ac/feature/

Albert

September 23, 2012

Securing and Fastening Propagated Corals to the Substrate

I previously detailed some fundamental methodologies for propagating corals, and so it stands to reason that an article on methods for securing the resulting divisions follows suit.

For many ambitious coral farmers, propagating corals can be summed up with a flip utterance:

"Saw it, fragged it… licked the salt off my hands!"

Well… that, of course, is a ridiculous statement. I would never personally condone such an unsanitary act without lemon wedges and a fifth of top shelf tequila. But, enough about how I personally propagate coral.

Here, I intend to proffer advice and wisdom to aquarists on some of the most popular methods for attaching fragments of coral to a hard substrate.

Methods for securing hard or soft coral are likely to fall within one of the following categories:

- Tethering: plastic ties, rubber bands, wire or thread, stitches, suspension

- Adhering: cyanoacrylate/super glue

- Capturing: cementing and epoxying

- Containing: collars, cups, netting, tubes and pipe, rock crevices and corrals

- Impaling: drilling, pegging, spearing

- Natural Settlement: on live rock, sand, ceramic tiles/glass, in rubble troughs, etc.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/9vkmcbs

Albert

Edited September 23, 2012 by albertthiel

September 23, 2012

Hi Albert just a quick post before I head off to work,groooannnnn.

I have seen many pic's of tank which have obviously been set up for a short while. Manufacturers of products for the hobby are notorious for using such pic's in their advertisements. Many hobbyists understandably also show pic's or tanks looking good within the first weeks/months of being set up.

Now I am not trying to knock fellow hobbyists who show nice pic's of tanks recently set up but manufacturers who do so are being a little deceitful. Often the pic shown has little to do with the products they sell anyway. I like to see pic's of tanks set up for a year or more and have matured. I often tell new people to this hobby that a new tank needs a minimum of 6moths to begin to mature and 12 months plus to be fully mature.

Tests kits do not tell the whole story. Patience is the key to this hobby but so many want instant results and then later the tank goes into decline for a whole host of reasons.

Your thoughts please.

Work calls.

Les.

September 23, 2012

Hi Albert just a quick post before I head off to work,groooannnnn.

I have seen many pic's of tank which have obviously been set up for a short while. Manufacturers of products for the hobby are notorious for using such pic's in their advertisements. Many hobbyists understandably also show pic's or tanks looking good within the first weeks/months of being set up.

Now I am not trying to knock fellow hobbyists who show nice pic's of tanks recently set up but manufacturers who do so are being a little deceitful. Often the pic shown has little to do with the products they sell anyway. I like to see pic's of tanks set up for a year or more and have matured. I often tell new people to this hobby that a new tank needs a minimum of 6moths to begin to mature and 12 months plus to be fully mature.

Tests kits do not tell the whole story. Patience is the key to this hobby but so many want instant results and then later the tank goes into decline for a whole host of reasons.

Your thoughts please.

Work calls.

Les.

Oh Les that been done indeed for decades as you imply and know. The pictures used to advertise products or the result of using them have in "many" cases nothing to do with the product or the results of it.

When I was running Thiel Aqua Tech, I can remember being approached by at least 3 manufacturers who either wanted me:

- to write a positive review of their product (and would pay me to do so)

- send them pictures of some of my tanks that they would then use in their ads (and again they would pay me for the pics - and in those days from what I can recall the offer was in one case $500 if I submitted 4 pictures of which they would use 2.

Needless to say, I never went for any of it, as I wanted to use the pictures myself in my advertising, and in my books, especially "The New Marine Fish and Invert Reef Aquarium (Thiel, 1991) and which was never available in print but only on the Web via http://www.nmfira.com and actually still is available (over 800 pages and hundreds and hundreds of pics)

Obviously hobbyists like to show their tanks and if they can get them to appear in a magazine or as a picture in an ad, the temptation to do so is going to be very large, and understandably so.

Is the Hobbyist to blame here? I do not think so ... it's the advertisers ... but whatever we say or write is not IMO going to change that practice that is still going on today.

So am I for it? Not at all. I agree that it takes months and months and sometimes longer for a tank to become what we call "mature", and that if a manufacturer is going to show off their products they should do so using pictures of aquariums in which their products have been used for months and months also, and not use pictures they bought, or that were submitted to them for free.

And yes, test kits only tell part of the truth. The fish and corals tell the "real" story!

Albert

September 23, 2012

The "Fragging" Phenomenon: More and more Hobbyists Practice It

Mike discusses the coral fragging phenomenon and its successes.

For anyone that has been in the reef keeping hobby for any length of time, the new found interest in coral cuttings, is rather amazing.

The propagation of corals, especially stony corals, has been going on for at least the past fifteen years (more since this article was written).

However, the discussion, sale, trading and passion for coral fragments or "frags" is a rather recent phenomenon.

Many of us that were involved in keeping these corals in the early 1990's learned that it was possible to produce new stony coral colonies merely by breaking off a branch from a mother colony and attaching it to a substrate, where it would encrust and eventually form a new colony [... ...]

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/3/aafeature3/view

Albert

September 23, 2012

Growing Corals from Sexually produced Larvae;

It's the 'r'ight way to Conserve Coral Reefs, but more 'K'nowledge is needed

Growing sexually propagated larvae is discussed and it relates to the aquarium trade.

Growing corals from sexually produced larvae and planulae is a relatively new approach to farming corals for the aquarium trade.

Although coral settlement and juvenile growth has been previously studied (Babcock 1985, Morse et al. 1991, Negri and Heyward 1999, Rinkevich 1979), there are few individuals, myself included, using this approach in an attempt to meet the demands of the aquarium trade.

There are several reasons why this technique should be realized, with the conservation of our natural reefs leading the pack by a thousand fold.

Colony morphology and genetic diversity within the trade are distant seconds, but important reasons none-the-less. However, as with any type of aquaculture, this form of coral farming is not without it challenges.

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/3/aaf...iew?searchterm=

Albert

September 23, 2012

Hi Albert just a quick post before I head off to work,groooannnnn.

Tests kits do not tell the whole story. Patience is the key to this hobby but so many want instant results and then later the tank goes into decline for a whole host of reasons.

Your thoughts please.

Les.

I forgot to mention in my previous reply that besides aging there are a few others factors that contribute to the success of a tank in the short and long term:

Here are a few of them (and I am sure I did not list all of them):

- Understanding what the water chemistry needs to be and adjusting it when necessary, using "high" quality test kits (that are not expired) to determine what all the levels are

- Knowing as much as there is to know about all the lifeforms kept in one's tank. That requires reading up in books and doing research on the net, joining a forum (or more than one), and asking lots of questions

- Adhering to good and safe practices when working in and around the tank (e.g. hands washed, wear gloves if necessary, be careful about what is sprayed in the room where the tank is, etc.)

- Understanding the food requirements of the animals in the tank (each one of them) and purchasing the right foods

- Not overfeeding, and knowing when to feed depending on the type of coral and fish kept

- Know how much water is really in your tank after the displacement by LR and Live Sand, and whatever else may reduce the gallonage. This is important when using additives to be able to determine how much of them to add based on how much water the tank really holds

- Knowing the difference between what a healthy coral looks like, and when not, and knowing what to do if intervention is needed and how to go about it

- Performing regular and appropriately sized water changes

- Keeping a "log" preferably with pictures of what the tank looks like as time goes by, and recording what was done to the tank and for what reason

- Positioning corals that may sting each other correctly so one cannot damage another one, keeping in mind that some have long sweeper tentacles, and that corals grow, and that the distance between them needs to take that into account

- Knowing what one sees in the tank, including at night, and being aware of whether they are beneficial or need to be removed

- Cleaning rock and substrate regularly to prevent the accumulation of detritus, uneaten food etc. that may decompose and foul the water

- When noticing a problem or what could be an issue, deal with it immediately and not delaying it

- Knowing what compounds to use, and replacing them when necessary, which means knowing how long they typically last, or using tests to determine whether they need to be replaced.

- Understanding what each compound used actually does ... e.g. GFO, or Aluminum oxide, or GAC, Purigen or like products, Bio-Pellets, or whatever else is used as there are many more

- Deciding on a maintenance plan, and adhering to it

- Using RO/DI water for top-off and for water changes

- Using a high quality salt brand

- Understanding saltwater chemistry especially as it relates to Calcium, alkalinity, pH, specific gravity, etc. and how several of them interact with each other, and how to "fix" issues if any arise

- Not overcrowding or overloading the aquarium with life forms of all kinds

- Adding an appropriate mix of CUC's, and knowing what they feed on

- Making sure that whatever is added to the tank is "reef-safe"

- Understanding the lighting requirements of everything that is in the tank, and knowing how to provide the appropriate lighting

And as I noted I am sure there are more ... but the above should cover most of them.

And when a problem occurs, and if one does not know how to deal with it, ask questions on forums rather than taking a guess at what to do as that may/could aggravate the issue.

Hope that this helps those who read this, especially those hobbyists who are new to the Hobby.

And anyone reading this, feel free to add more if you think of others that will be helpful and/or recommended.

Albert

Edited September 23, 2012 by albertthiel

September 23, 2012

David:

Thanks, I did not notice it (what article was it as i posted links to several in the last few days) but thanks for pointing it out. I appreciate it. It's always nice to read that some who write current or more current articles do remember some of the contributions I made to the hobby ...

Pity indeed that so many of the Magazines, even online ones, have gone out of business and that fewer and fewer remain available to us (remember FAMA and Marine Fish Monthly?).

Nowadays just about all we have is CORAL Magazine I guess, and some lesser known ones that I sometimes see at an LFS or in ads, but I wonder how long those will make it for.

On your Pavona: mine just does not seem to grow, although conditions in the tank for it are right IMO, and although it extends its tentacles quite a bit for the most part of the day ... so not sure why it's not growing.

I tried putting it in different spots in the tank but I do not see any growth all all. BTW the pic I posted yesterday was an enlarged one, and although it shows good tentacle extension, its size appears to be the same size as when I got it from you.

Not sure what I need to do but I'll try putting it higher up and stronger lighting and see whether that helps.

Can't post a picture of what it looks like this morning as the lights are not on yet.

Sorry to read yours killed off another coral (which one if I may ask...).

Thanks for your post, and if you do let me know which article you were referring to I'll go have another look and see what they have to say :-)

Happy reef keeping and have a great week-end.

Albert

Sorry for the slow response. The coral that died was a green slimmer. I will get the article info tomorrow,the magazine is a work .

Edited September 23, 2012 by dling

September 23, 2012

Sorry for the slow response. The coral that died was a green slimmer. I will get the article info tomorrow,the magazine is a work .

Thanks for the response and yes please do let me know when you get a chance ... no rush.

I appreciate it as I would like to find out what the article states. Thanks.

Albert

Edited September 23, 2012 by albertthiel

September 23, 2012

Coral Fusion and Grafting and more

The great soup of life known as the ocean continues to surprise us with all its mysteries that we gradually uncover. I am continually amazed by life's tenacity, surviving in any way it can.

Life indeed knows no bounds, including those of the neat, linear organization we try to impose on it. Interspecies and intergeneric hybrids, fused colonies and chimeras are par for the course.

Link to Coral "fusion" and Coral "grafting" ...

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/nftt/index.php

Albert

September 23, 2012

Magnificent Fluorescence of Some Life Forms ..... and Aquaristic Perspectives

Excellent article ....

Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/ac/index.php

Albert

September 23, 2012

Happy birthday Albert!

September 23, 2012

Happy birthday Albert!

Thank you kindly .... I appreciate it ... I think I'll get some tank stuff from my wife and maybe another coral ... but don't know yet. She is taking me to Pure Reef around 1:00 when they open.

I need a bunch of supplies and would love a nice frag from them ... Have not added anything to my tank for quite some time now so it should be ready for a coral or maybe a nice shrimp.

Time goes on Patpack ... today I am 69 ... gee where did all those years go :-)

Albert

September 23, 2012

Pavona Coral - Cactus Coral (and other names still)

Great coral for beginners. Hardy and not difficult to keep.

Here is a fairly good description of it and the care it needs, and more:

Link:

http://animal-world.com/Aquarium-Coral-Reefs/Leaf-Coral

Albert

September 23, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Sign In

THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

Recommended Posts

albertthiel

Link to comment

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

Christopher Marks

flypenfly

albertthiel

Posted Images

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

atoll

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

dling

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

patback

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

albertthiel

Link to comment

got2envy

Link to comment

Join the conversation

Recommended Discussions

Home

Library

Forums

Journals

Gallery

Sponsors