THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[albertthiel]

Radio Show Albert - Recording 11/21/12

 

This link should get you directly to the Audio of the Radio Show that took place last night :

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wm-aquacultur...o-reef-hobbyist

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

State of the Art

 

State of the Art means different things to different people. I feel that my tank is state of the art because of the high tech equipment I utilize to give my animals the best possable living conditions.

We cannot duplicate living conditions of the oceans, or can we?

 

My high tech devices start with the all important RUGF (Real Useful Good Fishthing). Extreamly high tech (in 1952), so much so that every tank in the world used one. Mine uses this very complicated (and expensive) titanium manifold that was first built for the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

It's purpose was to strain antimatter particles from the Hostess Twinkies the crew lived on.

 

The second most important device is the Surface Skimmer. This was modified from the exhaust manifold on Evil Knevil's first motorcycle that he used to jump over Paris Hilton in London.

It sucks up surface water to remove oils and radon along with any paprika it finds. I don't use a sump so this electrifies the contaminents and eliminates any water.

 

LEDs (Little Electric Dings) These were first used to light the Bowery in lower Manhattan, hence the accent on "dings".

They are extreamly better than Roman candles, cheaper than flashlightfish more efficient than lightning bugs and run very cool. In the near future "one" LED will be all that is needed to light a city the size of Cooz Bay Oregon.

 

Protein Skimmer. I find this to be one of the most important items in the inventory. Just think, if a piece of meat, such as a pork loin falls in your tank, this device will immediately suck out all of the proteins leaving just fat. That fat can then be used to make soap or to feed hogs.

Being that my tank is near my kitchen I would not think of running it without a protein skimmer lest a pork chop finds it’s way into the water. Unless I was thinking of becoming a vegetarian.

 

 

DSB (Disorganised Sand Bed) I am not a big fan of these, preferring a SSB (Short Stack Bed)

I am also not a fan of a BB (etween Beds), They just don't look natural.

 

I do use an Ozonizer, they were originally used on broadway in the first act of Phantom of the Opera although I am not sure what it was used for.

I use mine to force water into my denitrifier when I want something denitrified. I don't really dose anything so I rely on the Ozonizer to give the fish room that high tech hum.

 

Of course we all use powerheads. Mine are a little outdated and made of wood. But it is a good quality wood, I think it is birch or maybe ash. I know it is a street name. Years ago wooden powerheads also incorporated wooden airstones in their design, eventually they got smaller and now only the airstone is made of wood.

My powerheads were built by “Christopher Columbus Powerhead Company” and the directions specify prohibit you from installing them in a damp bilge.

 

Most tanks these days use ASW (Almost Sea Water, but not quite) It will keep most animals alive and is just so much better than saw dust.

I use NSW (Now that is really Sweet Water) It is just so much better and as global warming progresses we will all be able to get it for free as the oceans make their way to Idaho. They are even now developing salt resistant potatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving

[albertthiel]

- Nano Reef Aquariums -

 

I have been asked by many who are interested in my new book “Nano Reef Aquariums” to post information about its content, so a purchasing decision can be made based on the information contained in the book.

 

Ordering information can be found at the end of this post.

 

Below if a listing of the Content as of 11/22/12 - If I make any changes I will update this Post. This not a listing of the Chapters, rather it is a listing of the topics covered and they are not necessarily listed below in the order they appear in the book necessarily

 

Introduction and why did I write this Book?

What is a Nano-Reef System Really (more than just a simple definition)

How does it differ from larger Reef Systems and what are the implications of those differences ?

Changes that occurred in the Hobby in the last 5 to 10 years

Choices and Decisions you need to make

What water should you use and what can you use (Pros and Cons of each including purifying devices e.g. RO/DI, TDS and other methods: sterilizers, ozone, ORP, Controllers, etc.)

A Discussion Filtration including HOB, Canister, a other (

Mechanical, what media you can use and where to place them)

What can happen if you do not use the right kind (e.g. nuisance algae and types, and more)

Biological Filtration in great detail with Nitrogen Cycle fully explained

Live rock and its types and advantages (includes porosity and its importance)

Other types of rock that can be used and how (cured, uncured, base, non-live rock, dead, artificial and more)

Curing the various types of rock and how it needs to be done

What is found on live rock (includes coralline algae and a lot more - desirable and not so desirable - HH’s)

Live Sand (types, benefit, care, sand stirrers, thickness, seeding if needed, includes deep sand bess etc.)

Chemical Filtration: very in depth discussion of all media such as GAC, GFO, Al. oxide, resins, pros and cons of each, several others, placement, replacement, etc.)

Using reactors for filtration media in depth

Protein Skimmers (types, pros and cons of each, newer types, what do they really remove, etc.

Water Changes: when, how large, how often, & more (frequent small, infrequent large, pros and cons, effect of)

Oxygen and its importance, oxygen generators, carbon dioxide scrubbing,

Water level quality parameters you should aim for (gives the ranges of more than what is normally found in other publications)

Maintenance and maintenance schedule and what it should include, and its frequency

Minimum Equipment Requirements to run a Nano-Reef Successfully

Sumps, Fuges, combination sumps/fuges, Dark fuges, Cryptic zones

What to put in refugia and why, how much and what not to put in them

Algae Scrubbers and types (pros and cons)

Carbon dosing in detail for all types, including biopellets and such

Mangroves, types and care and which one is best. Keeping them successfully

Water flow in Nano Reefs and its importance and how to affect it (methods of creating flow including surge devices, gyres, manifolds, other methods, etc.)

Air flow around the around and over the aquarium (benefits and purpose)

Miscellaneous topics that deal with water quality and purification

GHA, other nuisance Algae and Red Slime Algae

Stocking the Nano Reef: do and don’t and how to go about setting it up

Lighting for the Nano Reef (SPS, LPS, and mixed Nano Reefs) - will end up being 3 chapters)

Fish for the Nano Reef, care, feeding and function if any e.g. sand stirrer, avery long section dealing with many different types of fishes and lots of pictures. Includes amongst others a long section on all the types of Wrasses and which ones are reef-safe and which ones are semi-reef safe, including the Wetmorella/Tanaka/ Pigmy Wrasse

SPS for the Nano Reef, care, feeding, lighting, placement and more, with may pics

LPS for the Nano Reef, care, feeding, lighting., placement and more, again with many pics

Photosynthetic and non photosynthetic life forms in the Nano Reef has been expanded

Crustaceans and the like including echinoderms, includes Shrimp of course, snails and others

What "not" to put in Nano Reefs depending on what is in there already

Cleaning crew members : pros and cons of each and what their purpose is for both DSB and non DSB tanks

Species tanks (e.g. Mantis Shrimp, Crabs, and others)

Biotope Tanks (e.g. Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific, other)

Feeding requirements and quantities and frequency is included in the sections on the life forms

Diseases and how to deal with them (fish and other life forms)

Parasites and parasitic organisms (e.g. Nudibranchs, flatworms etc.)

Epilogue and general overview

Glossary and listing of all acronyms and terminology that requires additional explanation

Resources

Comprehensive Index

Plenty of color photography with copyright and credits throughout the book, quite a few from members on this Forum

Photos include close ups and larger views and full tank views

Drawings were necessary to illustrate a particular topic

 

And more, but the above pretty well cover the majority of what is included in the book. As more is added I will update the listing here but the above covers it pretty well

 

Pre-ordering information[: cost $15.00 and you get a free e-pub version as well (+ $3.50 for shipping - no handling charge). Pay $18.50 to my paypal account -> a.thiel@att.net and then send me an email with your full name and shipping information. For info on overseas shipping email me at albert.thiel@gmail.com

 

Price when published $29.99 (no e-pub version) + shipping cost of $3.50 if you order from me.

 

ISBN will be : 978-0-945777-05-2

Estimated number of pages between 350 and 375

Estimated time of in print : Dec 17, 2012

Should you have any questions feel free to email me at: albert.thiel@gmail.com

 

Albert

Edited December 7, 2012 by albertthiel

[albertthiel]

State of the Art

 

State of the Art means different things to different people. I feel that my tank is state of the art because of the high tech equipment I utilize to give my animals the best possable living conditions.

We cannot duplicate living conditions of the oceans, or can we?

 

My high tech devices start with the all important RUGF (Real Useful Good Fishthing). Extreamly high tech (in 1952), so much so that every tank in the world used one. Mine uses this very complicated (and expensive) titanium manifold that was first built for the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

It's purpose was to strain antimatter particles from the Hostess Twinkies the crew lived on.

 

The second most important device is the Surface Skimmer. This was modified from the exhaust manifold on Evil Knevil's first motorcycle that he used to jump over Paris Hilton in London.

It sucks up surface water to remove oils and radon along with any paprika it finds. I don't use a sump so this electrifies the contaminents and eliminates any water.

 

LEDs (Little Electric Dings) These were first used to light the Bowery in lower Manhattan, hence the accent on "dings".

They are extreamly better than Roman candles, cheaper than flashlightfish more efficient than lightning bugs and run very cool. In the near future "one" LED will be all that is needed to light a city the size of Cooz Bay Oregon.

 

Protein Skimmer. I find this to be one of the most important items in the inventory. Just think, if a piece of meat, such as a pork loin falls in your tank, this device will immediately suck out all of the proteins leaving just fat. That fat can then be used to make soap or to feed hogs.

Being that my tank is near my kitchen I would not think of running it without a protein skimmer lest a pork chop finds it’s way into the water. Unless I was thinking of becoming a vegetarian.

 

DSB (Disorganised Sand Bed) I am not a big fan of these, preferring a SSB (Short Stack Bed)

I am also not a fan of a BB (etween Beds), They just don't look natural.

 

I do use an Ozonizer, they were originally used on broadway in the first act of Phantom of the Opera although I am not sure what it was used for.

I use mine to force water into my denitrifier when I want something denitrified. I don't really dose anything so I rely on the Ozonizer to give the fish room that high tech hum.

 

Of course we all use powerheads. Mine are a little outdated and made of wood. But it is a good quality wood, I think it is birch or maybe ash. I know it is a street name. Years ago wooden powerheads also incorporated wooden airstones in their design, eventually they got smaller and now only the airstone is made of wood.

My powerheads were built by “Christopher Columbus Powerhead Company” and the directions specify prohibit you from installing them in a damp bilge.

 

Most tanks these days use ASW (Almost Sea Water, but not quite) It will keep most animals alive and is just so much better than saw dust.

 

I use NSW (Now that is really Sweet Water) It is just so much better and as global warming progresses we will all be able to get it for free as the oceans make their way to Idaho. They are even now developing salt resistant potatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Well Paul all I can say is thank you for giving us the "real" details on your very "high end" and close to "Sci-Fi" equipment and tank set up.

 

I have to say that the provenance and original purpose of some of the equipment you use clarifies a lot and I can now understand why it has been running for so many decades :-|

 

Given the technology that is incorporated in that system, I am surprised that we too are not using it but maybe I should add "yet", as once we better understand the intricacies of some of the components you describe, and especially their additional possible functions, we may all convert our systems over to one like yours and start placing orders for the equipment we would need to do so.

 

Kidding apart, GREAT story and GREAT explanation Paul Thanks and you have a great Thanksgiving day and since Turkey is not removed by that tall device that you call a Protein Skimmer, but only Pork Chops do NOT throw the left over Turkey in the tank please as we want it to be around for many many more years.

 

Come to think of it you could run a test ... as Turkey is protein and fat as well :-| :-| and see whether it does.

 

Albert

[atoll]

We don't have a special day to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK I guess every day is a Thanksgiving day here Anyway I hope your all having a good Thanksgiving day, don't eat and drink too much. I am off to work soon 5pm to 10pm and its raining cats and dogs ( don't ask me where that expression came from I haven't a clue or if its just a Brit saying or not). Think of me working outside pushing supermarket trolleys in it

Take care all and Albert I will try and do my best to catch your radio programme on my return home to night that's if I can deal with all emails I may have.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

Les.

[albertthiel]

We don't have a special day to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK I guess every day is a Thanksgiving day here Anyway I hope your all having a good Thanksgiving day, don't eat and drink too much. I am off to work soon 5pm to 10pm and its raining cats and dogs ( don't ask me where that expression came from I haven't a clue or if its just a Brit saying or not). Think of me working outside pushing supermarket trolleys in it

Take care all and Albert I will try and do my best to catch your radio programme on my return home to night that's if I can deal with all emails I may have.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Les.

 

Thanks Les and you have a great day too ...

 

And on raining cats and dogs check this : http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/raining...and%20dogs.html

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

Below if a listing of the Content as of 11/22/12 - If I make any changes I will update this Post.

 

I hope you didn't leave out the chapter on UG filters.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Paul.b

[albertthiel]

I hope you didn't leave out the chapter on UG filters.

 

Yes I guess I should add a section on what we used to do and what some still do and add your tank to it but you would have to email me some full tank views that are recent ... if you have some nice ones send them to the email listed in the book description Paul.

 

Interesting now that I posted the contents I had 23 more orders so far this today ... some from this forum and some from others ... and I only posted it about an hour ago or so ...

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

World's Northernmost Coral Reef Discovered

 

Amazing .. especially the temperatures on that Reef!

 

Located off the coast of Japan's Tsushima Island at 34 degrees north latitude, the newly discovered reef is far different from other coral reefs.

 

The corals live in water that is only 13 degrees Celsius in winter (55 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

Link: http://news.discovery.com/earth/northernmo...und-120801.html

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

Interesting now that I posted the contents I had 23 more orders so far this today

 

I hope I can get an autographed copy

[albertthiel]

I hope I can get an autographed copy

 

Of course, everyone who pre-orders get an autographed dedicated and numbered copy ... only pre-order ones will have a number ...

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

only pre-order ones will have a number ...

Can I pick my number? I would like something that coincides with the birth of my first hermit crab

[albertthiel]

Can I pick my number? I would like something that coincides with the birth of my first hermit crab

:=)

 

Go ahead email me one and if it is available you have it ... now why the first hermit crab and not your Grand daughter ?

 

And this is for BEN ... what where you doing down there on the reef in Northern Japan Ben ?

 

 

 

Albert

[jedimasterben]

And this is for BEN ... what where you doing down there on the reef in Northern Japan Ben ?

 

 

 

Albert

Got an acting job down there, what can I say???

[albertthiel]

Got an acting job down there, what can I say???

 

The funniest is that I did not doctor that picture, that is how it was when I came across it ... would make a nice new Avatar for you !

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Kenya Tree Shot taken through back glass of Aquarium

 

Better view of how large it has gotten since I received it from David (dling). It is really starting to bother the Leather Coral that is to the left of it so I may have to take it off the rock it is on, cut it down somewhat and place a small part of it in another aquarium

 

 

 

And below is a gorgeous picture from Jarred Feton's tank ... pic is © J. Feton

 

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

This is a reply for a member who sent me a PM and who has a problem with a large Clam that seems to have developed a 3rd hole, like another siphon ...

 

Although this is obviously NOT a common occurrence, there can be a few reasons for it, and since I did not get all that much detail in the PM, here are some of the possible causes :

 

- Clam got physically damaged and a scar develops in a hole. Unless it gets infected either bacterial or even protozoan, it "may" heal and close up.

 

- If the Clam was, or is, too close to a strong MH light, and the center point of the beam of the MH shines right on that area, that spot may basically burn, and a hole can indeed develop. Moving the clam away from the light may fix the problem and the clam may heal (again unless an infection sets in)

 

- The clam was damaged by another organism in the tank and that is what cause it.

 

In any event if it is going to heal the healing happens IME fairly rapidly but very often an infection sets in and that leads to the demise of the clam

 

All I can recommend is to carefully watch what goes on and if needed dip the Clam for a few minutes with a Lugol's solution.

 

If the holes appears to heal then in all likelihood all will be ok but if an infection sets in that cannot be stopped the clam will more than likely unfortunately not make it

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The Toxicity of Certain Freshly Mixed Artificial Salts

 

© Ronald L. Shimek, Ph. D.

 

All reef aquarists are well aware of how prone to disaster that their aquaria are.

 

One of the common threads of wisdom in the hobby states that, "Disasters happen quickly, success takes time and patience." From this, the message is clear; when things go wrong, the resulting problems often occur rapidly.

 

Aware of the precarious nature of our artificial ecosystems, most hobbyists do everything in their power to ensure that their beautiful, and expensive, creatures do not perish.

 

Many hobbyists have safeguards for power outages, equipment malfunctions, water level problems, and chemical imbalances.

 

It is ironic and unfortunate that all of these safety measures may be largely for naught, jeopardized by the use of artificial sea water that, due to poor formulation, may be poisoning the very animals that the hobbyist is trying to protect.

 

Link : http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners,

 

The Salt Water Itself

 

© Randy Holmes-Farley

 

This article is part of a series I posted before and is on the Salt itself and has many internal links to other articles that may be of interest to those who have issues with the salt they use and want to learn more about composition, preparation etc ...

 

pschomm posted a message yesterday about issue he was having and this may be the article I referred to in my reply

 

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

 

Albert

[Under The Sea Radio Show]

Radio Show Albert - Recording 11/21/12

 

This link should get you directly to the Audio of the Radio Show that took place last night :

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wm-aquacultur...o-reef-hobbyist

 

Albert

 

And please take your time to go to the episode on the Under The Sea Radio Show website at

http://underthesearadioprogram.yolasite.co...ef-hobbyist.php

[atoll]

I think your radio programme will have had something to do with it Albert.

Still not had time to hear it and it's 11-10pm here so hopefully tomorrow now.

 

Yes I guess I should add a section on what we used to do and what some still do and add your tank to it but you would have to email me some full tank views that are recent ... if you have some nice ones send them to the email listed in the book description Paul.

 

Interesting now that I posted the contents I had 23 more orders so far this today ... some from this forum and some from others ... and I only posted it about an hour ago or so ...

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I think your radio programme will have had something to do with it Albert.

Still not had time to hear it and it's 11-10pm here so hopefully tomorrow now.

 

Yes I am sure it does and have not checked yet whether more came in today but I suspect there are looking at the # of messages in the mail box they come to .. Take your time, no rush ... I know you are busy right now.

 

Got home late for Thanksgiving dinner at friends last night, so having a late start this morning as it is already passed 6:30 ... I better get on with it as I have to add at least another 10 pages to what I have written so far to get to around 150 to stay ahead of my set page number schedule.

 

Have a great day

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

How Bubblegum Coral Conquered the World - Paragorgia arborea

 

For a resident of the deep sea, a species of bubblegum coral is unusually cosmopolitan.

 

© Wynne Parry, LiveScience

 

 

Link : http://news.discovery.com/earth/bubblegum-...bal-121024.html

 

And another link with Video footage :

http://news.discovery.com/earth/bubblegum-...bal-121024.html

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Sea Spiders ... not for our Reef Tanks although

 

one could come in as an HH's

 

Perhaps not this variety, but there are so many varieties that one never knows! it could just be one of those strange organisms that one discovers one day, and because many are so small, one may not even see them except by chance or if they are preying on what is in one's tank. They prey on sponges, anemones, worms, and other life forms, and most are carnivorous although some are herbivores, and others omnivores.

 

© Image by Ken-ichi via Flickr & realmonstrosities

 

 

Sea Spiders are incredibly weird creatures. To me, they somehow look like they are barely there at all.

 

I can sort of imagine a normal spider having some kind of personality, at least getting angry or scared or something, but I really can't say the same for the Sea Spider.

 

They're just so alien, maybe even austere, but definitely weird. Sea Spiders really are from the sea, pretty much all seas all over the world.

 

The tiniest ones may be about 1 millimetre across and a lot of the smaller ones are found in shallow waters.

 

Link to information and Video footage :

http://www.realmonstrosities.com/2011/04/sea-spiders.html

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Aquarium Chemistry: Nitrate in the Reef and Nano-Reef Aquarium

 

© By Randy Holmes-Farley

 

This article provides background on Nitrate in the Ocean and in Aquaria, and describes a number of techniques that Aquarists have successfully used to keep nitrate levels down to more natural levels in reef aquaria.

 

We all know what elevated levels of Nitrate can do to our Nano-Reefs, and what it can lead to if not kept in check.

 

Randy looks at Nitrate from different angles, including how it can be reduced in the tank, suggesting a number of alternative methods to do so, although IME, over the years, I have found that most products that "claim" to remove NO₃, do not actually remove Nitrate itself, but only the "precursors" that eventually lead to the appearance of Nitrate in the water.

 

One of the methods suggested, as you will read, employs a specific compound (a Zeolite).

 

IME although some Zeolites such as Clinoptilolite (Clino for short), work real well in FW tanks and are extensively used there, they do not nearly work as well, or for a long in SW, as if often suggested or claimed, and quickly turn into additional biological filtration media, which of course eventually leads to the appearance of more Nitrate, the opposite of what we want to happen.

 

A good nitrate sponge/absorbent that "really" works is still very much needed.

 

Interestingly however, Randy also brings up the topic of DSB's, which has been gaining popularity lately and has appeared in posts on this thread and others on the Forum, and which will reduce nitrate levels for sure if properly set up.

 

Excellent info as usual though : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/8/chemistry

 

Albert