THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[atoll]

Some of my fav fish I keep or have kept in my reef aquaria.

Red Scooter Blenny.

Yellow Coral Gobies.

Scarlet Hawk.

I have more pic's if I can find them.

[metrokat]

Hey Albert, any idea what this is? I was told aptasia, but I didn't immediately agree because the tentacles are clear, and every aptasia I've ever seen has brown tentacles. Tell me what you think.

.

I hope Albert doesn;t mind if I jump in here. That is a hidden cup coral. Very pretty.

 

Should look like this in good light

 

True...I think no longer does Kat have the hottest thread on NR. But Albert doesnt look as good in heels.

Also, I believe in giving credit where credit is due. Even though I started this thread for Albert, it was Metrokat that found him and introduced him to NR. She deserves the cred.

 

Very true Zeph ... Kat is THE # 1 ... no doubt about it !!

 

Yep, Kat has changed the face of NR! Thanks for finding Albert!

I love this thread, but have to check it a couple time per day to keep up.

mmmmmm? I wonder how Albert would look in a pair?

 

 

For those interested below are a number of pics of Leptastrea corals. All are Leptastreas with different color variations, shapes and sizes ...

These are great Albert, thanks for posting. I have another leptastrea which is small but doing well, white base with golden yellow polyps.

[chrssprngs]

Albert, I have always wondered about the square pattern on these Anthias. Is this supposed to mimic or camouflage? If so, what or how?

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the Chalk Bass photos. My exhibits the blue color pattern. I was able to get a couple if pics yesterday. He has a large cave in my tank to lurk in and seems to be taking to his new digs quite nicely.

Edited June 24, 2012 by chrssprngs

[ZephNYC]

Albert, I have always wondered about the square pattern on these Anthias. Is this supposed to mimic or camouflage? If so, what or how?

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the Chalk Bass photos. My exhibits the blue color pattern. I was able to get a couple if pics yesterday. He has a large cave in my tank to lurk in and seems to be taking to his new digs quite nicely.

 

 

Good morning Albert.

I hear Anthony Calfo is breeding chalk bass. Not sure if he has succeeded though.

Ps. Anthias are my favorite. here is one of my "white whales" - the ever impossible to keep male pictilis. Of course ony Wayne can keep them alive!

 

 

Edited June 24, 2012 by ZephNYC

[metrokat]

An interesting method I used when dosing pumps where not in fashion yet and that can still be used if you want a simple top-off method or a method to add KW to your tank

This is not the most sophisticated way to do it and I realize that but it "works"

Comments appreciated

Forum member Nano Sapiens made a simple auto top off/doser using hamster water bottles.

Link to his setup

Edited June 24, 2012 by metrokat

[albertthiel]

Some of my fav fish I keep or have kept in my reef aquaria.

Red Scooter Blenny.

Yellow Coral Gobies.

Scarlet Hawk.

I have more pic's if I can find them.

 

Very nice Les ... thanks for posting them .. Like it a lot

[metrokat]

Good morning Albert.

I hear Anthony Calfo is breeding chalk bass. Not sure if he has succeeded though.

Ps. Anthias are my favorite. here is one of my "white whales" - the ever impossible to keep male pictilis.

 

I saw these are the aquarium yesterday, don't you have one with a funky eye that looks like these guys:

[albertthiel]

Forum member Nano Sapiens made a simple auto top off/doser using hamster water bottles.

Link to his setup

 

Thanks Kat ... another great idea ! And who says Hobbyists are not "creative"

 

Albert

Edited June 24, 2012 by albertthiel

[ZephNYC]

I saw these are the aquarium yesterday, don't you have one with a funky eye that looks like these guys:

 

 

yea, those a deepwater japanese Borbonius Anthias. Hard to keep also....they have to decompress them or something to bring them up, Im not exactly shure. Mine has bubble eye from fighting, but hes doing better.

 

Thanks Kat ... another great idea ! And who says Hobbyists are not "creative"

 

Albert

 

Cant do that with kalk though, you will be left with quite the mess. If you want to do a kalk drip with a soda bottle you have to insert the airline tube atleast an inch higher than the bottom of the bottle to prevent clogging and getting powder into your sump.

[albertthiel]

I hope Albert doesn;t mind if I jump in here. That is a hidden cup coral. Very pretty.

 

Should look like this in good light

 

 

 

These are great Albert, thanks for posting. I have another leptastrea which is small but doing well, white base with golden yellow polyps.

 

Kat I have seen that Pic on another thread and we went back and forth trying to decide what it is and although some said it was an Aiptasia ... I agree with you that it does not look like one but ... in this hobby there are always exceptions. Not sure about the statement that the other pic is a "hidden cup coral" ...

 

Anyway ... no definitive ID was found on the other one, but I suggested if I remember well that it may be a young form of something we'll be able to identify as it gets a little larger ... also a real close up would help.

 

It could IMO be just about anything at this point (well within limits). One ID I thought was a majano but can't be sure of that either ...

 

Since we don't really have a definitive answer I made a note to look into this again and see what I can come up with but from just looking at the pic I cannot tell you (yet) what this may be growing out of a hole in a rock.

 

The other pic posted I guess is pretty obvious

 

Also this

 

 

and this

 

 

do not look the same to me ... so I guess we'll have to look around some more

 

 

 

 

Albert

Edited June 24, 2012 by albertthiel

[albertthiel]

I saw these are the aquarium yesterday, don't you have one with a funky eye that looks like these guys:

 

Nice indeed ....

[metrokat]

Also this

and this

do not look the same to me ... so I guess we'll have to look around some more

 

[albertthiel]

Good morning Albert.

I hear Anthony Calfo is breeding chalk bass. Not sure if he has succeeded though.

Ps. Anthias are my favorite. here is one of my "white whales" - the ever impossible to keep male pictilis. Of course ony Wayne can keep them alive!

 

 

 

Not sure whether he did succeed but I guess we can try to find out ..

 

Yes agreed ... not an easy fish to keep but I had some info somewhere on how to do it successfully but I'll have to try and find it as I do not remember of the top of my ... what the exact way to do it was but somehow I think it depended not so much on food but on other conditions, I'll try to dig the info up and post it once I find it.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

 

So are you agreeing on Aiptasia ... most of the time the tentacles are thinner but I have seen some with ticker ones like this one :

 

 

But this one has bands around the tentacles and the original one did not and the tentacles are not transparent .. but IMO the pic was not detailed enough to really decide what it was .... we'll keep digging for it

 

Albert

Edited June 24, 2012 by albertthiel

[jedimasterben]

Anthias (and particularly lyretails) are definitely one of my favorite saltwater fish (reef safe, anyway ). I would have a male and a trio of females right now, but the largest "female", come to find out, is not a female and killed my male because "she" was larger.

[albertthiel]

Albert, I have always wondered about the square pattern on these Anthias. Is this supposed to mimic or camouflage? If so, what or how?

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the Chalk Bass photos. My exhibits the blue color pattern. I was able to get a couple if pics yesterday. He has a large cave in my tank to lurk in and seems to be taking to his new digs quite nicely.

 

Great link for lots of info on Anthias and PseudoAnthias ... not sure on the reason for the Square but good question and begs for research ... I'll try to find something as honestly it never occurred to me why it would be there but there are so many variations in Anthias and Pseudo that it may well be related to mimic and recognition ... as you will see identical ones but without the square from what I have seen

 

http://www.aquacon.com/anthias_saltwaterfish.html

 

Here is a red cheek one ...

 

[metrokat]

So are you agreeing on Aiptasia ... most of the time the tentacles are thinner but I have seen some with ticker ones like this one :

 

 

But this one has bands around the tentacles and the original one did not and the tentacles are not transparent .. but IMO the pic was not detailed enough to really decide what it was .... we'll keep digging for it

 

Albert

No, it is most certainly NOT aiptasia that TeflonTom has (IMO anyway) . It is a hidden cup coral, it has a skeleton. The latest picture I posted is of the same animal I posted earlier. In one it is extended, in the other it is retracted.

 

The pic you posted here is a banded aiptasia, they actually can be quite pretty in their designs, and are not invasive like the common glass aiptasias. The banded aiptasia will reproduce, and have maybe one baby a month.

 

At one of the frag swaps here in NY, there was actually a public service announcement to save the aitasia, the guy showed a picture of people killing baby seals next to someone torching an aiptasia. Cruelty to animals was the caption. ha ha.

Edited June 24, 2012 by metrokat

[albertthiel]

yea, those a deepwater japanese Borbonius Anthias. Hard to keep also....they have to decompress them or something to bring them up, Im not exactly shure. Mine has bubble eye from fighting, but hes doing better.

 

 

 

Cant do that with kalk though, you will be left with quite the mess. If you want to do a kalk drip with a soda bottle you have to insert the airline tube atleast an inch higher than the bottom of the bottle to prevent clogging and getting powder into your sump.

 

Yes correct indeed and actually there is a mod to the set up I showed where air is bubbled into it to keep everything mixed up and prevent sediment but I did not post that variation

 

Albert

 

 

No, it is most certainly NOT aiptasia that TeflonTom has . It is a hidden cup coral, it has a skeleton. The latest picture I posted is of the same animal I posted earlier. In one it is extended, in the other it is retracted.

 

The pic you posted here is a banded aiptasia, they actually can be quite pretty in their designs, and are not invasive like the common glass aiptasias. The banded aiptasia will reproduce, and have maybe one baby a month.

 

Thanks for the clarifications ... so Hidden Cup coral ... for Teflon Tom ...

 

On the banded ... Have not seen too many around ... have you ?

 

Albert

 

 

Albert, I have always wondered about the square pattern on these Anthias. Is this supposed to mimic or camouflage? If so, what or how?

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the Chalk Bass photos. My exhibits the blue color pattern. I was able to get a couple if pics yesterday. He has a large cave in my tank to lurk in and seems to be taking to his new digs quite nicely.

 

I am looking into it for you ... have made a note to do so .. list is getting longer

 

Albert

 

 

Anthias (and particularly lyretails) are definitely one of my favorite saltwater fish (reef safe, anyway ). I would have a male and a trio of females right now, but the largest "female", come to find out, is not a female and killed my male because "she" was larger.

 

Female Anthias can live without males but eventually one will turn into one and that is when the problems can start if the now male is perceived by the other females as an intruder, at least that is what I came to find out years ago when keeping Anthias.

 

Also and you probably know this, they like multiple feedings AND not too much light ... they do not seem to do well under intense lighting. They also like hiding places IME.

 

Great fish but yet another one that has its challenges when trying to keep them but I am sure there are some hobbyists that had all the right conditions and did not have any problems keeping them

 

Albert

[metrokat]

Thanks for the clarifications ... so Hidden Cup coral ... for Teflon Tom ...

 

On the banded ... Have not seen too many around ... have you ?

 

Albert

I had one actually.

I named him Happy. But, err, I , ah, had to, umm, send him away. I got yelled on the forum for it too!

But he was really a sweet aiptasia.

[atoll]

Albert , I have been working all afternoon so have not read all the posts however do you mind if I issue a word of warning regarding Anthias? Especially given that this is a nano forum I know of no Anthias that are considered suitable for a nano aquarium. These fish are regarded as not the easiest to keep and require a fair amount of space to prosper and do well. Most recommend a tank of 100 gallons plus to keep these fish happy. I don't know what your view on this is but I would be interested to hear it.

 

Thanks.

 

Les.

[jedimasterben]

Albert , I have been working all afternoon so have not read all the posts however do you mind if I issue a word of warning regarding Anthias? Especially given that this is a nano forum I know of no Anthias that are considered suitable for a nano aquarium. These fish are regarded as not the easiest to keep and require a fair amount of space to prosper and do well. Most recommend a tank of 100 gallons plus to keep these fish happy. I don't know what your view on this is but I would be interested to hear it.

 

Thanks.

 

Les.

Of course - anthias by no means suitable for any nano, or even a tank smaller than 60 gallons or so for a single fish (they love having their personal space ).

[iball1804]

@Zeph Yesterday I was standing up some of the clams at my LFS (because they had fallen over), and some squirted water at my hand. Like it was a distinct stream of water. Can they do this?

[wombat]

No, it is most certainly NOT aiptasia that TeflonTom has (IMO anyway) . It is a hidden cup coral, it has a skeleton. The latest picture I posted is of the same animal I posted earlier. In one it is extended, in the other it is retracted.

 

The pic you posted here is a banded aiptasia, they actually can be quite pretty in their designs, and are not invasive like the common glass aiptasias. The banded aiptasia will reproduce, and have maybe one baby a month.

 

At one of the frag swaps here in NY, there was actually a public service announcement to save the aitasia, the guy showed a picture of people killing baby seals next to someone torching an aiptasia. Cruelty to animals was the caption. ha ha.

 

That's a cool anemone. Reminds me of Actinostephanus haeckeli, the snake locks anemone, minus bumps on the tentacles.

 

http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cni...nostephanus.htm

[atoll]

The reason I issue this warning is simply many start into marines and on reading this thread might get the idea a nano is in some way suitable for 3 or 4 of these beautiful fish. We have all heard horror stories of people putting tangs, the larger angels and puffer fish etc in tanks far from suitable size wise for such fish. We all have a duty of care when it comes to providing the best we can for our animals and fish are no exception. I just felt it necessary to inform the uninitiated that these beautiful fish need a good sized tank amongst many other things like regular feeding and IMO 4 or 5 times a day. Anthias are constant feeders in the wild and constantly pick plankton etc from the water current which is another thing these fish like best along with excellent water quality.

[ZephNYC]

The reason I issue this warning is simply many start into marines and on reading this thread might get the idea a nano is in some way suitable for 3 or 4 of these beautiful fish. We have all heard horror stories of people putting tangs, the larger angels and puffer fish etc in tanks far from suitable size wise for such fish. We all have a duty of care when it comes to providing the best we can for our animals and fish are no exception. I just felt it necessary to inform the uninitiated that these beautiful fish need a good sized tank amongst many other things like regular feeding and IMO 4 or 5 times a day. Anthias are constant feeders in the wild and constantly pick plankton etc from the water current which is another thing these fish like best along with excellent water quality.

 

Notice how all the purple queens looks like they are doing so good in the pictures with the tubastrea sun corals. The perfect combination as both require the same foods. I have anthia schools in all my systems except the seahorse one. I used to and a dispar developed a relationship with one particular seahorse and would nudge it until the horse would wrap his tail around it. And they would sit there..seahorse hanging on the fish. It was great. Anyway, i feed them live baby brine shrimp at least 4 times daily. frozen mysis once daily, flake food ( more for the tangs but they eat the tiny pieces) twice daily. So these guys eat like 7 - 8 times daily. Ive had pictilis pairs, but always lost the males. I love Bimaculatus males. Something else interesting about Anthias is they are one of the few species where adults can change sex according to school domination. If you get a small group of females, eventually one will convert and completely change colors.