THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[albertthiel]

How do i know if anyone is selling any corals i want a frogspawn coral so bad but im afraid to buy one in lfs becasue the ones in there dont look that good. Also i dont want to buy from online sites, ill only buy if anyone here has one.

 

Go in the Classified section and look whether someone is selling one and before you buy have them send you a picture.

 

If no one is selling one, post a message that you are looking for one

 

BUT ... Gobyguy123 ... you need to get your water chemistry in shape before you add anything or your coral will not make it in your tank as the water quality if not good at all and I would not place a new coral in there, but it's your decision.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

A Few Corals from "Cherry Corals"

 

Just a taste of what they have to offer. You can find more images of their selection on their Web Site

 

http://www.cherrycorals.com/home.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

umm just saying thats how i got them... they never opened more when i got them... at the place they were like that to... i bought them at That Fish place

 

Gobyguy123:

 

What have you done so far in addition to what you did before (scrubbing the rocks but not getting rid of all the hair algae esp. on the rock with the GSP) ?

 

Did you get rid of all that Red Slime algae?

 

If so how did you get rid of it (did you siphon it out and what else did you do?)

 

I really feel that before you add anything to that tank you NEED to get the water quality under control and up to par so that whatever you add to the tank is placed in water that has the right quality conditions.

 

If you don't clear up the nutrient rich water (nitrates and phosphates IMO and also DOC), corals are NOT going to survive in that tank is my strong feeling.

 

I would do very large water changes, twice a day, and scrub all your rocks again, and do a substrate cleaning and get all those slime algae out and try to find a product called ChemiClean from Dick Boyd Enterprises as most who have used it state that it DOES remove red slime and does not hurt anything else (if you have any shrimp take them out). Also you need to read the instructions very carefully if you get that Chemiclean and maybe have your Dad read them too so you do not overdose.

 

FWIW

Albert

[albertthiel]

Julian Sprung Answers Your Questions on Marine Depot's Youtube Channel

 

© By Shane Graber - Posted Apr 26, 2011 7 © advancedaquarist.com and Marine Depot

 

In April, Marine Depot began a multi-part question and answer video series between their Facebook followers and Julian Sprung of Two Little Fishies.

 

The video of the Interview with Julian.

 

You can also watch more videos of interviews done.

 

LINK: The Interview with Julian Sprung

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Petition to stop US-funded coral mining in the Marshall Islands

 

© By Shane Graber - Posted Sep 12, 2012 and advancedaquarist.com

 

The Marshall Islands rely heavily on services for its economic well-being and a United States FAA funded expansion to its airport is threatening to destroy nearby lagoon coral reefs.

 

Bill Clinton with his 1998 Executive Order 13089 "Coral Reef Protection" requires the national government to preserve and protect the U.S. coral reef ecosystems and the marine environment.

 

However, an FAA-funded airport expansion in the Marshall Islands, an island system with close ties to the United States through its Compact of Free Association is not complying with the Executive Order.

 

Near-shore lagoon coral reefs are targeted by Pacific International, Inc. as a source of fill for the airport expansion project. Meanwhile a perfectly acceptable alternative fill source, a lagoon situated near the airport, is ignored and local officials are ignoring pleas to use this alternative fill source.

 

How can you help? Spread the word and sign the petition to require the United States FAA to comply with Executive Order 13089.

 

Two Videos ... link : http://tinyurl.com/9ljblum

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Corals by Efrain Corals - a few Pictures

 

© Efrain Corals and their owners

 

Great selection for sure. You can see more of them at http://www.facebook.com/efrain.corals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More of a very wide selection can be seen on the FB page

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

America’s Largest Coral Reef Research Center to open its doors on September 27

 

© By Shane Graber - Posted Sep 11, 2012 and advancedaquarist.com

 

The $50-million Nova Southeastern University facility will provide significant environmental research and boost South Florida’s $6 billion coral reef industry that sustains 71,000 jobs.

 

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Nova Southeastern University will host a grand opening ceremony for America’s largest coral reef research center on Sept. 27.

 

NSU scientists are conducting reef research locally, nationally and globally at the 86,000-square-foot Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research.

 

The facility is located at NSU’s Oceanographic Center at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

 

At a price-tag of $50 million, the Center has created 22 new academic jobs and 300 construction jobs; and it will employ 50 graduate students as well as preserving 22 existing academic jobs.

 

NSU received a $15 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce (using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) to build the center, while the university funded the rest of the project.

 

Link: http://tinyurl.com/9hv2kvn

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Candy Cane Coral with Feeding Tentacles out

 

Took this picture early this morning just as I switched on one of the lights.

 

Tentacles are clearly visible, but I also notice some green algae growth on the base of the heads.

 

It is not hair algae but that mat like green that often turns into coralline red/purple color after some time.

 

In fact a small reddish spot is visible already, but to be on the safe side I am going to remove the coral and put it in a small vessel with tank water, and take a real close look at what is actually on there, and see whether brushing with with a soft toothbrush will allow me to rub them off, as if they are growing too close to the actual polyp tissue they may cause damage there.

 

Interesting that the growth is in an area of very little to no light as the stony portions of the coral are not in any direct light as the open Polyps prevent direct light from reaching those areas, but there is obviously a reflection of light bouncing off the substrate.

 

 

 

Albert

[eitallent]

Hello, Albert.

 

I tried the Magic Eraser sponge this morning on my 12 gallon Nano-cube. I cut out a 1/3 piece and it worked just as you and the other members described.

 

Thank you for the tips!

[albertthiel]

Bryopsis when taken out of the Tank and more than a month Later

 

Around the beginning of August I took a small sprig of Bryopsis out of my tank.

 

Here is a picture of it:

 

 

 

I kept the sprig to see what would happen to it as time went by and as it dried out. Well surprisingly enough it has actually not lost much of it green appearance and has not even become brittle.

 

Here is what it looks like yesterday:

 

 

 

 

It actually looks pretty much the same as the original ... and Just for the heck of it I put the sprig back in a small container of saltwater from the tank, and in a spot with good light ... and I will be monitoring it over the next few days to see what happens to it ...

 

Wonder whether it will revive or not. Probably not, but as an experiment I just want to see what happens to it as it is back in SW and under strong light.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Hello, Albert.

 

I tried the Magic Eraser sponge this morning on my 12 gallon Nano-cube. I cut out a 1/3 piece and it worked just as you and the other members described.

 

Thank you for the tips!

 

Yes eitallent it does indeed, and as long as you rinse it several times under hot water it does not make your skimmer go bananas, which it will if you do not rinse it (however that was the case for the brand that I used and may not be the case for all of them - I used the Mr. Clean ones).

 

Cutting a piece off is a good idea indeed as it you do not after you use the full sponge/eraser a few times it will show tears so IMO it is best to start with a small piece and clean the glass and then throw it away once you have used it.

 

You can actually clean it under hot water and re-use it and I have done so a few times, but there comes a point where it will tear of where small pieces will come loose which one then has to catch if they break off inside the aquarium. Not that it appears to do any damage but it will get stuck somewhere and will be unsightly.

 

It's a great way to clean the glass and works better IME than those scrubbers that are sold that have that hard plastic type material on it. The Magic Eraser sponge worked better than those for me.

 

Thanks for reporting how it worked for you.

 

Albert

[Genj]

Albert,

 

I have recent been on an adventure in trying to procure chloramphenicol for the treatment of some euphyllia coral. I have the scrip from the vet, but now the problem is actually getting this stuff, and then trying to figure out the proper dosage/procedure to create a dip for the corals.

 

I recently found the article from Heinz Mahler; however, he lists grams rather than milligrams, which seems very high.

 

All that being said, do you have any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks!

[albertthiel]

Albert,

 

I have recent been on an adventure in trying to procure chloramphenicol for the treatment of some euphyllia coral. I have the scrip from the vet, but now the problem is actually getting this stuff, and then trying to figure out the proper dosage/procedure to create a dip for the corals.

 

I recently found the article from Heinz Mahler; however, he lists grams rather than milligrams, which seems very high.

 

All that being said, do you have any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks!

 

Yes it is not easy to get hold of as it is a strongly controlled med, due to its dangerous side effects for humans, and even though it was widely available many years ago, it can now only be used on non human food producing animals.

 

Make sure when you have it that you wear gloves, and make sure you do not breathe in the powder. This IS dangerous stuff.

 

I assume you are using it outside of the tank, as if you do not it will kill off your entire biological filter.

 

I found several recommendations that state to use 2 mg per gallon in which the coral is placed, and aerate the container and leave the coral in for about 45 minutes.

 

Then put the coral in another container of salt water to clean off any residue of it so it does not get into your aquarium and aerate to create circulation and water movement to "clean off" the coral.

 

Repeat the treatment 6 hours later. Use the same method.

 

Note that this is based on recommendations found on several forums and on what I remember from what used to be done many years ago.

 

Use with great caution and at your own risk !

 

Here is a link to treatments and if you scroll down you will find the Chloramphenicol recommendation by Dr. Craig Bingman

 

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/c_bingman_040697.html

 

 

Now what are you actually treating that coral for, as there may be other ways to go about this, e.g. Lugol's or another medication, so let me have a little more information.

 

Again .. if you get the Chloramphenicol BE VERY careful with it. This is dangerous stuff !

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Albert,

 

I have recent been on an adventure in trying to procure chloramphenicol for the treatment of some euphyllia coral. I have the scrip from the vet, but now the problem is actually getting this stuff, and then trying to figure out the proper dosage/procedure to create a dip for the corals.

 

I recently found the article from Heinz Mahler; however, he lists grams rather than milligrams, which seems very high.

 

All that being said, do you have any thoughts on this?

 

Thanks!

 

Here is a link to the Material Data Safety Sheet for Chloramphenicol :

 

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927131

 

Albert

[Genj]

Thanks Albert. Here is a link to my thread in the other forum which answers your question: LINK

 

BTW, I'm in a state where I can't get everclear; however, I would imagine that 100 proof vodka would help dissolve the antimicrobial?

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert. Here is a link to my thread in the other forum which answers your question: LINK

 

BTW, I'm in a state where I can't get everclear; however, I would imagine that 100 proof vodka would help dissolve the antimicrobial?

 

I read the thread message on yours and I am surprised too that it would spread from one coral to the others ones that are mentioned.

 

As Brandon stated that is unusual ...

 

At this stage I suspect that you have something else going on in the tank .. I do not know what since I cannot see your tank from close up but I would look for any "pests" on each one of the corals you are having issues with and for safety sake I would dose all of them with Lugol's, and you could try the Chloramphenicol on one of them and see what that achieves for you. As I said do not dose it in the tank as it will kill off your biological filtration.

 

If you have already lost a number of them, then for sure something is going on that you have not identified yet, and that is what I would focus your attention on now ... nudis, flatworms or any other pests that are causing damage to your corals and not just to one but to a number of them.

 

I'll try and find another article specifically on your corals and see what I can come up with.

 

This is unusual as normally spreading is not what happens unless some organism is causing it.

 

On the Vodka, what are you planning to use that for as introducing an additional carbon source is really only going to create the growth of additional bacteria (and a bloom if you use too much) and will eventually lower your nutrients in the water but will do nothing IMO for the issues with the corals. Please clarify why you want to use the Vodka dosing method. Thanks

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert. Here is a link to my thread in the other forum which answers your question: LINK

 

BTW, I'm in a state where I can't get everclear; however, I would imagine that 100 proof vodka would help dissolve the antimicrobial?

 

Here are some links on coral diseases and some that spread from one to others:

 

1. http://www.tropicalmarinecentre.co.uk/en/index.aspx

 

2. http://www.athiel.com/lib/bacterial.html

 

3. http://www.masna.org/portals/0/NOAACoralDisease/bbd.htm

 

4. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%...al.pone.0009264

 

5. http://nuweb5.neu.edu/vollmerlabwp/biology...coral-microbes/

 

6. http://coris.noaa.gov/about/diseases/

 

7. http://coraldisease.org/diseases

 

And there are more of course but this should give you an idea of what can happen and how a disease including brown jelly's causes can spread to other corals if not dealt with.

 

Albert

[paultys]

Hi Albert, Les and everyone else.

 

My name is Paul, I manage the aquarium at the World Museum in Liverpool that Les recently visited and took some photos etc.

 

He got in touch and mentioned that you were quite interested to find out more about our set up.

 

To get much more detail Id point you in the direction of the two tank threads Ive done on a UK forum called The Salty Box.

 

Here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...sults-back.html

 

And here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...tem-thanks.html

 

The first details the Large, 40,000lt display system that we been working on for some time to improve the water quality in readyness to accept the corals we have been growing on in separate frag tanks in the back(on the video).

 

In short though the filtration on the frag tanks is very standard.

Deep sand bed using 0.3mm quartz sand.

Rowaphos for phosphate control.

Live rock.

Calcium reactor for alk and calcium.

Skimmer

 

We did use cheato for a while but I found the upkeep and getting the staff to keep on top of harvesting it wasnt worth it so we just stick with Rowa now as its simpler.

 

The large display system is similar. Just scaled up. We have a large skimmer, bio-tower (aerated trickle tower with K1 media) sand filter, UV and ozone. We use Lanthanum chloride for phos control and have installed a massive deep sand bed (over a tonne of sand) and recently have started carbon dosing using methanol.

 

We are a little unusual in that we are trying to use home reef techniques on a much bigger scale. I think we have the largest sand bed in the UK.

 

The threads on the other forum have much more detail with photos of the filtration, lighting, corals etc and run through all the ups and downs but if you have any specific questions Im more than happy to help.

 

Best Wishes

 

Paul

[albertthiel]

Cyanobacteria - Red Slime Algae - Red filamentous Slime

 

There are many many articles on Cyanobacteria on the Net, and every forum has one or more threads on how to deal with them if they appear, but no one really has identified for sure why they appear even when nutrient levels in one's tank are low.

 

What most articles and posts point out is a combination of factors that may lead to their appearance, such as lighting, photoperiod, nutrients, DOC, etc. but no article really pins it down to why even under the best of conditions they somehow manage to appear.

 

Nitrogen uptake out of the water is infrequently mentioned but it is one of the many reasons they grow, in addition to all others. They are actually oxygen-phobic but love areas where it is low (e.g. low water flow areas).

 

Below is a link to an article that deals with red slime (but as I said there are plenty of others and what is suggested here may shed some light on why they appear that you may or may not have been aware of).

 

Link:

 

http://saltwateraquariumadviceblog.com/how...ria-pest-algae/

 

For informational purposes .....

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert, Les and everyone else.

 

My name is Paul, I manage the aquarium at the World Museum in Liverpool that Les recently visited and took some photos etc.

 

He got in touch and mentioned that you were quite interested to find out more about our set up.

 

To get much more detail Id point you in the direction of the two tank threads Ive done on a UK forum called The Salty Box.

 

Here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...sults-back.html

 

And here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...tem-thanks.html

 

The first details the Large, 40,000lt display system that we been working on for some time to improve the water quality in readyness to accept the corals we have been growing on in separate frag tanks in the back(on the video).

 

In short though the filtration on the frag tanks is very standard.

Deep sand bed using 0.3mm quartz sand.

Rowaphos for phosphate control.

Live rock.

Calcium reactor for alk and calcium.

Skimmer

 

We did use cheato for a while but I found the upkeep and getting the staff to keep on top of harvesting it wasnt worth it so we just stick with Rowa now as its simpler.

 

The large display system is similar. Just scaled up. We have a large skimmer, bio-tower (aerated trickle tower with K1 media) sand filter, UV and ozone. We use Lanthanum chloride for phos control and have installed a massive deep sand bed (over a tonne of sand) and recently have started carbon dosing using methanol.

 

We are a little unusual in that we are trying to use home reef techniques on a much bigger scale. I think we have the largest sand bed in the UK.

 

The threads on the other forum have much more detail with photos of the filtration, lighting, corals etc and run through all the ups and downs but if you have any specific questions Im more than happy to help.

 

Best Wishes

 

Paul

 

Paul:

 

Thanks for your post and the links to threads on other forums which I will go and read for sure, and thanks for the details on how you run some of your tanks.

 

I am going to keep this reply short, as I want to read your threads before asking questions if I have any, or posting additional remarks.

 

For those who read this: Should you have questions for Paul, feel free of course to post them here.

 

Paul, I hope you'll check in from time to time to see whether there are questions but what I will do is send Les a message and he can let you know that there are.

 

With this message I wanted to thank you for the post and also welcome you to Nano-Reef.com.

 

More later Paul, and thanks for your comments.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

A great Link to a Post by Randy Holmes-Farley on Kalkwasser and the Precipitates

 

in the container where it was prepared

 

With internal links to 2 of his articles

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.htm

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.php#9

 

Thanks Pyronus for posting that link to Randy's Post:

 

The Link to Randy's Post:

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost...amp;postcount=4

 

Albert

Edited September 18, 2012 by albertthiel

[atoll]

Hi Paul and welcome to nano-reefs.com and in particular Albert's forum the friendliest on nano-reefs IME.

 

Nice to see you here and for you to post about the Liverpool Museum Aquarium. We had a great day on Saturday and the day couldn't have been more laid back and friendly. Add to that the talks, films and tour behind the scenes of the aquarium and a great day was had by all even if I failed to win one of the many great raffle prizes on the day. I have a few more pic's I didn't post on here mainly of native marine exhibits and aquariums I will post later.

 

When you consider the tight (read very tight) budget Paul has to work within then he and his staff have done an amazing job to date and the aquarium is a credit to them all. Being of the ermm "older generation" I well remember the aquarium as it was 40 years ago or so and can see just how much it has progressed in that time. I am sure with Paul's guidance and his small team of dedicated staff the aquarium will go from strength to strength.

 

Well done guys.

 

Les.

 

Hi Albert, Les and everyone else.

 

My name is Paul, I manage the aquarium at the World Museum in Liverpool that Les recently visited and took some photos etc.

 

He got in touch and mentioned that you were quite interested to find out more about our set up.

 

To get much more detail Id point you in the direction of the two tank threads Ive done on a UK forum called The Salty Box.

 

Here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...sults-back.html

 

And here...

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/large-tan...tem-thanks.html

 

The first details the Large, 40,000lt display system that we been working on for some time to improve the water quality in readyness to accept the corals we have been growing on in separate frag tanks in the back(on the video).

 

In short though the filtration on the frag tanks is very standard.

Deep sand bed using 0.3mm quartz sand.

Rowaphos for phosphate control.

Live rock.

Calcium reactor for alk and calcium.

Skimmer

 

We did use cheato for a while but I found the upkeep and getting the staff to keep on top of harvesting it wasnt worth it so we just stick with Rowa now as its simpler.

 

The large display system is similar. Just scaled up. We have a large skimmer, bio-tower (aerated trickle tower with K1 media) sand filter, UV and ozone. We use Lanthanum chloride for phos control and have installed a massive deep sand bed (over a tonne of sand) and recently have started carbon dosing using methanol.

 

We are a little unusual in that we are trying to use home reef techniques on a much bigger scale. I think we have the largest sand bed in the UK.

 

The threads on the other forum have much more detail with photos of the filtration, lighting, corals etc and run through all the ups and downs but if you have any specific questions Im more than happy to help.

 

Best Wishes

 

Paul

[albertthiel]

Hi Paul and welcome to nano-reefs.com and in particular Albert's forum the friendliest on nano-reefs IME.

 

Nice to see you here and for you to post about the Liverpool Museum Aquarium. We had a great day on Saturday and the day couldn't have been more laid back and friendly.

 

Add to that the talks, films and tour behind the scenes of the aquarium and a great day was had by all even if I failed to win one of the many great raffle prizes on the day. I have a few more pic's I didn't post on here mainly of native marine exhibits and aquariums I will post later.

 

When you consider the tight (read very tight) budget Paul has to work within then he and his staff have done an amazing job to date and the aquarium is a credit to them all.

 

Being of the ermm "older generation" I well remember the aquarium as it was 40 years ago or so and can see just how much it has progressed in that time. I am sure with Paul's guidance and his small team of dedicated staff the aquarium will go from strength to strength.

 

Well done guys.

 

Les.

 

Yes indeed Les, from reading the info on the Links that Paul posted I can see that he is indeed working with a very controlled budget and cannot necessarily upgrade some of what he wants to upgrade in a short period of time.

 

Not unusual I think at Public Aquariums ... budget constraints often dampen what the Curators and Managers would like to do and know what is best.

 

I looked at the posts in the links and the sub-links and what he has in place right now, and the changes and improvements he has made are indeed quite impressive.

 

I am also sure that based on what I read that he will continue to improve on the systems even further.

 

The links contains some great pictures of the current set ups and anyone reading this should take a look at everything that is now in place and the changes Paul has made for the better.

 

Quite impressive indeed.

 

Thanks Paul for all the info on those posts on "Saltybox" ... and all the pictures of how you run your systems with detailed descriptions of what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish.

 

I am sure that you will get what you want to better still eventually. As the Public gets more interested and you get even more visitors with those new displays, I am sure that funding will come around.

 

And I second Les' statement: great job and well done indeed !

 

Albert

[atoll]

Some more pic's I took while at the Liverpool Museum Aquarium. This time The pic's are of the cold water native marine tanks inverts and fish.

Lobster minding its own business and waiting for its next feed instead of the opposite..

The Wolf fish tank. Evil looking I am sure you will agree.

 

Another tank containing Weaver fish which are venomous and painful as many a bather standing on one will testify.

Cold water native marine touch tanks.

Rockpool display tank.

[albertthiel]

My Citron Goby Having Fun ... in a Yuma and then Hugging the Front Glass

 

This has got to be the funniest fish around and he seems to be immune to possible stings from the corals in my tank as he will rest himself on the Candy Cane, the Duncan, Zoas and anything else in my tank.

 

Here he is seen "hugging" the front glass of the tank and sitting in one of my Yumas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a puffy Candy Cane ...

 

 

 

Albert