THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[eitallent]

thanks for pointing eitallent to my post Albert.

I have just one footnote to add to that post.

 

Some people do not go to the length of removing heads ,tails and the guts etc from food fish before processing I however do as can be read on my ...

 

We have a saying in the UK and perhaps you also have the same in the US " The truth of the pudding is in the eating"

Thank you Les & Albert. We are so fortunate to have access to your knowledge and experience.

It seems reasonable that intestinal parasites would be present in guts and other nasty bugs in gills and fins.

 

Another saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[atoll]

Thank you Les & Albert. We are so fortunate to have access to your knowledge and experience.

It seems reasonable that intestinal parasites would be present in guts and other nasty bugs in gills and fins.

 

Another saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

YVW (this is for Albert YVW=Your Very Welcome lol).

Ain't that the truth.

However in truth I do not know what if any disease or parasite come to that could survive so long out of water and from being frozen solid but I guess there are various viruses that could if nothing else. I just know what works for me and has done so for many years.

 

Les.

[albertthiel]

Thank you Les & Albert. We are so fortunate to have access to your knowledge and experience.

It seems reasonable that intestinal parasites would be present in guts and other nasty bugs in gills and fins.

 

Another saying: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

You are very welcome and whenever anyone who reads this thread or Les or myself can help we will do so with pleasure, so any questions are fine, even basic ones.

 

I get request for info by PM from Members who perhaps think that if they post their questions that some people may respond in a disparaging way but that is not the case and I will make sure it stays that way so any questions you may have are fair game.

 

Thanks for the kind words eitallent

 

Albert

[atoll]

You are very welcome and whenever anyone who reads this thread or Les or myself can help we will do so with pleasure, so any questions are fine, even basic ones.

 

I get request for info by PM from Members who perhaps think that if they post their questions that some people may respond in a disparaging way but that is not the case and I will make sure it stays that way so any questions you may have are fair game.

 

Thanks for the kind words eitallent

 

Albert

 

 

+1

[albertthiel]

YVW (this is for Albert YVW=Your Very Welcome lol).

Ain't that the truth.

However in truth I do not know what if any disease or parasite come to that could survive so long out of water and from being frozen solid but I guess there are various viruses that could if nothing else. I just know what works for me and has done so for many years.

 

Les.

Thanks Les -

 

And yes frozen bacteria and viruses can apparently come back to life apparently ...

 

Plenty of articles on it but here is one http://tinyurl.com/cupwv5u

 

Not sure about parasites though ... but I guess using your method is indeed "safer" especially since you have never had any issues with the way you prepare your frozen foods.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

New family of Soft Coral discovered

 

© By Shane Graber - Sep 21, 2012 03:00 PM

 

Named Aquaumbridae, this newly-discovered family is found in the eastern Pacific down to depths of more than 400 meters.

 

It is not often that a new family of coral is found and described by scientists. In 2010 Ofwegen & McFadden described the family Acanthoaxiidae from the shallow waters of tropical Cameroon.

 

The one just before that was described in 1977 by Bayer & Muzik, who added the family Lithotelestidae.

 

Published this week in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity, researchers Breedy, van Ofwegenc, and Vargas formally describe a new deep water family, Aquaumbridae, and its first member: Aquaumbra klapferi sp. nov., gen. nov.

 

Link : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/new-f...oral-discovered

 

Albert

[atoll]

Thanks Les -

 

And yes frozen bacteria and viruses can apparently come back to life apparently ...

 

Plenty of articles on it but here is one http://tinyurl.com/cupwv5u

 

Not sure about parasites though ... but I guess using your method is indeed "safer" especially since you have never had any issues with the way you prepare your frozen foods.

 

Albert

 

Thanks Albert,

 

Creatures frozen for 32,000 years still alive.

I guess I will keeping on preparing my food as I have done so for years.

 

I have an interesting story about one of my foods that I make,

 

Some years ago I used to supply frozen mussel and squid to a few LFS's. I was asked by one to supply them and one became 4. Anyway I worked close to a wholesale fish merchant and could buy the squid and mussels at wholesale prices. I still visited one of these LFS's but for reasons I won't go into here apart to say that they didn't seem to like paying me for my food and I had stopped supplying them..

 

Anyway I was standing not far away the counter one day when this lady asked the guy serving for some squid. The guy who I knew well produced a pack squid from of a certain well known make of frozen food. The lady was wanting to buy the squid for her porcupine puffer which apparently it loved. However when she saw the packet she said to the server "sorry no I don't want that my puffer wont touch it don't you have that other squid in the plain packet as it likes that".

 

The guy serving her was a bit put out but pointed to me and said "that guy over there makes it ask him". She looked at him a bit confused and walked to me and asked me if I did indeed make the squid she wanted, I of course replied that indeed I did.

 

I didn't live far away from the shop at the time and she followed me home and sold her a large slab of my squid at a very good price and far cheaper than the LFS had been selling to her for of course. She went away very happy indeed. There is more to this story and the LFS in question but I will leave it there.

 

Les.

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert,

I would suggest the area/ distance from the bottle cap to the top of the castellated part needs to be around 4 to 6mm. My drawing is a little crude and I would suggest using something of a larger diameter for the castellated part to aid stability when placed in the aquarium. My Oxydator "D" top that also forms the area the oxygen escapes out is 2" in diameter.

 

Is that catalyst heavy Les ... looks like a piece of Lead in the picture you posted.

 

BTW as you stated, Brass reacts just a well as Lead with hydrogen peroxide.

 

Albert

[atoll]

Is that catalyst heavy Les ... looks like a piece of Lead in the picture you posted.

 

BTW as you stated, Brass reacts just a well as Lead with hydrogen peroxide.

 

Albert

 

 

Nope not lead Albert, it is made of some sort of clay with a high percentage of Iron in it I believe. So you could also use a piece of iron as a catalyst which would do no harm at all IMO.

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert,

 

Creatures frozen for 32,000 years still alive.

I guess I will keeping on preparing my food as I have done so for years.

 

I have an interesting story about one of my foods that I make,

 

Some years ago I used to supply frozen mussel and squid to a few LFS's. I was asked by one to supply them and one became 4. Anyway I worked close to a wholesale fish merchant and could buy the squid and mussels at wholesale prices. I still visited one of these LFS's but for reasons I won't go into here apart to say that they didn't seem to like paying me for my food and I had stopped supplying them..

 

Anyway I was standing not far away the counter one day when this lady asked the guy serving for some squid. The guy who I knew well produced a pack squid from of a certain well known make of frozen food. The lady was wanting to buy the squid for her porcupine puffer which apparently it loved. However when she saw the packet she said to the server "sorry no I don't want that my puffer wont touch it don't you have that other squid in the plain packet as it likes that".

 

The guy serving her was a bit put out but pointed to me and said "that guy over there makes it ask him". She looked at him a bit confused and walked to me and asked me if I did indeed make the squid she wanted, I of course replied that indeed I did.

 

I didn't live far away from the shop at the time and she followed me home and sold her a large slab of my squid at a very good price and far cheaper than the LFS had been selling to her for of course. She went away very happy indeed. There is more to this story and the LFS in question but I will leave it there.

 

Les.

 

Interesting story indeed ... wonder what that LFS thought, that he was going to get the frozen food for free?

 

I tell you ... some really go overboard!

 

Interesting story though especially since there is more to it ...

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Nope not lead Albert, it is made of some sort of clay with a high percentage of Iron in it I believe. So you could also use a piece of iron as a catalyst which would do no harm at all IMO.

 

I tried iron but that does not work real well, not as good as brass and lead but maybe there is something else in the ceramic or the iron and the ceramic together is what does it.

 

I tried zinc and that gives a very moderate reaction and does not build up pressure. What works well for now is brass and lead and I have a little of both in the container but I am not yet ready to set it up the say we discussed in a previous message (in freshwater and upside down).

 

Once I have it set up and have something to report I will. I am sure that knowing myself I'll set it up sometime later today ... : - )

 

Albert

 

 

Thanks Albert,

 

Creatures frozen for 32,000 years still alive.

I guess I will keeping on preparing my food as I have done so for years.

 

I have an interesting story about one of my foods that I make,

 

Some years ago I used to supply frozen mussel and squid to a few LFS's. I was asked by one to supply them and one became 4. Anyway I worked close to a wholesale fish merchant and could buy the squid and mussels at wholesale prices. I still visited one of these LFS's but for reasons I won't go into here apart to say that they didn't seem to like paying me for my food and I had stopped supplying them..

 

Anyway I was standing not far away the counter one day when this lady asked the guy serving for some squid. The guy who I knew well produced a pack squid from of a certain well known make of frozen food. The lady was wanting to buy the squid for her porcupine puffer which apparently it loved. However when she saw the packet she said to the server "sorry no I don't want that my puffer wont touch it don't you have that other squid in the plain packet as it likes that".

 

The guy serving her was a bit put out but pointed to me and said "that guy over there makes it ask him". She looked at him a bit confused and walked to me and asked me if I did indeed make the squid she wanted, I of course replied that indeed I did.

 

I didn't live far away from the shop at the time and she followed me home and sold her a large slab of my squid at a very good price and far cheaper than the LFS had been selling to her for of course. She went away very happy indeed. There is more to this story and the LFS in question but I will leave it there.

 

Les.

 

Yes the stories about these bacteria and viruses coming back to life after all those years (well millennia) is quite amazing and there are plenty of other articles that deal with the subject.

 

Guess what is in the canned sardines that I eat ... well I better not think about that one for too long or I won't eat them anymore and I do like them .. (Brisling - the real small ones)

 

Albert

[atoll]

Interesting story indeed ... wonder what that LFS thought, that he was going to get the frozen food for free?

 

I tell you ... some really go overboard!

 

Interesting story though especially since there is more to it ...

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Albert

 

 

OK here's more of the story,

 

I had been supplying this particular LFS for sometime and he always paid me COD. Sometimes while there I would buy stuff like salt and corals or whatever and deduct it from my sales to him no problem there at all. I used to get 10% off stuff as well as part of a club I belonged to the British Marine Aquarists Association as it happens.

 

The guy who owned the LFS "J" was a businessman and new little about fish etc and he employed a manger and others to do the selling etc for him. Lets say he was just a bit shady in some of his dealings.

 

One day I arrived with his next order of food and he said "hey what about my 10% discount as I give you 10% off here". To be quite honest I had been half expecting him to ask that one day and today was the day.

I had my reply ready and waiting and replied to him. Yeah sure "J" of course you can have 10% off my wholesale price I am supplying my food to you providing of course you give me 10% off the wholesale price anything I buy from you (I was getting 10% of the retail price at the time). The price of the food I was selling him for was less than half he was retailing it for not that I had a problem with that I understand mark up prices in this business and that of others.

 

This shop was quite large and sold to both the trade and retail. "J" didn't seem to care for my offer for some reason and told me that he did not want me to supply him with my food anymore. No problem I said its a messy process making this squid food what with ink and the smell on me afterwards.

 

What I didn't tell you in my first post on this topic is that when the lady approached me in the shop to buy some squid "J" was also nearby and overheard the whole conversation. He arrogantly shouted to me "Sell us some squid and mussel Les" I simply replied " J you can have as much squid and mussel as you want". He never replied and I never sold any to them again.

 

"J" knew quite well what the deal was and if he wanted any food he was going to have to pay in cash not in kind which he also wanted for all the food I sold him. It was my choice if I wanted salt or whatever not his. So not only did he want to pay me in salt etc he wanted 10% off my wholesale price of my foods with it. He was only willing to take 10% his retail price which were quite expensive anyway due to the fact he was a wholesaler himself as well as a retailer.

 

His staff I know were quite embarrassed by his unreasonable ways and his manager told me later in confidence I was right to stick to my guns.

[albertthiel]

OK here's more of the story,

 

I had been supplying this particular LFS for sometime and he always paid me COD. Sometimes while there I would buy stuff like salt and corals or whatever and deduct it from my sales to him no problem there at all. I used to get 10% off stuff as well as part of a club I belonged to the British Marine Aquarists Association as it happens.

 

Thanks for sharing that story Les and I am sure that similar ones have happened here in this country as some of the store owners do indeed behave in totally unexpected ways and want to make money and more money but not give anything back to others.

 

I guess it was not a loss in your case as you did not seem too impressed with him anyway so why make it easy on him and have it end up being a one way street where he benefitted but you did not in the same manner.

 

Lesson learned I guess .... is he still in business ? Can't think of a store I knew that did wholesale and retail but if it was in your area then that would no be surprising as I may never have visited the store.

 

Anyway, just shows that ethical does not seem to have the same meaning to everyone !

 

Albert

Edited September 22, 2012 by albertthiel

[atoll]

Thanks for sharing that story Les and I am sure that similar ones have happened here in this country as some of the store owners do indeed behave in totally unexpected ways and want to make money and more money but not give anything back to others.

 

I guess it was not a loss in your case as you did not seem too impressed with him anyway so why make it easy on him and have it end up being a one way street where he benefitted but you did not in the same manner.

 

Lesson learned I guess .... is he still in business ? Can't think of a store I knew that did wholesale and retail but if it was in your area then that would no be surprising as I may never have visited the store.

 

Anyway, just shows that ethical does not seem to have the same meaning to everyone !

 

Albert

 

 

Thanks Albert,

He was known as an unreasonable man as many will testify. Strangely enough his manager left him to go to another store after a BIG fall out with him and his next manager bought the business off him. Not the best shop around here to be honest as there are far better ones within travelling distance to where I live

[albertthiel]

A Warning Sign of Impending Caulerpa Sporulation

 

© Gene Schwartz and reefkeeping.com

 

I’m sure most hobbyists that have kept Caulerpa in their refugium or display tank know about or have experienced this algae’s reproductive activity.

 

“Going sexual,” as we all like to call it. This has happened to me as well. I have had the displeasure of waking up to a cloudy tank three times in the past, and I assure you I definitely know what a mess it is to deal with.

 

However, this time, I happened to document the events leading up to the event with some photographs. These photos clearly show some warning signs of the imminent sexual activity.

 

Distinctive and noticeable changes take place in the algae prior to the release of the spores. Upon noticing these changes, a bit of quick action can head off the potential problems of sporulation.

 

Link:

 

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

 

Albert

[atoll]

A couple of pic's for you taken 20mins ago.

First one is a full tank shot.

 

Second one is one I have been waiting to have the opportunity to take a pic of, my Mexican Turbo snail crawling across the front of my tank.

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert,

He was known as an unreasonable man as many will testify. Strangely enough his manager left him to go to another store after a BIG fall out with him and his next manager bought the business off him. Not the best shop around here to be honest as there are far better ones within travelling distance to where I live

 

Yes that does actually not surprise me. I knew an owner in NY who had 7 stores all around the general NY area and due to bad management and somewhat shady practices with product and with how he dealt with customers at his stores, he ended up with just two and had to close the other ones for lack of business.

 

And I am sure there are plenty of stories like it, stores that start up and do well but then due to how they operate they start losing clientele and eventually have to close down or go out of business.

 

Oh well .. that's life but then I am sure it happens in other retail environments as well.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

A couple of pic's for you taken 20mins ago.

First one is a full tank shot.

 

Second one is one I have been waiting to have the opportunity to take a pic of, my Mexican Turbo snail crawling across the front of my tank.

 

Nice, and I see you have lots and lots of coralline algae growing ... nice shot !

 

Agreed those Turbo's are not that easy to get a pic of crawling on the front glass. I have some Nerite ones that I see more often on the glass but usually the side or the back, for some reason not that often on the front.

 

I keep wanting to post a Full view of my tank but with the iPhone it is hard to take a good picture. Guess I'll have to use my wife's camera one of these days.

 

Thanks for the pics and your tank does look nice and "loaded" with life forms for sure.

 

Albert

[atoll]

Nice, and I see you have lots and lots of coralline algae growing ... nice shot !

 

Agreed those Turbo's are not that easy to get a pic of crawling on the front glass. I have some Nerite ones that I see more often on the glass but usually the side or the back, for some reason not that often on the front.

 

I keep wanting to post a Full view of my tank but with the iPhone it is hard to take a good picture. Guess I'll have to use my wife's camera one of these days.

 

Thanks for the pics and your tank does look nice and "loaded" with life forms for sure.

 

Albert

 

 

Thanks Albert,

My tank is doing really well and bursting with the corals growing so well. there is simply nowhere else I can put anymore.

[albertthiel]

Poly Filters from Poly Bio Marine: A review by Don Dewey (of late FAMA Mag)

 

Many hobbyists use and have used Poly Filters and probably for a long time. In fact I used them over 20 years ago and still use them on my 20 Gallon tank in my HOB filter, cut up in smaller pieces.

 

Below is a link to a review of them done by Don Dewey of the late FAMA Magazine.

 

Link:

 

http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/fama.htm

 

Albert

 

 

 

 

Thanks Albert,

My tank is doing really well and bursting with the corals growing so well. there is simply nowhere else I can put anymore.

 

Yes I can see that .... lots and lots of growth that all looks in real good shape ...

 

I guess it is time for an upgrade to a larger tank ... or maybe a second one ... why not try out a Pico one like the one Brandon has.

 

Now that would be something to try out.

 

Albert

Edited September 22, 2012 by albertthiel

[atoll]

Poly Filters from Poly Bio Marine: A review by Don Dewey (of late FAMA Mag)

 

Many hobbyists use and have used Poly Filters and probably for a long time. In fact I used them over 20 years ago and still use them on my 20 Gallon tank in my HOB filter, cut up in smaller pieces.

 

Below is a link to a review of them done by Don Dewey of the late FAMA Magazine.

 

Link:

 

http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/fama.htm

 

Albert

 

 

Poly Filters were very popular in the 80s here but were expensive to buy being at least twice as much as in the USA. Some people would get together and order large quantities and even with shipping it would be much cheaper to import them yourself. You can still buy them here of course but many cheaper alternatives are available so they are not as popular I don't think and I don't see so many shops stocking them anymore.

 

Les.

[atoll]

Poly Filters from Poly Bio Marine: A review by Don Dewey (of late FAMA Mag)

 

Many hobbyists use and have used Poly Filters and probably for a long time. In fact I used them over 20 years ago and still use them on my 20 Gallon tank in my HOB filter, cut up in smaller pieces.

 

Below is a link to a review of them done by Don Dewey of the late FAMA Magazine.

 

Link:

 

http://www.poly-bio-marine.com/fama.htm

 

Albert

 

 

 

Yes I can see that .... lots and lots of growth that all looks in real good shape ...

 

I guess it is time for an upgrade to a larger tank ... or maybe a second one ... why not try out a Pico one like the one Brandon has.

 

Now that would be something to try out.

 

Albert

 

 

I did think about converting one of my pod jars into a pico tank which holds I guess around 1.5 gallons.

BTW did you know a UK gallon is larger than a US gallon?

 

1.0000 UK gallon = 1.2009499 US gallon.

 

And they say EVERYTHING is bigger in the USA

 

Les.

[albertthiel]

Poly Filters were very popular in the 80s here but were expensive to buy being at least twice as much as in the USA. Some people would get together and order large quantities and even with shipping it would be much cheaper to import them yourself. You can still buy them here of course but many cheaper alternatives are available so they are not as popular I don't think and I don't see so many shops stocking them anymore.

 

Les.

 

Les: I pay $9.99 + tax for them here at Pure Reef (and although they are a "great store" they tend to be a little high on some of their prices but then with the set up they have and all the expensive display tanks, etc. I guess they need to make a little more ... and I can understand that because the quality is there).

 

Not sure how many hobbyists use them nowadays but if a store like Pure Reef, which caters to high-end hobbyists sells them, then I guess there must still be quite a few,

 

I say they are high end because although they offer corals in the "normal" price range they also have some that are $800 and more (I saw a super looking Chalice the last time I was there that was priced at $1400 but worth it IMHO).

 

Reviews on Poly Filters actually say that they do a better job in removing a number of compounds than GAC does, and because of the color change you know when it is time to change them, but then you knew that.

 

I personally like them and use them but use GAC as well.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I did think about converting one of my pod jars into a pico tank which holds I guess around 1.5 gallons.

BTW did you know a UK gallon is larger than a US gallon?

1.0000 UK gallon = 1.2009499 US gallon.

And they say EVERYTHING is bigger in the USA

Les.

 

Yes indeed, you have 5 quarts to a gallon and here in the US we have 4 ... (so 1 Uk gallon would be 4.7313 liters as opposed to 3.785 liters for the US one.

 

Not sure about the everything is bigger here (the Texans say so though) but when you keep it to the Aquarium topic I think we have most of the very large Public Aquariums although not THE largest may no longer be here, as new ones open in the Middle East and in the Far East.

 

The Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta) is still listed as the largest in the world however (25,000 tons of water which should equal around 300.000 gallons but my math may be wrong ... as I do not know what type of ton is referred to in the article about the GA Aquarium

 

Interestingly enough, a new Public Aquarium opened in July in Seogwipo (South Korea), and is now the largest one in Asia, and displaced the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Japan) from the #1 spot.

 

I happen to run across an email I get from OceanScope (The Living Ocean) which mentioned the opening of that aquarium, and in doing a search I found a link to an article about it:

 

Asia's largest public aquarium opens today

 

© By Leonard Ho - Posted Jul 13, 2012

 

The new Aqua Planet Jeju at Seogwipo (South Korea) takes the crown from Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Japan).

 

With a combined water volume of 10,800 tons, Aqua Planet Jeju is now Asia's largest public aquarium.

 

LINK to the article with Pictures:

 

http://tinyurl.com/9grn9tk

 

New Largest Public Aquarium in Asia in South Korea

 

. . . . . . . . . . .

 

BUT ... to get back to your statement about converting one of your Pod Jars ... I think that would indeed be a great idea to start one and you probably can take some life forms from the main tank to stock it.

 

YES ... do it ... In fact I have been thinking about starting one myself that I can put on my desk, and since I do not have much space it would have to be a Pico for sure.

 

Go for it .... Picos are nice and perhaps a little more of a challenge so definitely worthwhile trying out IMO.

 

Albert

[atoll]

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.