albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Happy Birthday! Thanks Maria, it is much appreciated ... I wish you a nice and reef keeping Sunday ... with all your new acquisitions I am sure you'll be busy working on the tank :-) Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Time goes on Patpack ... today I am 69 ... gee where did all those years go :-) Albert Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Albert, happy birthday to you. Congratulation's 70 is just around the corner now. Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Albert, happy birthday to you.Congratulation's 70 is just around the corner now. Thanks Les ... and yes then 71 and so on and when I get to 90 I'll be one of the oldest reef keepers around :-) Thanks again ... have a great day Albert Quote Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Hey ya Albert! Happy Birthday!!!! Hope the wife gets you some nice corals!!! Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Hey ya Albert! Happy Birthday!!!! Hope the wife gets you some nice corals!!! Thanks a bunch, I appreciate it ... and yes we are about to leave for the LFS ... so we'll see what I come back with ... having lunch first though then off to see what I can get "away with" :-) Thanks for the wishes Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Got back from the LFS and .... Went to the LFS, as I posted earlier, and besides buying a whole bunch of product and compounds, and salt, and more, and I mean more indeed, and I got a niece frag of Setosa ... Right now it is being acclimated by drip for about another 30 or so minutes, and then I'll place it in the aquarium, and post some pictures of it. Those Setosas are not give aways, but since I wanted one for some time now, and the last time I went to the store they were sold out of the frags, this time when I saw a nice one with 4 short branches already, I could not pass it up. It's only money right ... well a good bit, but I spent more on other corals in the past so I guess one gets what one pays for. More later. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 A Two Part Article by © Eric Borneman: The Holding, Shipping and Transport of Corals, Part 1: Shipping and Transport http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/eb/index.php . . . . . . . . . . The Collection, Holding, Shipping and Transport of Coral Reef Organisms, Part 2: Collection Issues http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/eb/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 (edited) M. setosa before putting it in the drip acclimation (acclimatization) Vessel It is tied to a piece of styrofoam (that is how the store packed it and hung it upside down in the water in the bag), and I took the pic before putting it in the red container I use for acclimating. As I can see but you probably not because they are so small there appear to be some small baby mushrooms growing on the left side of the small piece of LR it is sitting on. I'll post a pic of when it is in the tank in a while Albert Edited September 23, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 M. setosa in the Tank ... Not sure yet it is in the right spot though Albert Quote Link to comment
patback Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Thank you kindly .... I appreciate it ... I think I'll get some tank stuff from my wife and maybe another coral ... but don't know yet. She is taking me to Pure Reef around 1:00 when they open. Time goes on Patpack ... today I am 69 ... gee where did all those years go :-) Albert Oh please! 70 is the new 20. Behave yourself tonight and don't celebrate too much. Pick out something good! Nice looking setosa. Do you have a new FTs? Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Red Slime Algae - Slime Algae - Cyanobacteria - Cyanos Given that so many hobbyists appear to struggle with red slime algae (whatever you want to call them), there seems to be very little literature/articles available to actually give explanations that make a lot of sense as to why they appear. Yes, dead spots, old lights, excess nutrients, and a number of other reasons that are said to lead to their appearance can be found, but very little is available that I have been able to find on what one can do to "prevent" them from appearing. My suggestions, which match those of a number of others and what is found on other forums for the most part, will be found on a new Thread I am going to start in the Disease and Pest Treatment Section The thread is intended to determine if we can come up with better suggestions and possibly a method to eradicate them that does not use antibiotics or some other chemicals that may work, but may only be a "patch" and not a real cure. Input from others who have dealt with them may, hopefully, eventually lead to a solution, at least that is my hope although I am not sure we can achieve that, but with the help of others who have dealt with them and have gotten rid of them we may find better ways of how to deal with them. Time will tell .. it's worth a try. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Oh please! 70 is the new 20. Behave yourself tonight and don't celebrate too much. Pick out something good! Nice looking setosa. Do you have a new FTs? Thanks patback but I don't "celebrate" in the manner you mean (I think) ... I'll probably just go have a nice meal somewhere with my wife of nearly 37 years ! And yes 70 is the new 20 indeed ! That M. setosa is what I got + a whole bunch of compounds and salt and other stuff I needed, so the LFS was quite happy to see what I spent I think .. :-) I'll post an new FT pic in a couple of days as I am doing some re-scaping and taking some rock out and once everything settles back down and opens nicely I'll take some pics with a camera rather than with my iPhone. Thanks for the kind words Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Fragmenting a Green Tree Coral and why fragging is sometimes necessary © Greg Hiller and reefkeeping.com Some soft corals grow very rapidly and, if unchecked, can begin to poison other corals in the tank with allelopathic toxins. The toxins can work systemically throughout the tank and can be reduced though the use of activated carbon, but are particularly damaging to adjacent corals. This photo shows why it is necessary to use carbon and the importance of occasionally fragmenting a coral. LINK: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/fotm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Gorgonian Propagation Techniques © Greg HIller and reefkeeping.com Some photosynthetic gorgonians have fast growth rates and have the potential to sting other corals if they brush directly against them. Hence, it may become necessary to prune gorgonians from time to time. Additionally, it's beneficial to propagate in order to spread corals in a sustainable manner, thereby reducing the draw of corals from the reef. Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/fotm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Propagating Euphyllia spp. (Frogspawn) © Agu Lukk and reefkeeping.com A different approach by a different Author ... ... As an aquarist having nano tanks only, I have to be selective about what corals are stocked in my tanks as the wrong selection can easily outgrow the space available. In the case of the branching Euphyllia in my tank this results in crowding and stunted growth of the shaded branches. Although it's not visible in this picture below, two branches located at the back of the right colony have grown up against the glass and are not extending their polyps as much as the rest of the colony. If the branches are allowed to remain in a compromised situation, there's a real risk of infection that can spread to the entire colony. Even in large tanks, overgrowth of certain corals sometimes needs to be limited. Using the proper technique, one can fragment (frag) their Euphyllia, end up with a healthier specimen and have corals to trade or sell to other reef enthusiasts. LINK: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/fotm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Propagating Fungia sp. (Plate coral) © Greg Hiller and Reefkeeping.com Fungia, or plate corals, are free-living corals that consist of one large polyp and usually a single mouth. There are 18 recognized species of Fungia, all from the Indo-Pacific, and another 10 species of Cycloseris, a very similar, though usually physically smaller, genera of plate corals. A few species of plate corals are easy to tell apart, but many would be difficult for the casual aquarist (like me) to distinguish. A careful examination of the bleached out skeleton might be necessary for proper identification, something I usually try to avoid with the specimens in my tanks! So, for the purposes of this article, I'm going to assume that the specimens I work with are all Fungia, though admittedly I do not know for certain that they are. In any case, the techniques I discuss probably apply equally well to the many similar genera of plate corals. Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-12/fotm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Red Slime - Cyanos .... The thread I created for Red Slime (Cyanobacteria) feedback and the experiences hobbyists who had to deal with them is getting some good responses. If you who are reading this have had to deal with them, please post your experiences to that thread please. The link to the thread is: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=4031523 Thanks. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Propagation of Xenia spp. © Agu Lukk and reefkeeping.com I've been fragmenting Xenia sp. for many years, but to thoroughly prepare myself for this recent project, a visit to my friend Brian Greene was in order. Brian owns and runs Greene Mariculture. In addition to several other corals he propagates, he easily has several hundred colonies of Xenia in his facility. When asked his preferred method of fragmenting them, he replied that he doesn't fragment Xenia because it's neither cost nor time effective - he simply allows them to self-propagate. His preferred method is to put a few colonies into a tank with rubble and allow them to spread naturally. In his Book of Coral Propagation, Anthony Calfo refers to this technique as "natural settlement." Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/fotm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Louis Tsai's (louist) Nanoreef Aquarium © Louis Tsai and reefkeeping.com I've always been fascinated by nature and am a self-professed nature photographer. My journey into this hobby was kick started by two Siamese fighting fish that were used to teach undergraduate students at my university. After a much lighter wallet and some time later, my interest turned to starting a miniature reef aquarium. This nanoreef hasn't always looked the way it does now. It used to have a lot of soft corals, macroalgae and even a seahorse (H. barbouri) at one stage. Over time, stocking became dominated by mostly stony corals. Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/totm/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Articles by Randy Holmes-Farley, who owns the copyright to them The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 1: The Salt Water Itself http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php . . . . . . . . . . . The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Ornamental Crustaceans © Aaron Sewell and reefkeeping.com While the main focus of most marine aquariums is either fish or cnidarians (anemones, corals, soft corals, zoanthids, etc.), many aquarists include ornamental crustaceans to provide variety and subtle focus points. Crustaceans are also commonly found in smaller aquariums as either an alternative to fish or in single-species tanks. These crustaceans can vary from spiny lobsters (family Palinuridae) and dwarf reef lobsters (Enoplametopus spp.) to much smaller species such as porcelain crabs (Neopetrolisthes spp.) or anemone shrimp (Periclimenes spp.). Many species are brilliantly colored while others are quite cryptic; some can be part of interesting symbiotic partnerships while others are free roaming and can provide interesting behavioral spectacles on their own. While many crustaceans are attractive and appear to make ideal additions to mixed reef aquaria, most are carnivorous predators and many can be a risk to other inhabitants in the aquarium. Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/as/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 A Clarion Angel Picture Had not seen one of these for some time .... Here is a great picture of one : Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Gorgonian Propagation Techniques © Greg HIller and reefkeeping.com Link: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/fotm/index.php Albert Morning Albert, Unfortunately your link don't work for me. Hope you had a good day yesterday it certainly sounds like you did. I am particularly interested in the fragging of Gorgonians as I have done so many times with the photosynthetic ones and I may have been the first to do at least in the UK. back in the 80s I had tried a number of time to frag one I had without success until I had a eureka moment so it would be good to read the article you have posted a link to to see if the same method is used. When I finally cracked the fragging of my gorgonian I distributed a number of frags to fellow hobbyists and Les Holiday from Practical Fishkeeping fame came over to do an article on how I managed it. I still have that magazine I think hidden away in a box in my loft (roof space) One of the frags I did went to a friend of mine Roy Meek who you have met who is an LFS some distance away from me. I could not believe the growth in it in his reef display tank over the time he had it when I went to visit him later, quite amazing really. Les. Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 (edited) Found the article. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/fotm/index.php Yep that was more or less the way I fragged my Gorgonian which had a twig like central core. We didn't have the reef safe epoxy then of course and I had to simply wedge the inner core of the frag into a very small hole taking care not to break it and also that it did not touch the rock I was putting it on. Now I am wondering if indeed I was the first to frag photosynthetic Gorgonians this way all those years ago back in the 80s. Perhaps not but there was no Internet then and there were few that I had heard of trying to propagate corals here in the UK. At that time I don't recall reading any articles either on coral propagation at least not Gorgonians. Les. Edited September 24, 2012 by atoll Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Morning Albert,Unfortunately your link don't work for me. Hope you had a good day yesterday it certainly sounds like you did. I am particularly interested in the fragging of Gorgonians as I have done so many times with the photosynthetic ones and I may have been the first to do at least in the UK. back in the 80s I had tried a number of time to frag one I had without success until I had a eureka moment so it would be good to read the article you have posted a link to to see if the same method is used. When I finally cracked the fragging of my gorgonian I distributed a number of frags to fellow hobbyists and Les Holiday from Practical Fishkeeping fame came over to do an article on how I managed it. I still have that magazine I think hidden away in a box in my loft (roof space) One of the frags I did went to a friend of mine Roy Meek who you have met who is an LFS some distance away from me. I could not believe the growth in it in his reef display tank over the time he had it when I went to visit him later, quite amazing really. Les. Yes Les, thanks, had a nice day and evening ... Sarah and I went to a local Rest. we like, and that serves real good "Pepper Steaks" which are my favorite and they also specialize in fish, which is her favorite. On the tank side ... went to Pure Reef and got tons of supplies (should keep me going for a few months) and they had M. setosa's this time so I got the one that I posted a picture of. It's actually not all that large but about twice the size of the others they had and has a few branches sticking up already, 3 of which one is splitting in two. I have wanted one for some time, but could not find one as they did not have any in stock, or what they had when I looked a few times were so puny and tiny that I didn't really like them all that much, so I decided to wait for a larger one. So yesterday I found it and it's in the tank now, and seems to be doing well. Of course my Citron Goby which seems to like to "rest" on everything in the tank, already gave it a shot, and was lying down on it yesterday for a good amount of time before moving to his favorite R. yuma (the bigger one of the two). Well ... another year gone, and a new one beginning today ... Interestingly I got over 50 birthday wishes from friends on FB, including Sven Fossa, Dr. Sanjay Joshi, Michael DelPrete (a manufacturer) , and many many ohters, including of course from my daughter who lives in Brussels. It was nice to get messages from so many people from in and out of the Hobby. Check my FB and you'll see them all (ajthiel1 as I seem to have 2 FB pages for some reason and have not figured out how to merge them, if it is even possible to do so. That FB page also has lots of pics of Corals and Fish and lots and lots of strains of Discus). Sorry the link I posted did not work but I see in your next message that you found the article. Wonder why the one I posted did not work, as both appear to be the same ... When I post the tinyUrl ones do they work for you? Have not had anyone reporting that links were giving them issues ... wonder why you had the probelm. Yes you were maybe not the first to frag Gorgonians but you may certainly have been the 1st one in the UK and if you find a copy of that article, maybe you want to put it in a file and email it to me and I'll convert it to and HTML file and post it. Roy Meek .. gee what memories all that brings back indeed ... that trip was a real nice one and if I remember I saw a lot of stores then. Of course whenever Sarah and I used to come to the UK once or twice a year, when her Mom was still alive, I used to visit as many as I could. Thanks for the post and glad you were eventually able to get to that article on Gorgonians. Albert Quote Link to comment
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