THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

October 1, 2012

eitallent:

Do I see a "baby" in that second picture? And have there been more, or is it too early to tell?

Albert

Yes, Albert. There is a baby visible in the second picture at the base of one tentacles.

On the top picture you can see the large grains of sand but all around the base of the tentacles you can also see small white dots in groups of threes, fours and fives. These, I believe, are also babies ( about sixteen of them).

None of the babies have detached that I could tell. I may have some of these anemones to share if anyone is interested! ;-)

I am keeping a close eye on developments and will post with updates.

October 1, 2012

Yes, Albert. There is a baby visible in the second picture at the base of one tentacles.

On the top picture you can see the large grains of sand but all around the base of the tentacles you can also see small white dots in groups of threes, fours and fives. These, I believe, are also babies ( about sixteen of them).

None of the babies have detached that I could tell. I may have some of these anemones to share if anyone is interested! ;-)

I am keeping a close eye on developments and will post with updates.

Yes I do see those, and indeed they look like "pico babies" :-) not as large yet as the onr in the second picture yet, but I guess they will grow. It will be interesting to watch how fast they grow. Are you taking pics for reference so you can compare their size as time goes on ?

Now at the rate that these appear and when they detach, you are going to have a "farm" of them ... and then I wonder how often they release eggs ... interesting indeed.

And when you are ready to share some let me know ... I think that as long as they are kept under control they can make a nice addition to any tank ...

Just hope that nothing goes too close to them, as based on what one of the articles said they have "very" powerful stings they can deliver and possibly disorient a fish and sting it again until they can catch it and start ingesting it ...

Same for small crustaceans I guess .... but time will tell ... hope nothing happens in your case.

Thanks for the additional info and update eitallent.

Albert

October 1, 2012

Life, Death and Rebirth of a Coral Reef: French Polynesia

What comes to mind when thinking about a coral reef is a colorful undersea garden teaming with life: corals, fish, urchins, starfish, molluscs, crustaceans, sponges and other animals and plants, many still unknown to science.

Coral reefs in French Polynesia should provoke similar perceptions. French Polynesia is very remote. Total human population is low. Many of the atolls are uninhabited and pressures on the reef are minimal.

French Polynesia has vast areas of barrier reefs and fringing reefs encircling the more than 80 atolls (out of about 450 worldwide!), deep-water lagoons crowded with patch reefs, and extensive coral dominated reef flat communities (more than 6000 sq km of coral reefs).

The reefs are home to more than 800 species of fish, about 170 species of corals, over 1100 species of molluscs, hundreds of other invertebrates, and 350 species of algae.

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

Albert

October 1, 2012

Unique Marine Life of Bathurst Channel, Southwest Tasmania, Australia

The marine environment in the Bathurst Channel in the remote southwest of Tasmania is truly unique. The Bathurst Channel is a sunken river valley joining Bathurst Harbour to the sea in Port Davey.

Dark red tannin-stained freshwater from the surrounding buttongrass plains forms a surface layer over the clear seawater underneath, reducing sunlight to almost zero.

The conditions in only 4m depth are like the deepsea - very dark with little temperature variation, and the life present are all deepsea animals - there are no plants.

Amazing large seapens, fields of seawhips, masses of undescribed species of soft corals, reefs made of bryozoans, usually found in 50-200m depth, are all found here in depths of less than 15m. This delicate and unique area has been protected in a marine park.

Video Link: http://tinyurl.com/8vrhpdc

Albert

October 1, 2012

Are Fish Getting Smaller as the Oceans Warm

Changes in ocean and climate systems could lead to smaller fish, according to a new study led by fisheries scientists at the University of British Columbia.

The study, published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, provides the first-ever global projection of the potential reduction in the maximum size of fish in a warmer and less-oxygenated ocean.

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/fish-...the-oceans-warm

AND:

http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vao...limate1691.html

Albert

Edited October 1, 2012 by albertthiel

October 1, 2012

Photosynthesis and the Reef Aquarium: Carbon Sources

How do our tank organisms obtain their carbon source?

Photosynthesis is the process whereby organisms take in light energy and convert it into useful chemical energy. It is a critically important process in most reef aquaria, but one which most aquarists pay little attention to, aside from the recognized importance of having appropriate lighting.

This article is the first in a series that looks at photosynthesis in reef aquaria from a chemical perspective. Such chemical issues, for example, include how organisms get the raw materials for photosynthesis, whether aquarists need to "supplement" those, how organisms eliminate the "waste" products of photosynthesis, what are the chemical implications of too much or too little light, how calcification in corals and clams relates to photosynthetic efficiency, what the biochemical machinery is for collecting light and converting it into energy, and how organisms have evolved these processes in relation to their natural habitats.

Link: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/rhf/index.php

Albert

October 1, 2012

Photo Gallery: One-of-a-Kind Sea Creatures

Link: http://tinyurl.com/9u6mlpk

Yeti Crab

Ribbon Eel

Basket Star

And more on the National Geographic page ....

Albert

October 1, 2012

This is Growing Under one of my Yumas

Not sure if this is the beginning of a new one growing, or some other Polyp or Zoa that is growing but because it is underneath the large Yuma it is not getting light when the Yuma is fully stretched out ... so not sure whether it will survive. I'll obviously keep an eye on it.

On another note: Have not seen my Stomatella again and I really looked for it last night when the lights had been out for 2 hours at least, but then I had not seen if since I had the tank, until 2 days ago, so I am not surprised that it is hiding itself real well ...

Any idea what is growing there ?

Albert

They look like offspring yumas to me!

I think they will find the light on their own when they are ready.

My yumas reproduce and if I move the little guys they melt away. If I leave them they do fine.

R.

October 1, 2012

Mushroom Coral of a size you Have not Seen I Imagine

The mushroom coral uses this amazing Technicolor mouth to feast on something no other coral is known to favor—adult jellyfish.

It’s thought that the corals simply wait for jellies to run into them, then snare them with stinging tentacles and shove them into their mouths.

Unlike reef-building corals, mushroom corals—among the world’s biggest polyps at up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide—live as individuals.

This one is "very large indeed". Not your usual mushroom ....

Albert

October 1, 2012

They look like offspring yumas to me!
I think they will find the light on their own when they are ready.

My yumas reproduce and if I move the little guys they melt away. If I leave them they do fine.

R.

Yes that is what I thought as well and as you say I am just going to leave it be and see what happens. The larger right above it seems to have moved out of the way a "bit" but that could just be wishful thinking ...

Here is what it looks like now (enlarged):

The green is actually some sort of coralline algae that eventually turns pink or red as has happened on other rocks.

Thanks for the suggestion. I appreciate it.

Albert

Edited October 1, 2012 by albertthiel

October 1, 2012

Just an updated Pic of the M. setosa I added a few days ago (9/23)

Albert

October 2, 2012

Question Received via PM on the use of Phoslock from Pūra

I have a 30 gallon reef and just got some Phoslock from a friend but I can't read the label as it is damaged. How much of it do I have to use for my tank. Right now my phosphate is high I think, I am not sure how high as my test kit may be out of date I think. I have a small amount of tiny short green algae on a few of my rocks but very little, and they are not patches of green algae just a few short strands of them. Thanks for letting me know if you can

Phoslock is made by Pūra, and their website is http://www.magnavore.com, and here is what they say about their GFO:

(sic)

Professional Strength Phosphate Remover

PhosLock is the benchmark ferric hydroxide media for total phosphate removal in all aquaria. Used all over the world, it is the product of choice for many critical water purity applications.

PhosLock permanently binds phosphates. With regular use of PhosLock any aquarium fresh or salt, reef or planted, will stay much cleaner and less maintenance labor intensive!

Media bag with PhosLock can be placed inside of: canister filters, power filters, pond filters, sumps, refugiums, corner filters, next to uplift tube on UG filter plate. PhosLock can be placed directly into Bio-Bags or other fine floss bags.

PhosLock is 5 to 10 times more effective than white activated alumina media and it is completely safe for fish and invertebrate, fresh and salt-water aquariums.

Convenient to implement, comes with a 6" x 12" 300-micron media bag.

(sic)

Below is what I can find for the amount you need to use for your reef tank (I do not have it myself but searches on the Net come up with this answer:

1 tablespoon per 20 gallons of tank water is what you need to use and it needs to be placed in the bag that comes with it.

If you do not have the bag you need to find one that has a real fine mesh (300 micron as stated above by Pūra). Rinse well before putting in your filter, and if you are now using another phosphate remover, take it out of the filter, meaning do not use two different ones at the same time.

As I indicated rinse well in either RO/DI water or fresh saltwater until no powder or brownish looking water comes out of the bag any longer, and then place it in a good strong flow area of whatever filter you are using. Water needs to go through the bag so it comes in contact with the product.

After about a week take it out and rinse it again to clean out any detritus that may have accumulated in the bag and place it back in your filter system.

According to the manufacturer it should last 1 month, but that may just be their guess, at it as how long it lasts will differ based on how much PO4 is in a particular tank, and therefore how long the product lasts cannot be generalized.

Only testing will tell you whether it needs replacing (if PO4 goes up rather than down it needs to be changed). If you think, as you mention that your test is no good anymore then you should get a new one (I use the Salifert Phosphate test kit) so you can determine what the PO4 level in your tank is, and whether it goes down as you use the product. Keep checking once a week or so to check whether or not your PO4 says low (ideally below 0.03 ppm but better below 0.01 ppm) and if you notice that the PO4 level is going up or is above those levels, change the compound.

Observe your fish and corals for any signs of adverse reaction, but there should be none.

Reviews that I have been able to find for the product are positive, and users indicate that PO4 is being lowered, and that they do not see any negative reaction by the lifeforms in their tanks.

Hope this helps. If not post more questions, or PM me as you did for this question.

Albert

October 2, 2012

Ultimate Marine Aquariums by Mike Paletta (hard cover)

Overview and review of the book, which can be found on the usual sites like Amazon, eBay and others ($34.95 for a brand new copy is the best price I could find).

This large format (8.5 by 11 inches) volume contains 192 pages, each illustrated with at least one photograph of a marine aquarium or with details of its inhabitants and/or its construction. The excellent photographs are beautifully reproduced. There is an index of the tanks, their owners and designers.

Mike Paletta's book of photographs featuring an international group of 50 outstanding, healthy and beautiful marine aquariums proves that the variety of techniques developed by a largely amateur cadre of marine aquarium enthusiasts has proven capable of sustaining coral reef organisms in prime condition.

The volume emphasizes reef aquariums but includes fish-only tanks, and shows the outcome of a wide range of approaches, from low-tech systems to those relying on ultra high-technology designs.

In addition to the superb photographs, Paletta provides vital information for those seeking to emulate the conditions that maintain these gorgeous and successful tanks. He starts by stating the system's owner and designer, it's location, its date of establishment and its location.

For each aquarium he then provides an Aquarium Profile, detailing its volume and dimensions, its overall construction, water circulation, temperature and other control systems, filtration system, lighting method and photoperiod, and water parameters and chemistry.

He also includes details on the system's livestock and feeding regimens and provides short notes on each system?s major successes and problems.

In the last issue of Advanced Aquarist, Mike provided a very useful summary of the information included in the Profiles, with basic statistics that attempt to digest and condense much of the information he provides for each aquarium, but we know how much is lost in averages. If you really want to see how far we've come in our efforts, and motivate and stimulate yourself to reach for the maximum you can achieve in terms of health and beauty in your aquarium system, treat yourself to a copy of this book.

One is tempted to compare Ultimate Marine Aquariums to Takashi Amano's Nature Aquarium World books that are devoted to photos of beautifully landscaped freshwater tanks, but the comparison does not hold up.

It is my understanding that the Amano photos are based on plant compositions specifically created with new specimens at the time they were photographed.

The displays Mike Paletta shows are true living systems with organisms that have been growing and thriving over time. That makes all the difference.

Yet another book to consider for your Aquarium book Collection

Albert

October 2, 2012

Corals and Fish by Aqualine Coral

Link: http://www.facebook.com/aqualine.coral

Albert

October 2, 2012

Should you Add Vitamin C to your Reef Tank - Good Question ?

Below are two links that talk about adding Vitamin C to your Reef and the relative merits of doing so.

The articles express somewhat of an an opposing view, although they do not imply that it is a dangerous practice, although when doing so one has to watch the tank's pH as ascorbic acid can lower it.

Do fish and corals benefit from it? Some indicate that it may be useful after fragging e.g. a Leather Coral and that in small amounts it does benefit the life forms.

These are informational articles and you are the one who should decide whether there is a benefit to doing so, using one of the many products on the market e.g. from Kent, Boyd (Vita-Chem) and many others.

Links:

http://www.saltwatermasters.com/articles/Vitamin-C-Dosing

http://suite101.com/article/do-fish-need-t...vitamins-a54047

You are the one who needs to decide whether you should do so ....

Albert

October 2, 2012

Corals and Fish by Aqualine Coral - (II)

Albert

October 2, 2012

So Early this Morning I did a Full Maintenance Regimen of My Tank

It was time to give my tank a real good and complete maintenance job ... and as I got up early this morning I decided, what the heck I may as well do it.

Below is what i actually did:

Blew off the rocks, between them and behind them and as much underneath as I could. That created a storm in the water column as a lot of debris, detritus, call it what you want, was loosened and ended up floating around in the water, for my HOB filter to remove and for the skimmer to remove some as well.

While all that matter was floating around, I also drew about 2.5 gallons of water out of the tank (that's about 15% of the tank's content), which of course also removed a good deal of debris and "floating matter".

I let the skimmer and the HOB run for about 30 minutes, with the water level still lowered, and then started the cleaning work (while doing so, since I obviously had to shut down the HOB and the Skimmer, and remove them from the tank, the water circulation in the tank was provided by the 750 GPH Power Head I have in there).

- HOB filter: changed floss, changed the GAC carbon, switched from aluminum oxide to GFO, changed the small strips of Poly-Filter, and of course cleaned out the inside of the HOB filter when it was totally empty.

- Skimmer: removed the skimmer and took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly with saltwater. That was quite an undertaking as getting to all parts of it was not all that easy ... (Red Sea Prism Pro).

- After all was cleaned I put the HOB and the Skimmer back in service and topped the tank off to replace the water I had removed before starting the cleaning. RO/DI and Red Sea Pro salt is what I use.

So how long did all of that take? Discounting the 30 min that the HOB and the Skimmer were running and removing debris, it took me about a good half hour to 35 minutes to complete the entire process. Not bad really considering all that had to be done.

Everything looks fine and the corals did not react at all to any of this (lights were still out of course).

As I look at the tank now, the fish are swimming around and the corals are still closed. The small amount of light in the room is not enough to get them to open yet.

Thought I would describe what I did, and how long it took, as some may think that doing a full cleaning process may take a lot longer ... It does not. A good half hour to say 35 minutes is not that bad at all.

Albert

October 2, 2012

Afternoon Albert,

Firstly sorry I have not been around much lately this is mainly down to work and my recent calcium reactor leak flooding my living room carpet. Thankfully I caught it in time not to do much damage to the tanks inhabitants.

I recently had an outbreak of what I believe to be Caulerpa serrulata which appeared out of some living rock some weeks ago.

Now from my dealings with it in the past its certainly not the easiest of algae to get rid of. The rhizomes stick very close to the rock work unless it is branching out looking for another rock to colonize. The leaves if we can call them that no longer than and inch or two and quite thick in comparison to say C.prolifera. The rhizomes are difficult to get your finger nails under and parts break off very easily when you do so.

I tried removing the rock which has some small red mushrooms on and removing all I could see by hand and with tweezers but I must have left some very small traces behind as it grew back quite quickly. I know of no fish or CUC that will eat it and it seems to survive even in nutrient deficient water. I know many algaes can survive and grow even in the lowest nitrate and phosphate levels in the aquarium.

Here is a pic I have just taken of it. and yes there is a small Apt nem near it which I will have to zap.

Edited October 2, 2012 by atoll

October 2, 2012

Afternoon Albert,
Firstly sorry I have not been around much lately this is mainly down to work and my recent calcium reactor leak flooding my living room carpet. Thankfully I caught it in time not to do much damage to the tanks inhabitants.

I recently had an outbreak of what I believe to be Caulerpa serrulata which appeared out of some living rock some weeks ago.

Now from my dealings with it in the past its certainly not the easiest of algae to get rid of. The rhizomes stick very close to the rock work unless it is branching out looking for another rock to colonize. The leaves if we can call them that no longer than and inch or two and quite thick in comparison to say C.prolifera. The rhizomes are difficult to get your finger nails under and parts break off very easily when you do so.

I tried removing the rock which has some small red mushrooms on and removing all I could see by hand and with tweezers but I must have left some very small traces behind as it grew back quite quickly. I know of no fish or CUC that will eat it and it seems to survive even in nutrient deficient water. I know many algaes can survive and grow even in the lowest nitrate and phosphate levels in the aquarium.

Here is a pic I have just taken of it. and yes there is a small Apt nem near it which I will have to zap.

Les:

Yes I remember your post about the leak and glad you caught that in time so that you did not loose too much water and did not get too much damage.

On the algae growth: yes it does look like C. serrulata :

Description:

Thallus: small, flat, often twisted or spiraling, to 4 cm high, grass-green; branching widely dichotomous. Fronds 2-4 mm wide, 2.0-3.5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm thick, unbranched or forked; margins toothed (serrulate); teeth wedge-shaped, to 1.25 mm wide, 1 mm long; apices pointed. Stalk inconspicuous, to 1.5 mm diam., to 5 mm long. Stolons creeping, 1.2-2.0 mm diam.; rhizoids stalked, branching to slender apices.

As the pic shows it has a thick root but does spread out as you describe.

Not sure what the best approach is in your case other than removing it as best as you can and trying to grab the root and not leave the holdfasts behind as it will, as you say, regrow there.

I wonder if spot injecting it with hydrogen peroxide may be the way to go to kill it off and as it dies it should be easier to remove it, or get rocks out if you can on which it grows and scrub those well, but with a tank as full with life forms as you have that may not be all that easy.

So spot injecting may be the way you have to go ... Some say that Rabbit Fish will eat it .. so that may be an option till it is gone and then remove the Rabbit Fish and bring it back to an LFS.

Not an easy outbreak to deal with but those are the option that I think you may want to try.

Albert

October 2, 2012

Corals and Fish by Aqualine Coral - (III)

Albert

October 2, 2012

August 2012 Tank of the Month - Carlinhos Moreno

Link to the full article and Pictures: http://tinyurl.com/8f4lxh4

Albert

October 2, 2012

Halimeda: The Cactus Algae

Link: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/nftt/index.php

Albert

October 2, 2012

The Great Barrier Reef Has Lost Half of Its Coral in the Last 27 Years

ScienceDaily (Oct. 2, 2012) —

The Great Barrier Reef has lost half its coral cover in the last 27 years.

The loss was due to storm damage (48%), crown of thorns starfish (42%), and bleaching (10%), according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville and the University of Wollongong.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/...21002094147.htm

Albert

October 2, 2012

Videos of the Crown of Thorn Starfish Killing Corals and Reefs

And: A Giant Triton Eats Crown-of-Thorns Starfish

Albert

Edited October 2, 2012 by albertthiel

October 2, 2012

A member sent me a request for info on the Pyjama Cardinal

The information is actually available in the Fish Database on Nano-Reef

Link: http://www.nano-reef.com/fish/?fish=2

Link to the Fish Main Database for Reef Safe Fish

http://www.nano-reef.com/fish/

Albert

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