albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Coral Pictures by Massimiliano Petricca - (I) © Massimiliano Petricca and owners of some pictures Link: http://www.facebook.com/MassimilianoPetricca/photos_stream Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 How Important is proper Water Flow in your Tank? And the use of Gyres Water Flow is More Important for Corals Than Light © By Jake Adams and Advanced Aquarist Just as aquarium lighting has received a thorough reevaluation, so too must we start to consider how the water movement of our aquariums translates into water motion which is relevant and suitable for coral health. In recent years there has been a great amount of varied and original data produced on lighting and corals for the reef aquarium. By contrast, there have been much fewer articles on the effects and importance of water flow in the reef aquarium. Most aquarists are unaware of the relationship between laminar and turbulent flow and virtually no one ever discusses water motion for reef aquarium in terms which actually apply to fluid dynamics. It’s time for the reef aquarium hobby to catch up in the flow department. Just as aquarium lighting has received a thorough reevaluation, so too must we start to consider how the water movement of our aquariums translates into water motion which is relevant and suitable for coral health. Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/1/aafeature Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Measuring Turbulent Flow In Reef Tanks © Richard Harker and web.archive.org The importance of adequate water motion to the health of corals is well documented. More than 150 years ago, Darwin noted that there was greater coral growth in exposed areas of reefs than in protected areas. Sheppard found that water current and wave action have a significant impact on reef distribution and coral zonation (Sheppard 1982). Dennison and Barnes demonstrated that coral photosynthesis and calcification increase with increased water motion (Dennison and Barnes 1988). Link: http://tinyurl.com/9rqoe6r Albert Quote Link to comment
ny300z Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hey Albert i got a question i need some help with. I just set up a new 20L tank. I ended up using 15lbs of dry rock from reef cleaners. At the last minute i decided i wanted to keep my nano going instead of transferring everything to this new one. Since i didnt have much rock in my nano i only was able to take about 1/2lb of the established live rock and put it in the new 20L. Will that enough to seed my other 15lbs of dead dry rock and start the cycle? The water and sand i put in the new tank was new and not from my nano. thanks! Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hi Albert, I wish to return to the topic of vitamins in the reef aquarium for both corals and fish. Although I have used New Era Lipsome spray amongst others I have gone back to using liquid vitamins aimed at children. For many years I have used a product here in the UK called Abidec Multivitamin Drops after I was introduced to them many years ago. The product contains the following. Vitamins A,D2,B1,B2,B6,C1 I was told sometime ago the vitamins in it are similar to many of those made for our tanks and they are much cheaper (as you would expect) I put just one drop onto thawed out food and allow to soak for a few minutes before adding to my tank. I know some may say you should not add vitamins aimed at humans to a salt water tank but I have been assured there will be no issues using it as I do and that they are a good replacement for those marketed for salt water fish and corals. I am not suggesting anybody should follow my example just that they work for me and have done so for many years. Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hey Albert i got a question i need some help with. I just set up a new 20L tank. I ended up using 15lbs of dry rock from reef cleaners. At the last minute i decided i wanted to keep my nano going instead of transferring everything to this new one. Since i didnt have much rock in my nano i only was able to take about 1/2lb of the established live rock and put it in the new 20L. Will that enough to seed my other 15lbs of dead dry rock and start the cycle? The water and sand i put in the new tank was new and not from my nano. thanks! Since whatever you took out of the Nano was seeded rock, and since that had bacterial growth on it, as long as there is material for more bacteria to grow, the new tank with the dry rock should cycle fine, but you need to seed the new tank so there is breakdown and ammonia is produced and so the cycle starts off and so the bacteria you already have multiply, and colonize the dry rock as well. If there is nothing in the new tank that decomposes and produces ammonia, it will not start a new cycle in there, and when the existing bacteria run out of their "food sources" they will die off. Add a little food that you normally use to the new tank, and then wait for it to cycle completely and you should be fine IMO. Check your ammonia and nitrite levels, and when they are down to zero you should have a cycled tank that you can start putting animals and life forms in. Because you put that small rock in there, and then add some material to decompose, the cycle may not take as long as it normally does. Hope this clarifies it if not, post another question please. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hi Albert, I wish to return to the topic of vitamins in the reef aquarium for both corals and fish. Although I have used New Era Lipsome spray amongst others I have gone back to using liquid vitamins aimed at children. For many years I have used a product here in the UK called Abidec Multivitamin Drops after I was introduced to them many years ago. The product contains the following. Vitamins A,D2,B1,B2,B6,C1 I was told sometime ago the vitamins in it are similar to many of those made for our tanks and they are much cheaper (as you would expect) I put just one drop onto thawed out food and allow to soak for a few minutes before adding to my tank. I know some may say you should not add vitamins aimed at humans to a salt water tank but I have been assured there will be no issues using it as I do and that they are a good replacement for those marketed for salt water fish and corals. I am not suggesting anybody should follow my example just that they work for me and have done so for many years. Les: Unless what you use has ingredients in it that would be detrimental to the corals and fish I don't think that you should have any issues especially since you are using so little and actually adding it to the food and not dosing the tank with it, so you are really introducing very little vitamins as the food gets eaten real quickly and the quantity of Vities is very small I have used Boyd's Vita-Chem in the past, and that has a bunch of Vitamins in it + other ingredients, and never had any problems with that one, even when I added 1 drop per gallon directly to the tank. I would think that if you use the one you want to, observe the corals and notice how they react, but IMO I don't think they will react to it at all, at least not negatively. You could soak the coral food that you spot feed and use that as a test on one coral and see how it reacts. The use of vitamins is one of those topics where IME you will find some that are totally against it, others that swear by it, and a bunch that will give you responses to questions that sound like "politicians talking" meaning a lot of words but no actual usable content :-) Give it a shot ... and keep us updated Les. Thanks Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) A few more Coral Pictures by Massimiliano Petricca - (II) © Massimiliano Petricca and owners of some pictures I love this one ... Link: http://www.facebook.com/MassimilianoPetricca/photos_stream Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 The Question : I have small growth of Coralline Algae on my front tank glass. How do I remove it as my scrubber to remove algae does not work for them. Help please Thanks for the question, and yes I would imagine that those scrubbers that are sold in the hobby will not remove coralline algae. In fact some do not even remove short hair algae all that well. I have tried the "super wonder magic eraser sponge" as I have a few myself, and even those do not remove them either, at least not easily if they are fairly large spots of corallines. You will need a razor blade to get them off, and fortunately you have a glass tank so the risk of scratching it is very low. If the tank were acrylic that would be a risk ... Get some regular razor blades from a DIY stores if you do not have any, and use those to gently scrape them off. That should work and be fairly easy actually. Albert Quote Link to comment
ny300z Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Since whatever you took out of the Nano was seeded rock, and since that had bacterial growth on it, as long as there is material for more bacteria to grow, the new tank with the dry rock should cycle fine, but you need to seed the new tank so there is breakdown and ammonia is produced and so the cycle starts off and so the bacteria you already have multiply, and colonize the dry rock as well. If there is nothing in the new tank that decomposes and produces ammonia, it will not start a new cycle in there, and when the existing bacteria run out of their "food sources" they will die off. Add a little food that you normally use to the new tank, and then wait for it to cycle completely and you should be fine IMO. Check your ammonia and nitrite levels, and when they are down to zero you should have a cycled tank that you can start putting animals and life forms in. Because you put that small rock in there, and then add some material to decompose, the cycle may not take as long as it normally does. Hope this clarifies it if not, post another question please. Albert great thanks for the info Albert. So just throw in some flake food or the frozen food i use in one time? does it matter if its the flakes or frozen shrimp stuff?one better? AFTER i do that i should have ammonia? i tested it yesterday for the hell of it and had zero ammonia sorry for multiple questions, better safe then sorry tho Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 great thanks for the info Albert. So just throw in some flake food or the frozen food i use in one time? does it matter if its the flakes or frozen shrimp stuff?one better? AFTER i do that i should have ammonia? i tested it yesterday for the hell of it and had zero ammonia sorry for multiple questions, better safe then sorry tho Either or as both will decompose and increase the volume of bacteria ... but you do not need a lot .. Just a few pinches of the flake should do it, and you should see a small spike in ammonia and then some nitrite, and when both are back to zero you should have a lot more bacteria in the system, and on that "dead" rock. You can then start adding CUC's, and maybe an invert or two, and then test an make sure that ammonia and nitrite remain at zero. If you want to add some additional protection you can place a Poly-Filter in your system's filtration as that will remove ammonia (but only do so after the cycle has run its full course). Hope this helps, and IMO you should be ready to add live stock in about a week or less. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Another View on Understanding Calcium and Alkalinity © Anthony Calfo and wetwebmedia.com Link: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm Albert Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) Hi Albert, A few weeks ago I removed what I thought at the time was an Asteria star fish but I wasn't 100% sure at the time so I popped it in my fuge.Since then it has continued to grow and now measures a full 1" across one tip of a leg to the other. It is slightly darker but of similar colouration to Asterias but with just 5 legs. I have just been able to get a couple of pic's of it on the end of my fuge which is just about the only position I am able to get a pic of it. In the pic's pic's you can see 2 Amphipods sitting on it but they moved off shortly after I took the pic so I doubt they were doing anything other than sitting there. It will be interesting to monitor its progress that's if indeed it continues to grow. I have no real idea what it feeds upon but I do add foods to the fuge for the pods etc. so maybe it eats some of that. Here are the pic's just taken. Edited October 3, 2012 by atoll Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) Another Nasty Piece of Worm : Oenone fulgida This one is not a bristle worm but a reddish/orange pest that feeds on snails and Clams and can really create havoc in your tank Here are some links to posts that show pictures of them ... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=4040809 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=924046 http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...=segmented+worm Scroll down till you see the worm and the description http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/ For identification of worms : http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/polychaete/frame.html Apparently a very nasty variety and not the same are the Eunice worm ... Hopefully no one has any of these in their tanks Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
ny300z Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Either or as both will decompose and increase the volume of bacteria ... but you do not need a lot .. Just a few pinches of the flake should do it, and you should see a small spike in ammonia and then some nitrite, and when both are back to zero you should have a lot more bacteria in the system, and on that "dead" rock. You can then start adding CUC's, and maybe an invert or two, and then test an make sure that ammonia and nitrite remain at zero. If you want to add some additional protection you can place a Poly-Filter in your system's filtration as that will remove ammonia (but only do so after the cycle has run its full course). Hope this helps, and IMO you should be ready to add live stock in about a week or less. Albert perfect thanks! i put poly-fil int he filter from day 1so i will remove that tonight and add the flakes. thanks again! Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) perfect thanks! i put poly-fil int he filter from day 1so i will remove that tonight and add the flakes. thanks again! You are welcome and keep us posted ... and yes remove the Poly Filter or there will be no cycle as it removes the ammonia and turns yellow when it removes ammonia ... if you still have the package it lists all the color that it turns to depending on what it removes Happy reef keeping Albert _____________________ Hi Albert,A few weeks ago I removed what I thought at the time was an Asteria star fish but I wasn't 100% sure at the time so I popped it in my fuge.Since then it has continued to grow and now measures a full 1" across one tip of a leg to the other. It is slightly darker but of similar colouration to Asterias but with just 5 legs. I have just been able to get a couple of pic's of it on the end of my fuge which is just about the only position I am able to get a pic of it. In the pic's pic's you can see 2 Amphipods sitting on it but they moved off shortly after I took the pic so I doubt they were doing anything other than sitting there. It will be interesting to monitor its progress that's if indeed it continues to grow. I have no real idea what it feeds upon but I do add foods to the fuge for the pods etc. so maybe it eats some of that. Here are the pic's just taken. Les : Asterina stars can have a lot of legs ... images.google it and you will see a whole number of them with 4, 5, 6 and even more legs, and I think that the one you have can be seen there too. If you do not see it there, check this: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinacompf.htm which I believe shows the one you have. So I guess it IS an Asterina and you know that those should be ok in your sump. Hope this helps. Nice catch ... Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 New Growth in between a Cluster of Polyps Check this out ... started out small yesterday and now much larger, but it can retract itself and extend itself which could be why I did not see it ... has little antennae or feelers at the front but they do not move. I can see at least 5 using a magnifying glass. Looks cottony and is white ... Sponge? Tunicate? Not sure at this point ... Has anyone seen this before ? Can anyone ID this for sure ... does not move and does not seem to bother the Zoas as they remain open Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) A few more Coral and Fish Pictures by Massimiliano Petricca - (III) © Massimiliano Petricca and owners of some pictures Link : http://www.facebook.com/MassimilianoPetricca/photos_stream Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 you tank is looking nice albert! everything look so healthy in there especially those giant Yumas. What do you feed them to get them that size? Mine have always look so small for a very long time. when i first got them they were big but now its shrink up. i have left them in the shade with very few lights to get feed on. i moved all around the tank to find a spot just right for them also. I feed mysis, brine shrimp, and trace elements.. any ideas? David here are some pics taken this afternoon about 2 hours apart: Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) I was asked why I post Pictures of Corals and Fish on this Thread The reason is that except for the pictures from Dr. S. Joshi, all of the Corals and Fish that have been posted, with very few other exceptions, is to show the readers of this thread what Hobbyists from abroad have in their tanks, or show on their sites. Most of you can pull up pictures of corals and fish from Internet Sites, but the ones I post are from friends on FB (and I have quite a few) that have, what I think, are interesting and appealing pics of them that you may be interested in seeing. I try to mix what I post with those, and with informative articles on real reefs, on hobbyists ones, on tank water chemistry, on techniques, and anything that I feel that may be of interest to those who read these posts. If anyone has any suggestions for other content, do let me know. And, of course, I answer the questions that are posted directly to the thread, or that are sent to me via PM, although, really, there is no need to do so, as with the readers and followers we have, no one is going to receive disparaging answers. I thank all who follow the thread for not engaging in that type of conduct as the goal here is to "help" as best as we and i can, and to "educate" through answers, and links to articles. Again thanks for your questions, and thanks for visiting. We are currently at over 55 K views, which for 4 months or so that this thread has been in existence is IMO very positive. Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Autotrophic versus Heterotrophic Bacteria © Fritz Industries and bioconlabs.com This article is for informational purposes and is not to be considered a technical one, although it does go into a great deal of detail about "Nitrifying Bacteria" and the merits of adding bacteria to the tank's water. Link: http://www.bioconlabs.com/autoheterobac.html Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Reef Octopus 1000 Hang on the Back Protein skimmer BH1000 Video on the Reef Octopus 1000, and review of its functionality by KYfishguy © KYfishguy I highly recommend this skimmer and during the video I hope you see why Video Link : Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Magnesium In Reef Aquaria © By Randy Holmes-Farley, Ph.D. and Advanced Aquarist This article details the nature of magnesium in seawater, how it is added, measured, and removed from marine aquaria, and how it impacts the maintenance of calcium and alkalinity. Magnesium is the third most abundant ion in seawater, behind sodium and chloride. It is also intimately involved in a great many biological processes in every living organism. Nevertheless, the only time that it comes to the attention of most reef aquarists is when it is suspected of causing a problem in maintaining appropriate calcium and alkalinity. Link: http://tinyurl.com/9qhqc65 Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 (edited) Hitchhiker Guide for Aquarium Organisms: Good or Bad, Keep or Remove © Greg and Renee Hix and lionfishlair.com The web page link is frame based so you can scroll up and down, and click on "Read More" links for each of the organisms shown Covers motile and sessile ones ... the best listing I have seen in a long time Link: http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker/hitchhiker.shtml Once you identify the HH from a picture you can click on the Read More to learn additional information about it. Very well done. Example: Albert Edited October 3, 2012 by albertthiel Quote Link to comment
funkehouse Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Hey I wonder if you can check my recent post and tell me what you think, i have seen 2 Nudibranchs in my tank recently and got the best photos i could, are these worth keeping? i have heard Berghia are good to have but many others arent good at all, i would love to hear what you think ! thank you ! here is the link http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry4041768 Quote Link to comment
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