THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

October 24, 2012

Albert,

I'm having a bit if an issue with green bubble algae and was considering using a syringe that I can get from my medic. The idea is to suck the insides out of each bubble.

I can't seem to remove the bubbles by hand. They are very stubborn and I have no idea how ppl are able to remove them by hand.

What do you think? What about sucking up something like alcohol in the syringe and injecting the bubble with a small amount then sucking up the insides till it deflates? Do you see any negative to this tactic? Or maybe even using hydrogen peroxide instead of alcohol?

One moe note. I cannot remove the live rock it is attached to because it is the base rock in the tank.

Thanks in advance!

Scott

nwin:

I think that what you are doing for the ones that are easy to remove is what needs to be done, and make sure you do not get the spores that are inside the bubble in the water as I am sure you know.

I think that a drastic cleaning of the rocks and the tank would be in order too to remove as much detritus as you can so that the nutrient level goes down as much as you can. I posted several messages about what I do: blowing off the rock on a frequent basis and trapping the dirt and detritus and whatever else, and cleaning the mechanical filters often.

That should get possible nutrient sources out of the water and reduce the incidence of regrowth, although they can grow even at low nutrient levels but at some point they have to diminish in growth rate as you keep removing them.

Now on the frogspawn: if you can remove it from the rock that it is on then I would do so and put it in a container with enough tank water and then scrub the bubbles off with a strong bristle toothbrush, and after you have done that, rinse it in another container with tank water to get any residue of the bubbles off it. You may want to rinse it a few times in clean salt water each time (from the tank).

The key is to scrub and scrub in all the crevices and get all the bubble algae material off that rock and that is going to take really scrubbing hard and making sure you get it all off.

After you have done that you can replace it in the tank and epoxy it back on.

For other bubbles just do as you were doing, manual removal and eventually you will have them all out of the tank, but you may have to continue to watch what goes on as some may re-appear.

That is basically what hobs who get them do and keep doing for as long as they re-appear and eventually they will go away, it's like a cycle and the cycle ends IME.

And yes do not let the sump or the tank accumulate detritus as they will just keep the cycle going ....

Hope this helps ... if not let me know what other questions you have

Albert

October 24, 2012

Albert,

I'm having a bit if an issue with green bubble algae and was considering using a syringe that I can get from my medic. The idea is to suck the insides out of each bubble.

I can't seem to remove the bubbles by hand. They are very stubborn and I have no idea how ppl are able to remove them by hand.

What do you think? What about sucking up something like alcohol in the syringe and injecting the bubble with a small amount then sucking up the insides till it deflates? Do you see any negative to this tactic? Or maybe even using hydrogen peroxide instead of alcohol?

One moe note. I cannot remove the live rock it is attached to because it is the base rock in the tank.

Thanks in advance!

Scott

sfnt125:

Bubble algae, red and green, are notoriously difficult to get out of the tank especially, as in your case, they are in spots where the rock cannot be removed, as I am sure you already know.

There have been suggestions that some fish and some nudibranchs will consume them, but I have not seen that happen and believe that those reports are anecdotal.

Here are some possible solutions that I suggest :

(1)

- get a small container like a plastic pill bottle and remove part of the bottom part so that both the top and the bottom are now open, but the bottom part only partially, enough to hold over the bubble algae. the bottle should be transparent enough so you can see through it and see the bubble algae

- get a syringe with a wide opening at the front (the tip), like the ones used for baby food. See picture below.

- shave the tip to a slanted shape and sharp form so that you can use it to pry the bubble algae loose.

- you may need to cut a part of the tip off to make the opening wider, so that it can suck up the bubble algae when you pull on the plunger

- hold the bottle you have over the bubble algae

- put the syringe inside the bottle and make sure that the pill bottle stays over the bubble algae

- with the sharp tip of the syringe pry the bubble algae loose and pull on the plunger to suck up whatever comes loose

- remove the syringe and empty it

- leave the bottle over the area where the bubble algae is/was

- go back in with the syringe and place it back on the area of the bubble algae and pry some more, and suck up more of what comes loose. You should be able to get all of it off the rock in two go arounds

This is not the simplest thing to do as you will need to use both hands, or you may even have to ask someone to hold the pill bottle while you handle the syringe.

(2)

- Get an X-acto knife and a syphon hose. Start the syphon and hold it close to the Bubble algae.

- With the X-acto knife pry the bubble algae loose and let the syphon hose suck out what comes off the rock (meaning the bubble algae and its inside.

- airline tubing will probably be too narrow so use one size up from that (the Big Box stores sell them in all kinds of internal diameters).

(3)

- get a bird feeder syringe, as they have a large front opening, and get an X-acto knife.

- hold the syringe real close to the bubble and make sure you can pull the plunger

- with the X-acto knife pry the bubble algae loose and pull on the syringes plunger to suck up the bubble algae and its inside

So those are 3 ways and I guess you will have to decide which one is best for you.

I would not use the methods that you mentioned as the liquid inside the bubble will get into the water and that will only give rise to more of them elsewhere.

(4)

Also here is a video that shows several methods of removing them:

(5)

Now if you have Valonia Bubble Algae you can try to put an Emeral crab in the tank as they are said to eat Valonia type bubble algae. Here is a video on them :

and another Video :

Well hopefully one of these methods will help you deal with your problem. Not an easy one, but if you remove them carefully, using any of the methods, you should get them under control.

Let me know whether you have any other questions.

Here are the pics that I referred to :

I hope this gives you enough info to deal with the problem you have. Do let me know what method you used and whether you were successful at getting rid of those that were on those rocks that are the base ones.

Albert

Edited October 24, 2012 by albertthiel

October 24, 2012

Nuisance Algae Growth in Your Aquarium

John has put together a guide to Nuisance Algae and what you can do to combat and remove them.

There are many articles on the Forums and on the Net, but this one is an excellent (I have posted this before but get requests for advice and what to do, so I am reposting the link)

http://www.reefcleaners.org/index.php?opti...4&Itemid=81

And © Wetwbmedia has a set of recommendations as well :

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BubbleAlgCont.htm

Albert

October 24, 2012

Awesoome!

I like the pill bottle idea a lot. I might even further develop the contraption/technique by cutting a hole in the cap side of the bottle and affixing the syringe in the hole with superglue so that it can be employed with one hand. I'll make one tonight and send you a photo.

Also, I can get syringes with hypodermic needles so I think I will use the needle as a scraping/popping tool. Maybe a modified plunger so that a finger could fit through it and like I said, all operated with one hand.

As always, thanks for the insight and timely response. You help is greatly appreciated.

Watch for pics to follow.

Scott

October 24, 2012

Awesoome!

I like the pill bottle idea a lot. I might even further develop the contraption/technique by cutting a hole in the cap side of the bottle and affixing the syringe in the hole with superglue so that it can be employed with one hand. I'll make one tonight and send you a photo.

Also, I can get syringes with hypodermic needles so I think I will use the needle as a scraping/popping tool. Maybe a modified plunger so that a finger could fit through it and like I said, all operated with one hand.

As always, thanks for the insight and timely response. You help is greatly appreciated.

Watch for pics to follow.

Scott

I like the mod that you are suggesting a lot, as one hand operation would definitely be a +, and if you have the medical type syringes you can use that for scraping indeed but you will still need one with a larger front opening to such the actual "skin" of the bubble out.

Note though that the holdfast the bubble algae has on the rock does not come loose that easily and those thin syringes may not be enough but you can try it out and see whether it works. If not you can always switch to the type I suggested.

I'll be very interested in seeing the pics later tonight indeed.

Thanks and glad you like that method.

Albert

October 24, 2012

A Review of Salifert Flatworm Exit by Corallore

Link : http://www.corallore.com/salifert-flatworm...-review-723.htm

This link is provided on an informational basis and does not represent my personal viewpoint as I do not use Flatworm Exit, and have not used it in the past.

Albert

October 24, 2012

Hi Albert,

I thought you might like to see a pic of my new skimmer now that I have defeated the Chinese cunning plan to prevent me from assembling it

I need a crash course in Chinese but not sure which Mandarin or some other

Anyway it's a Bubble Magus Curve 5 I imported direct as you know and saved a packet. In truth it only took me 10 mins to figure out.

October 24, 2012

Hi Albert,
I thought you might like to see a pic of my new skimmer now that I have defeated the Chinese cunning plan to prevent me from assembling it

I need a crash course in Chinese but not sure which Mandarin or some other

Anyway it's a Bubble Magus Curve 5 I imported direct as you know and saved a packet. In truth it only took me 10 mins to figure out.

Wow ... I want one ... looks great ! That should do the job nicely for your new tank !

And on the assembly : see the manual is written in Chinese first, then translated to some other language and (the one of the translator who has to put it in English) then from whatever that language is, he or she translates it into a neutral language, it then goes to a neutral language translator, who then converts it to English .. .

I guess you get the picture : - ) So by the time you get the Manual you can actually not be sure anymore that it is in fact for a skimmer :- ) Just kidding

But I agree with you that for anything that comes from China, one wonders what the manual is actually trying to tell you ...

Maybe it is one of those "Just figure it out yourself" deals :-) at least that's what it always seems like.

Ever bought a watch that came with a manual on how to change settings? Well it takes a technology degree to understand what they are trying to tell you.

Push A then B twice, then shake the watch for 30 seconds and now you should be in the time mode, ... of course if you wanted the day/date mode then that is again a totally different story :-)

I know all about it ... I had a few like that where i ended up going back to where I bought them and had them do the settings for me coz I could never figure it out.

But back to your skimmer : it looks like a "beast" and I am sure it will do the job for you.

Thanks for posting a pic

Albert

Edited October 24, 2012 by albertthiel

October 24, 2012

Stray Voltage in your Tank can Kill your Corals, Fish and

even You in some Cases

This is a topic that is not often posted about but is, IMO, a very important one as sometimes we do not understand why our corals bleach, or get STN, or fish get HLLE or die, or everything seems to go wrong, and we test for just about everything we can, except probably for stray voltage !

Here is a link to one article that I think gives a pretty good description of the topic. I looked for some more but actual articles are far and in between apparently, although there are discussions on Forums.

Link : http://www.farmertodd.com/library/rkessent...electricity.asp

I'll look for some more but if anyone knows of any, please do post them here on the thread as this is an often overlooked topic I feel.

Albert

October 24, 2012

Photos from Waterline Photos (III)

Close up of Polyps according to the Photographer

Underwater Photo of dead coral reef area

Pipefish

Link : .... http://www.facebook.com/WaterlinePhotos

Albert

Edited October 24, 2012 by albertthiel

October 25, 2012

A Few More Links to Articles on Stray Voltage in the Aquariium

Some are more detailed than others but all give you a better insight into why you should use a grounding probe (high graded stainless steel such as 316 or higher) or a Titanium probe.

These are informational articles:

http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/reefref/grounding.html

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumm...trayvoltage.htm

http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/GroundingProbes.html

http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/GFI&T...calDetails.html

http://coralvue.com/identifying-stray-voltage-in-a-aquarium/

http://fish-aquariums.knoji.com/identifyin...water-aquarium/

Albert

October 25, 2012

Stray Voltage in your Tank can Kill your Corals, Fish and

even You in some Cases

This is a topic that is not often posted about but is, IMO, a very important one as sometimes we do not understand why our corals bleach, or get STN, or fish get HLLE or die, or everything seems to go wrong, and we test for just about everything we can, except probably for stray voltage !

Here is a link to one article that I think gives a pretty good description of the topic. I looked for some more but actual articles are far and in between apparently, although there are discussions on Forums.

Link : http://www.farmertodd.com/library/rkessent...electricity.asp

I'll look for some more but if anyone knows of any, please do post them here on the thread as this is an often overlooked topic I feel.

Albert

Morning Albert,

I first brought the issue of stray voltage in the aquarium many many years ago on other forums and have just re posted the article above on 4 that I am on ( I have mentioned that you brought the issue up in each)

The issue of stray voltage in the aquarium pops up on most forums from time to time. I first brought this subject up many years ago when things like powerheads and heaters were not of the best quality shall we say.

Here is what I have posted on each of the four forums.

"Albert Thiel recently put the following article up on another forum that he found a link to. The link to that article I have provided below.

If you don't possess a multimeter you can test for stray voltage in your tank water using a small electricians screwdriver the type that has a neon bulb in the handle. You simply dip the screwdriver blade in the tank water and put your thumb or finger on the top. If you have stray voltage in the water the neon light will light.

http://www.farmertodd.com/library/rkessent...electricity.asp

Les."

October 25, 2012

My new Bubble tip nem 20 hours after introduction and settling nicely.

Les.

October 25, 2012

Morning Albert,
I first brought the issue of stray voltage in the aquarium many many years ago on other forums and have just re posted the article above on 4 that I am on ( I have mentioned that you brought the issue up in each)

The issue of stray voltage in the aquarium pops up on most forums from time to time. I first brought this subject up many years ago when things like powerheads and heaters were not of the best quality shall we say.

Here is what I have posted on each of the four forums.

"Albert Thiel recently put the following article up on another forum that he found a link to. The link to that article I have provided below.

If you don't possess a multimeter you can test for stray voltage in your tank water using a small electricians screwdriver the type that has a neon bulb in the handle. You simply dip the screwdriver blade in the tank water and put your thumb or finger on the top. If you have stray voltage in the water the neon light will light.

http://www.farmertodd.com/library/rkessent...electricity.asp

Les."

Thanks Les, and, in fact, I did write about it 20+ years ago as well, as you can see in one of the links I posted to an article on Netpets ... .where I suggested an inexpensive method of doing so.

The link is a good one, and the information about that screwdriver definitely is, as it brings down the cost of testing for it, as not everyone has the multimeter that is needed otherwise.

I am sure readers appreciate the addtitional input. The more the better in this case (and in many others as well of course)

Info and knowledge is what it is all about!

Albert

October 25, 2012

My new Bubble tip nem 20 hours after introduction and settling nicely.

Les.

Wow it is looking really good after that short a period of time ... I guess it is in the existing tank and not yet in the new one correct .

Looks "purdy" as they say here. Very pretty color too and I see the bubble tip starting to come out as well. Good luck with it ... but then you know how to deal with them and how to get them to grow and look good.

Nice acquisition !

Albert

October 25, 2012

Tubastrea Farming at the Steinhart Aquarium

Copyright: Matt Wandell & Advanced Reefkeeping Magazine

A 200 gallon exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium has proven to be quite effective at producing captive grown Tubastrea colonies via asexual budding of parent colonies.

Although captive reproduction of Tubastrea has been documented since at least 1993 when Joe Yaiullo wrote about it, we hope these images inspire some folks to try their hand at a simple method for captively propagating these corals en masse for the aquarium hobby.

A very interesting and informative article by Matt Wandell posted with his permission.

Link to the full article : http://tinyurl.com/7r4wp2w

Albert

October 25, 2012

Grounding the Aquarium - An inexpensive way to do so ....

Describes a manner of grounding the aquarium using high quality Stainless Steel, and although present thinking is that Titanium probes should be used, I have found that the method described in the article, with SS-316 or a higher grade of Stainless Steel (e.g. Medical grade), works well, and is really inexpensive as you will read in the article I wrote many many years ago.

Link : http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/reefref/grounding.html

Albert

October 25, 2012

The Journey from Reef to Aquarium -- simple steps to acclimate delicate

fish species to a controlled environment

One of the most enjoyable parts of working at a public aquarium is the opportunity to care for a wide range of tropical marine fish and see what makes them tick.

We all know that some species of fish are harder to keep for a long time in an aquarium than others, but why?

For many species we simply cannot provide a suitable approximation of their wild diet. For instance, some of the obligate coral eating butterflyfishes only eat the live coral polyps of certain genera of corals.

Save an exceedingly rare individual that adapts to other foods and can gain the proper nutrition from it, these fishes will likely remain extremely difficult to keep for a very long time.

Link to the full article: http://tinyurl.com/8m3t65s

Albert

October 25, 2012

Tubastrea/Anthias Feeding and more

Deep Reef Exhibit at the Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences. The fish in the video are Randall's Anthias (Pseudanthias randalli), Copperbanded Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)

Link :

Albert

October 25, 2012

Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and Potassium Content

I wanted to find out what the Potassium (K) content was of the Red Sea Coral Pro Salt, which I use, and emailed them about it.

Below is the link I received in response to my email with shows the concentration for [K] and other components.

Quote:

This PDF contains the information you need.

http://www.redseafish.com/uploadimages/Pro...50%20_A2012.pdf

Note : The Potassium concentration depends on the salinity and the table would specify it.

Unquote

Albert

October 25, 2012

Fungia spp. Corals, Plate / Disk / Mushroom Coral

Fungia corals are generally hardy in reef aquaria if a few basic guidelines are taken into account.

Firstly, they seem to thrive if placed upon a fairly fine-grade substrate.

This has less potential to damage their soft tissues than if placed on rubble or rockwork. This placement also reduces the likelihood that the coral will topple off raised rockwork (as these corals can move around slowly).

Link to the full article : http://www.marinehabitatmagazine.com/archives/5288

Albert

October 25, 2012

The Baby Yuma and a very cute Picture of EcoTech Marine

And the one from EchoTech Marine

Albert

Edited October 25, 2012 by albertthiel

October 25, 2012

I have one of these. You are going to love it! It calibrates in a matter of seconds using plain RO/DI water and it takes seconds to test your water. Maybe 30 seconds total to test your salinity. It's extremely accurate.

I made a quick video a while back showing how fast it really is.

You never want to calibrate using a reading other than your target. You should be calibrating only with a 53ms/35ppt solution, as when you measure, you will have a much lower margin of error because what you are calibrating is the same as your target. FWIW

October 25, 2012

Elysia crispata - Breeding in the Aquarium

Another article on Elysia cripata you may wish to read from Paul who wrote many articles on marine aquariums and has been in the hobby for even longer than I have

Link : http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/11846

Albert

October 25, 2012

A New Feeding Strategy for Hippocampus spp., and Other Fishes

(This article first appeared in Volume 4 Issue 3, The Journal of MaquaCulture 1996)

Link :

http://breedersregistry.org/Articles/v4_i3_paul_b/paul_b.htm

Albert

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