THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Kfmmartin19]

Reading through this description, and what went on before this, which is posted on your thread (link above), it seems that you are having issues with territorial behavior and, unless I am mistaken, the issues are due to the Cherub which appears to be chasing your other fish around, to the point where he is doing it so aggressively that he dashes in and out of areas he can get through the rocks, even too small ones, as that may explain the scrapes he has now had for two times.

 

Of course with all the chasing that is going on, and a Clown that is rather aggressive too, your other fish are IMO not getting enough food, and as a result they are looking famished and are getting sunken bellies, and tend to hide most of the time, which is apparently what they are doing.

 

Since I cannot see your tank I am not sure that this is what is going on, but from your description, it more than likely is IMO.

 

What I would do is remove that Cherub, and then watch and hopefully that will bring things back to normal in the tank.

 

Also if the Clown becomes, or remains aggressive after you remove the Cherub, then he may have to go as well so that your less active and more shy fish get a chance to survive, and get access to food and eat. You may want to try and trade them at your LFS for more peaceful fish that get along with the others that are in the tank right now.

 

I don't think you need a QT tank since you do not mention that any of the fish are showing signs of disease, so it is probably the territorial behavior by the Cherub, and the Clown, that are causing all your problems IMO.

 

Let me know whether this makes sense, and whether you think that those two fish are actually the cause of all your issues and troubles and the problems with your more peaceful fish that are now hiding most of the time.

 

Hopefully the Hoeven Wrasse is fine and is in hiding too. Odd that it would do that since you say it is the largest fish in the tank, but those Cherubs can be quite aggressive even towards larger fish.

 

You are aware I hope that they are carnivores, and eat shrimp and small crustaceans, Feather Dusters and other Tube Worms and need to be fed live saltwater feeder shrimp to entice them to eat and then slowly try to get them to eat non-live ones.

 

Also it is usually recommend as a fish for a tank that is 50 or more gallons and typically they are rather shy, so if the Cherub or the Clown is aggressing it, the Wrasse will go into hiding for sure.

 

Hoeven Wrasse are not considered reef-safe, especially if you have any of what I mentioned they eat in your tank. It is a gorgeous fish but your tank may be too small and the fact that the Cherub and possibly the Clown are chasing it around is why you don't see it.

 

IMO with the chasing that is going on the fish that are now looking in sad shape are not getting food, and in addition hide to avoid being chased around.

 

Hopefully this helps but if not let me know what your own thought are.

 

Albert

Thanks Albert. I think I must have miscommunicated something. The cherub is not the aggressor. He is perfectly nice to everyone, including the clown who abuses him! I assume in this case u would recommend removing the clown? Sigh...I've been putting this off for awhile because he was my first ever sw fish...but if its for the best for my other fish...u do what u have to do I guess! U think the clown chasing the cherub could scare the wrasse for this long even if the clown was ignoring the wrasse? Also the wrasse was eating flakes on day 1, so I guess I just got lucky! Care to comment? Thanks!

[albertthiel]

How to Prepare your Saltwater Tank for Hurricane Sandy

 

VIDEO

 

Hurricane Sandy is looking like it is headed for a direct hit on the east coast of the United States. Here’s how to get your tank prepared if you are in the storm’s path.

 

Note: These tips are useful for any natural disaster so even if you aren’t anywhere close to the hurricane, you can use these tips!

 

Link http://tinyurl.com/9qpbytg

 

Albert

Edited October 26, 2012 by albertthiel

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert. I think I must have miscommunicated something. The cherub is not the aggressor. He is perfectly nice to everyone, including the clown who abuses him! I assume in this case u would recommend removing the clown? Sigh...I've been putting this off for awhile because he was my first ever sw fish...but if its for the best for my other fish...u do what u have to do I guess! U think the clown chasing the cherub could scare the wrasse for this long even if the clown was ignoring the wrasse? Also the wrasse was eating flakes on day 1, so I guess I just got lucky! Care to comment? Thanks!

 

Well I guess if the Clown is indeed the main aggressor then IMO he is the one that you would indeed need to remove from the system. Sorry if I thought it was the Cherub. And yes, sometimes we have to do what we have to do indeed, even if we don't really want to ... but read on ...

 

Now can the Clown have brought about all what is going on, I cannot say for sure but you could put the clown in a hang on basket inside the tank and see if that changes things and once the other fish realize that the Clown cannot harass them they may come back out of hiding ... not sure but it is worth a try before you try and trade the Clown ... if they all start coming out after a few days then I guess you will know that the Clown was indeed the cause.

 

The Wrasse may have been fed flakes at the LFS and so it did when you got it but if it stopped eating then I would go back to feeding it its regular food ... as that instance where it ate may have been an incidental occurrence. I would put some meaty foods in the tank and see if the wrasse comes out of hiding but after the Clown is in isolation.

 

Let me know how things work out for you ... and the tank of course

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

This is my LED fixture. I kind of like it.

 

What type of LED's are you using and what colors etc ...

 

I'd be interested in the details and I am sure others would be too Paul.

 

There are so many options right now that I am wondering how you decided on which ones would be best for your tank ...

 

No rush ... whenever you have time. Thanks

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Blackbox Aquatics Photos of Corals

 

Blackbox's Aquatics FB page image gallery has 530 pictures of Corals

 

If you want to take a look at what they actually offer, go to :

 

http://www.facebook.com/blackbox.aquatic/photos_stream

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Royal Gramma, Gramma loreto

 

© Marine Habitat and John Clipperton

 

 

A great Aquarium Fish that has been always popular. Read up on the maintenance and care at the following link:

 

http://www.marinehabitatmagazine.com/archives/4978

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

And the odd Looking Fish for the Day ... The Freckle Faced Blenny

 

© Linda Cline, Underwater photographer

 

 

 

 

Albert

Edited October 26, 2012 by albertthiel

[henningero]

Hi Albert. We're having a discussion on another forum regarding Florida Ricordea and whether they are classified as a type mushroom or a type of anemone. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much!

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert. We're having a discussion on another forum regarding Florida Ricordea and whether they are classified as a type mushroom or a type of anemone. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much!

 

The are Corallimorphs and referred to as Mushroom Anemones.

 

So basically most listings will call them both of names you used in your post : Mushroom Anemone but they are a Corallimorph

 

Albert

[henningero]

The are Corallimorphs and referred to as Mushroom Anemones.

 

So basically most listings will call them both of names you used in your post : Mushroom Anemone but they are a Corallimorph

 

Albert

 

Thanks for the reply. So that means they are NOT anemones?

[rick12]

Albert looks like that time of year to have discussions on what everyone is using for power backups?

What is simple for running heater and power head?

[Kfmmartin19]

Well I guess if the Clown is indeed the main aggressor then IMO he is the one that you would indeed need to remove from the system. Sorry if I thought it was the Cherub. And yes, sometimes we have to do what we have to do indeed, even if we don't really want to ... but read on ...

 

Now can the Clown have brought about all what is going on, I cannot say for sure but you could put the clown in a hang on basket inside the tank and see if that changes things and once the other fish realize that the Clown cannot harass them they may come back out of hiding ... not sure but it is worth a try before you try and trade the Clown ... if they all start coming out after a few days then I guess you will know that the Clown was indeed the cause.

 

The Wrasse may have been fed flakes at the LFS and so it did when you got it but if it stopped eating then I would go back to feeding it its regular food ... as that instance where it ate may have been an incidental occurrence. I would put some meaty foods in the tank and see if the wrasse comes out of hiding but after the Clown is in isolation.

 

Let me know how things work out for you ... and the tank of course

 

Albert

Just posted this on the other thread...not good...is it safe to say the clown may be innocent?

 

Went to feed the fish today and no sign of the wrasse...or the Blenny...or the Firefish. It appears that something has killed 3 fish in 5 days...before this I have never had a fish die in my tank that has been up for a yr and a half. Something is wrong...idk what. I am afraid for my remaining two fish and don't know what to do. Please help! This is not good...

 

I am shocked and don't know what to do. Would appreciate any guidance at this point...

[MeepNand]

Hey Albert, seeing as the ID thread is pretty much dead, I thought I'd try here instead for an ID on these thingummies.

 

A hitchiker coral:

 

Macroalgae:

[albertthiel]

Thanks for the reply. So that means they are NOT anemones?

 

Correct they are Corallimorphs but hobbyists refer to them as mushroom anemones but the are not true anemones. It is a bit complicated to give an answer because of what the classification is versus what hobbyists call them.

 

Some refer to them as mushroom corals and others as false corals so they go by different reference names in the hobby. Just do a search on the net and you'll are all the names that they are given in the trade.

 

They are related to anemones but are not true anemones.

 

The can be described as an order of marine cnidarians, closely related to the true sea anemones (Actiniaria), but they are not true anemones.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Albert looks like that time of year to have discussions on what everyone is using for power backups?

What is simple for running heater and power head?

 

Difficult question to answer, but yes the timing is probably right. I guess it depends on how nasty the power failure is, and for how long you expect it to last, and what you want to power up and keep running.

 

Power back up devices, like UPS's, will do it for a few hours to longer if you only run a heater and a power head, but even the stronger ones may only last for a few hours.

 

If you want real protection then a generator is going to be the solution, but not everyone has one of those (and of a large enough size) to run all of the electric devices in use on an aquariums (pumps, skimmer, lights, etc).

 

So it is not an easy question to answer as what you are going to need will depend on how severe the power outage is, meaning how long will it last for, and how much power do you need to get what you want to keep running, run.

 

Besides the aquarium you also have the house electric appliances (lights, fridge etc. etc) ...

 

The best protection would be a generator and the lowest level of protection would be given by a UPS device.

 

Maybe others who read this have some more suggestions.

 

...

 

Check out this video which I posted a link to yesterday on the previous page :

 

Link http://tinyurl.com/9qpbytg

 

Albert

Edited October 27, 2012 by albertthiel

[albertthiel]

Just posted this on the other thread...not good...is it safe to say the clown may be innocent?

 

Went to feed the fish today and no sign of the wrasse...or the Blenny...or the Firefish. It appears that something has killed 3 fish in 5 days...before this I have never had a fish die in my tank that has been up for a yr and a half. Something is wrong...idk what. I am afraid for my remaining two fish and don't know what to do. Please help! This is not good...

 

I am shocked and don't know what to do. Would appreciate any guidance at this point...

 

That is indeed hard to understand Kfmartin1996 ... are you sure they are lost? Did you find the bodies or the remnants of them?

 

Did they jump out of the tank due to the Clown chasing them? Do you have a net over the tank, in which case jumping would not have been possible if the net had tight mesh, and if they could not jump out, if the fish have gone missing they must be in the aquarium, either alive or not ...

 

And if they are not alive you should be able to find the corpses, as even if you have anything in the tank that would consume dead fish, it would IMO not devour 3 of them on one night, that is unless you have some very large crab, or something in the tank e.g. a Mantis shrimp,

 

I know there has been a discussion about that large crab some time ago, but I thought we sort of all come to the conclusion that there was not such a large "monster" crab (the ones you found the claws of and posted pics of) in your tank.

 

This is really getting to be a "mystery" indeed ....

 

Have you really searched for the fish ? At this point to be honest with you and to find out what is going on, I would get a big pail and put saltwater in it, and start taking all the rock out of the aquarium and closely inspect it to make sure nothing is hiding in it.

 

As you take rock out you may find the corpses or you may find the fish alive but in hiding between or behind or even underneath the rocks ... but as you take more and more rock out you should be able to figure out what is going on.

 

That seems to me to be the only thing you can do at this point.

 

What is your opinion and what are you going to do to figure this out once and for all, as I honestly feel that for your own good and that of your fish (current and future ones) that you need to resolve this.

 

I remember years ago in a FOWLR tank I went through something similar (losing a fish every few days, and not just small one I might say), and since I could not figure it out either, I took all the rock out of the tank and did as I wrote above.

 

Eventually I found that the problem was that I had 2 larger sized crabs in the tank that had probably come in as small ones hiding in the rock but had grown over time, and when they were large enough and the other food stuff they could get hold off was not sufficient for them any longer, they started going after my fish.

 

After I removed the crabs I just put everything back together making sure there were no other small one hiding in the rocks and from then on after replacing missing fish, everything was fine,

 

You may be at the point IMO where you have to take that tank totally apart too and figure out what is really the cause of all of this.

 

Seems to me that just the Clown behavior is not the only thing going on. Losing that many fish in such a short period of time would IMO indicate that something else is happening.

 

Keep us posted

 

Albert

 

 

 

 

Yes but now we will get into very old school methods and you will look at me and say. "Really"

 

Does he Really want us to believe that?

 

Well I guess the Clorox was kind of up there but I didn't invent that.

 

I do know how to cure ich in a day and Pop Eye in a minute.

 

Of course our fish should never get ich, mine don't because I found the secret while diving but I think it is too much typing for one day and I don't want to bore you too much on my first day.

 

@ Paul.B

 

Old school or not Paul ... do share, and even if some who read what you share have reservations about it, the fact that your tank has been running so well, and for so long (decades - not years) is proof that even old methods DO work ... and cannot just be written off because they are "old methods" ...

 

That's how it all started, and even if a lot of things have changed, the basics still remain the same ...

 

Thanks

 

Albert

Edited October 27, 2012 by albertthiel

[Paul.b]

What type of LED's are you using and what colors etc

I got the 3 watt LEDs from Rapid LED. Half are white and half are blue. I use 36 of them over the 6' tank.

The tank was lit with 2-175 watt MH lights that I had left over from lighting up the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

(I was an electrician) The 36 LEDs put out 1 1/2 more light than the MH lamps did for about a third of the power consumption. 108 watts verses 350 watts and I like the color and shimmer much better.

I also don't need my chiller so I built that thing for nothing.

There are 2 fans on the fixture that draw air through the (Home Depot) aluminum tubes keeping them nice and cool.

You can see the old Plaza Hotel lights here. My wife is zapping majano's which is the only think she likes to do with the tank. She says it is relaxing. Not for the Majanos though.

 

[albertthiel]

I got the 3 watt LEDs from Rapid LED. Half are white and half are blue. I use 36 of them over the 6' tank.

The tank was lit with 2-175 watt MH lights that I had left over from lighting up the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.

(I was an electrician) The 36 LEDs put out 1 1/2 more light than the MH lamps did for about a third of the power consumption. 108 watts verses 350 watts and I like the color and shimmer much better.

I also don't need my chiller so I built that thing for nothing.

There are 2 fans on the fixture that draw air through the (Home Depot) aluminum tubes keeping them nice and cool.

You can see the old Plaza Hotel lights here. My wife is zapping majano's which is the only think she likes to do with the tank. She says it is relaxing. Not for the Majanos though.

 

Thanks for clarifying you LED set up ... and yes they do make a big difference versus MH's, and of course no heat transfer so to speak of ... but you say you used white and blue ... and since there are several types of white (cool etc.) and several types of blue ... what was the guiding factor if I may ask on deciding which ones exactly to use, as I see on posts here on this forum that people use certain types of white and blue and then even supplement them with other colors.

 

LED technology seems to be evolving still but is definitely in most cases an improvement over what we were using before.

 

Love the wife playing with the Majano zapper ...

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I read that post about preparing your tank for the hurricaine. I live right in the path it is supposed to take, As a mater of fact it looks like it will focus right on my front door but my tank has been through all the storms and hurricains that hit NY in the last 40 years so I am not worried. The power has gone out here twice lasting 5 days or more.

I have a generator and I keep about 20 gallons of gas that would only last a couple of days. I don't run the generator continousely but only an hour, then off for an hour to preserve gas, and limit noise.

I also have both cars filled with gas and I keep a siphon hose. If need be I can siphon gas from the cars for the generator. That gives me another possable 50 gallons of gas that I don't have to store in cans.

 

Before I had a generator I used my SCUBA tank. You can get a regulator that will reduce the 3,000 lbs of preasure to about 2 lbs to run air stones. A SCUBA tank will last for days used like that.

 

As a last resort just use a small bucket and keep taking water out of the tank and dumping it back in, do that for 10 minutes or until you get bored and wait an hour and do it again. I spent many a night doing that.

[Paul.b]

The people at "Rapid LED" advised me as to what type of LEDs to use. I know the blue are called Royal Blue and I forgot what the white are called besides white.

As you know this technology along with rumors changes every ten minutes so I would not get too crazy.

The combination I use seem to grow SPS just fine. I doubt they would grow any better with any other lighting except maybe sunlight.

 

I installed 22 of these solar panels on my roof. Each panel produces 74 watts. 10 minutes after I installed them they came out with the same size panel that puts out 80 watts each.

You just have to do this stuff as you think about it.

 

[albertthiel]

I read that post about preparing your tank for the hurricaine. I live right in the path it is supposed to take, As a mater of fact it looks like it will focus right on my front door but my tank has been through all the storms and hurricains that hit NY in the last 40 years so I am not worried. The power has gone out here twice lasting 5 days or more.

I have a generator and I keep about 20 gallons of gas that would only last a couple of days. I don't run the generator continousely but only an hour, then off for an hour to preserve gas, and limit noise.

I also have both cars filled with gas and I keep a siphon hose. If need be I can siphon gas from the cars for the generator. That gives me another possable 50 gallons of gas that I don't have to store in cans.

 

Before I had a generator I used my SCUBA tank. You can get a regulator that will reduce the 3,000 lbs of preasure to about 2 lbs to run air stones. A SCUBA tank will last for days used like that.

 

As a last resort just use a small bucket and keep taking water out of the tank and dumping it back in, do that for 10 minutes or until you get bored and wait an hour and do it again. I spent many a night doing that.

Thanks Paul, that is indeed excellent advice and I like the various methods you use .. "ingenious" but then inventors always are that is why they are called inventors I guess.

 

Tanks for the post as it will help others. I hope you don't get hit too hard by this storm and it seems that they have not quite figured out where it is going to make landfall, but then it is such a monster size that even if you are far away from where it hits land you are still going to feel the effects of the rain and the wind, or so they say on the weather channels.

 

Wish you the best ... as this one could be a real real nasty one indeed from what I hear

 

Albert

 

The people at "Rapid LED" advised me as to what type of LEDs to use. I know the blue are called Royal Blue and I forgot what the white are called besides white.

As you know this technology along with rumors changes every ten minutes so I would not get too crazy.

The combination I use seem to grow SPS just fine. I doubt they would grow any better with any other lighting except maybe sunlight.

 

I installed 22 of these solar panels on my roof. Each panel produces 74 watts. 10 minutes after I installed them they came out with the same size panel that puts out 80 watts each.

You just have to do this stuff as you think about it.

 

 

Right you are ... it seems that a new and supposedly better LED system comes out just about every week or so and it becomes harder and harder to figure out which one is actually really the best, if there is such a thing, as IMO what one needs depends a great deal on what is actually in the aquarium.

 

Based on the feedback you got and the result I guess you do have the right ones and time will tell how will affect the life forms, if at all.

 

And on those panels you installed, I agree, newer ones keep coming out that are less expensive and produce more power but at some point one has to decide on what to get, as if one waits for the next one and the next one to come out, one will never get anything .... :-)

 

Albert

Edited October 27, 2012 by albertthiel

[albertthiel]

A few Tank Pictures from Lerecifaleux Mitch

 

© Lerecifaleux.mitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/lerecifaleux.mitch

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

A few More Tank Pictures from Lerecifaleux Mitch

 

© Lerecifaleux.mitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link:

http://www.facebook.com/lerecifaleux.mitch

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

One more word about generators , I was a GM mechanic before I was an electrician and rebuilt dozens of engines. !f you have a generator, you need to run the thing at least twice a year and you also must put a gas stabilizer in the gas. Gas is really only good for a year as it loses octane and turns into varnish when it evaporates as it will do in the carburator of the generator when it is stored. A stabilizer will "help" to prevent that but not 100%.

When you stop the generator, don't just shut off the switch, instead, turn off the gas valve (if it has one) so the carburator will use up most of it's gas and limit the varnish that will form. In the carburator is a tiny float valve and the tiniest bit of dirt or varnish stuck to it will prevent the machine from starting.

That is the main reason lawn mowers and chain saws get thrown out after a few years. A quick cleaning of that float valve will fix that but using gas stabilizer and letting the carb run out of gas will go a long way to prevent that.

Also, you must change that gas in the generator every year. Dump it in your car and re fill the generator.

My snow blower is now 39 years old and still starts every winter. I used to use it commercially but I maintain it as it should be maintained. That is also the main reason I won't let anyone touch my car or boat.

Maintenance is very easy but very important, especially when a storm is aproaching. I just ran my generator last night as a test.

[albertthiel]

One more word about generators , I was a GM mechanic before I was an electrician and rebuilt dozens of engines. !f you have a generator, you need to run the thing at least twice a year and you also must put a gas stabilizer in the gas. Gas is really only good for a year as it loses octane and turns into varnish when it evaporates as it will do in the carburator of the generator when it is stored. A stabilizer will "help" to prevent that but not 100%.

When you stop the generator, don't just shut off the switch, instead, turn off the gas valve (if it has one) so the carburator will use up most of it's gas and limit the varnish that will form. In the carburator is a tiny float valve and the tiniest bit of dirt or varnish stuck to it will prevent the machine from starting.

That is the main reason lawn mowers and chain saws get thrown out after a few years. A quick cleaning of that float valve will fix that but using gas stabilizer and letting the carb run out of gas will go a long way to prevent that.

Also, you must change that gas in the generator every year. Dump it in your car and re fill the generator.

My snow blower is now 39 years old and still starts every winter. I used to use it commercially but I maintain it as it should be maintained. That is also the main reason I won't let anyone touch my car or boat.

Maintenance is very easy but very important, especially when a storm is aproaching. I just ran my generator last night as a test.

 

Again Paul great info that I am sure will be "new" to those who own generators ... In fact I just learned something new myself ... as the saying goes " when we think we know it all, we find out that there is a lot that we don't know yet ... "

 

Thanks for that info that I hope will be helpful to those who currently have generators and may need to use them when the Sandy Storm comes in and starts affecting power and causes outages, as based on what I hear on the news is likely to happen in quite a few areas come Monday and/or Tuesday depending on the area where one is located.

 

Great info

 

Albert