THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[jedimasterben]

Do Yumas eat Pellets (and anything else for that matter)

 

Watch this 20x video that shows you, and in my personal experience, well fed R. yumas grow faster and throw off babies !

 

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/more-coral-video-awesomeness

 

Albert

Only corals I have not seen eat pellets are SPS - and that is simply because it is too large for them. I don't target feed my sun corals with anything but pellets at this point in time (and for the past several months). As long as it sticks to the coral, it will try and eat it.

[albertthiel]

I just figure anything with spines is a no bueno. Scary!

 

Yes that one in particular is a pretty no bueno for sure ! So are hairy crabs usually (e.g. Xanthid) and crabs with black claws ... and of course a lot of other life forms ... I have about 35 pages on nasties in the new book ...

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Only corals I have not seen eat pellets are SPS - and that is simply because it is too large for them. I don't target feed my sun corals with anything but pellets at this point in time (and for the past several months). As long as it sticks to the coral, it will try and eat it.

 

Yes I guess you could say that but there are exceptions, one I can think of is Goniopora which may "seem" to eat it after it "sticks" but then sort of spit it back out because it is too large or not the right kind. Alveopora will do the same ... Goniopora may also retract its tentacles as if it were eating if the food is dispensed too forcefully and the reaction is to a perceived threat and not a feeding response. But overall I think there are not many of such exceptions. Of course we also need to consider that some foods are better for certain corals than other foods ...

 

Albert

[jedimasterben]

All in all, it really just depends on the size. That's why I love the food that Reef Cleaners sells - it varies in size from 5 microns to 200, I believe, and all my corals and fish eat it - it is the sole food that kgoldy has been feeding his 90g tank for many months now.

[albertthiel]

All in all, it really just depends on the size. That's why I love the food that Reef Cleaners sells - it varies in size from 5 microns to 200, I believe, and all my corals and fish eat it - it is the sole food that kgoldy has been feeding his 90g tank for many months now.

 

I have not used that food but will have a look at what he sells. I use a variety of foods including Marine Snow, Cyclop-eeze, Micro-Blast, Shrimp and now Clams shavings after freezing them.

 

That seems to work for what I have in the tank and all corals and fish are doing well. I also use Sera Marine very small pellets and Hikari mini marine pellets but keep changing what I feed so it is not always the same.

 

The next thing I am going to try is to take the shrimp and clam shavings and dip them in fish oil as Paul does and see how that works. In a small tank however the oil will have to be removed from the top and hopefully it will not get in the skimmer as if it does I will have to clean it out each time I add oil to the food.

 

Now if I could find the live worms Paul is referring to I would try those as well.

 

I guess Reef Roids seems to be pretty popular too but I have not used that yet.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

So are Sea Pigs Real or the product of someone's too fertile Imagination?

 

A Picture of a Sea Pig of the Genus Scotoplanes

 

 

They are actually "very" real, but some of the renderings you may have seen may have been exaggerated somewhat, making the Sea Cucumber, which is what Sea Pigs are, look a bit unreal or not natural. Of course since they live at great depths in the ocean they are not creatures we would find in our aquariums, not even as HH's.

 

Interestingly enough they were first described by H. Theel in 1882.

 

You can find more info on these Echinoderms at :

http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/because-you-demanded-it-sea-pig-aka.html

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Florida International University has been awarded a grant to continue stewardship of the Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s "only" operational Underwater Research Center.

 

Aquarius is still Alive !

 

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/its-official-aquarius-reef-base-still-in-business

 

Albert

 

 

[eitallent]

Florida International University has been awarded a grant to continue stewardship of the Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s "only" operational Underwater Research Center.

 

Aquarius is still Alive !

 

Link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/its-official-aquarius-reef-base-still-in-business

 

Albert

 

My alma mater! I am so proud.

[rick12]

My Oxydators arrived today. Three days to ship from the UK to Canada. (Yes, even with the snow flake threat)

Thanks to Adrian from www.seahorsebreeder.co.uk

 

 

Rick

[albertthiel]

My alma mater! I am so proud.

 

Congrats and reason to be proud indeed. That is quite an underwater research Lab indeed and I am glad to read that they got additional funding to continue their work.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

My Oxydators arrived today. Three days to ship from the UK to Canada. (Yes, even with the snow flake threat)

Thanks to Adrian from www.seahorsebreeder.co.uk

 

Rick

 

Wow that is super fast ... 3 days ... I think it would take longer from NY to Washington ... That is amazing indeed and that is great for you.

 

So now you are ready to set it up and if you have any questions about what to do and how feel free of course to post your questions here.

 

Albert

[rick12]

Have to go to the pharmacy to get the fluid.

Albert you started out with 3%? Any reason why?

I am going to place the smaller one in my planted marine tank and the larger one in my mixed reef.

.

 

[albertthiel]

Have to go to the pharmacy to get the fluid. Albert you started out with 3%? Any reason why? I am going to place the smaller one in my planted marine tank and the larger one in my mixed reef. .

 

I did not want to bring about too large a change in the water chemistry by using a stronger % so I started with 3 and then after a few weeks I put 6% but the change was too much too fast so I diluted it to 4% and am running that now. I'll do so for a few weeks and then I may up it to 5% and maybe to 6% but % to use really depends on the water quality you already have, so start on the lower side and increase it after a while if there is a reason to do so.

 

The heavier the load the higher the % used is the usual approach as far as I understand on how they are to be used. I will post some pics of the tank on the 4 % solution a little later tonight.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Below are 11 Pictures of my Tank taken today at different times or at different angles for those that you see more than one image of. The Oxydator is running and the hydrogen peroxide in it is 4%

 

In fact I should take pictures now as all corals look even more vibrant but I took the ones that I am posting earlier today, some before lunch and some in the afternoon. Also, I have not cleaned the front glass for a couple of days ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that's it for today .. sorry if some are out of focus but I took them with my iPhone and with the zooming in if one is not perfectly still in holding the phone that's what happens and also the green from the glass of the tank becomes more pronounced

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Magnet the Citron Goby before the Lights go out ...

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

 

Have to go to the pharmacy to get the fluid.Albert you started out with 3%? Any reason why? I am going to place the smaller one in my planted marine tank and the larger one in my mixed reef..

 

How is it going with the Oxydators?

 

Albert

 

 

I'm in the "zone" for winter weather, just a stone's throw from the real mountains. I'm hoping for a three day weekend, but if I can make it to work I'll take the hours. Google map "crane's store dawsonville" and I can walk to that place.

 

So did you get a lot of snow?

 

Albert

[rick12]

How is it going with the Oxydators?

AlbertSo did you get a lot of snow?

Albert

Too late to get to the pharmacy. As well, my tanks are not in my home and now it's late. Tomorrow I will spend all day in the fish room :-)

Rick

[albertthiel]

Too late to get to the pharmacy. As well, my tanks are not in my home and now it's late. Tomorrow I will spend all day in the fish room :-) Rick

 

Sound like a plan Rick ... and keep us posted and as I said, if you have any questions do let me know.

 

A;bert

[Paul.b]

 

 

 

Wow that is super fast ... 3 days ... I think it would take longer from NY to Washington ... That is amazing indeed and that is great for you.

 

So now you are ready to set it up and if you have any questions about what to do and how feel free of course to post your questions here.

 

Albert

Thats great, now smash it apart and tell me what it is made out of so I can build a few of them.

[albertthiel]

Thats great, now smash it apart and tell me what it is made out of so I can build a few of them.

 

It only has few parts Paul, a base that is heavy to hold it in place, the cup that holds the peroxide, the catalyst (very small) and a plastic insert in the base. I'll take pics of them and post them a little later this morning ..

 

Albert

[atoll]

My experiences with the Oxydator are a little different to that of Albert.

I start with the manufacturers concentration of peroxide (the manufacturers recommendation depending on which model you have) then I increase it by dubling it so if you start with 6% for a week I then upped it to 12% then dropped it back after a few weeks to 9%. However I am using the "A" model in 60 gallons ot tank water.

 

The reason I do this is first of all to get the tank adjusted to the increase in redox/oxygen level then increase it further to reduce the DOC more quickly. I find with my tank that after a few weeks at 12% most of the DOC has now been oxidised so I drop it back to 9% with 2 catalysts used all the time.

 

Now the problem is not all tanks are the same and you have to consider how long the tanks been set up, how many gallons you have, how many animals fish and corals you have in there, how well you skim if at all, what other types of filtration you may have including chemical filtration and you may even use ozone (I would not recommend using ozone with an Oxydator) and last but not least how heavily you feed your tank.

 

Now this might sound mighty complicated but in fact it isn't really. Let your eyes be your test kit. Your eye are the best test kit you will ever have, I am sure Paul and Albert will agree with me. Monitor your animals using the different strengths of peroxide. If things react a bit negatively remove the Oxydator and reduce its strength. The higher the peroxide you use the quicker it will be used up. Same goes with the catalysts if you use 2 in the "A" model the peroxide will get used up more quickly than if you use just the one catalyst. Of course the mini and the "D" versions only come with the one catalyst but you can use different strengths of peroxide in them.

 

If anything is to react negatively at any time it is most likely to be in the first few minutes of installing or refilling the Oxydator so keep an eye on it until you have figured out the best % of peroxide to use. animals most likely to react fist are anemones and mushrooms IME. it may take a few weeks to come to your ideal peroxide % after the residue DOC has been oxidised but its no big deal.

 

Finally any questions both Albert and I am sure will be able to answer them. I look forward to hearing about your experiences using the Oxydator no matter which model you use and there are 4 in total.

 

Les.

Also note that the "A" model is a little different in that it uses a heavy ceramic ball with a flat bottom to weight the acrylic receptacle down.

It only has few parts Paul, a base that is heavy to hold it in place, the cup that holds the peroxide, the catalyst (very small) and a plastic insert in the base. I'll take pics of them and post them a little later this morning ..

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The Oxydator : All the Parts and Detail on some of Them

 

Basically the Oxydator only has 4 parts: the heavy ceramic base which ensures that the unit stays where you put it, thanks to the weight of the base, the cap in clear plastic in which the peroxide goes, the catalyst that goes in the cap as well to react with the peroxide and produce H2O and O or put differently: 2 H2O2 react with the catalyst and result in : 2H₂O₂ ---> 2 H₂O and O₂

 

_{Here are pics of the various parts:}

 

All 4 parts

 

 

Partial view of the Peroxide container: notice the notch at the top so it can be twisted into place in the base and is held in place

 

 

Another view of the peroxide container and the notch in it that will be twisted when inserted in the base so it is held in place

 

A view of full size peroxide container. Here it is in the upright position so it can be filled and the catalyst added, when that is done, the base is placed on top of it and then twisted sideways to lick it in place and then the unit is turned upside down and placed in the aquarium. The reaction/action starts immediately

 

 

The Catalyst (not sure yet what it is made out of -- it is black

 

 

The insert that has to go inside the base in this manner: you can see the little hole to the left of the middle which is where the oxygen gets underneath that part and then bubbles out on the notched sides of the base

 

 

Not in this position .... it has to go in the base upside down of this position

 

 

The base notch where the plastic holder twists into to hold it in place

 

 

The full base ... you can see where the top twists into the base and also where the O will escape on the left an right where the base has those half circle depressions

 

One fills the cap and adds the catalyst and then place the ceramic base on top of it and twists it in place so the cap and the base are locked to each other, then turn over the device and place it in the aquarium, wherever convenient, in a level manner, and you will see it start to work. At first you may see a few large bubbles escaping the device, air trapped underneath that insert and some oxygen, and then smaller bubbles will come out of it, and after a while the bubbles will be so small you will have a hard time seeing them at all.

 

However you can tell the device is working as the level of peroxide in the container starts to diminish. Depending on your water quality the container may empty itself over a period of a week or so, but as the water quality gets higher you will not have to replenish the peroxide as often.

 

Note that there are several models and that this one is the D model with is intended for tanks up to 29/30 gallons or so.

 

Smaller ones exist which have the same components, and a larger one which are slightly different.

 

There even is a much larger version which is intended for Ponds.

 

Below is a pic of all the models :

 

 

And :

 

 

Should you have any questions feel free to let us know. Les and I will be glad to answer them

 

Albert

[rick12]

Sound like a plan Rick ... and keep us posted and as I said, if you have any questions do let me know.

 

A;bert

The hydrogen peroxide that I purchase is the same as what's in my first aid kit for cuts?

R.

[albertthiel]

My experiences with the Oxydator are a little different to that of Albert.

I start with the manufacturers concentration of peroxide (the manufacturers recommendation depending on which model you have) then I increase it by dubling it so if you start with 6% for a week I then upped it to 12% then dropped it back after a few weeks to 9%. However I am using the "A" model in 60 gallons ot tank water.

 

The reason I do this is first of all to get the tank adjusted to the increase in redox/oxygen level then increase it further to reduce the DOC more quickly. I find with my tank that after a few weeks at 12% most of the DOC has now been oxidised so I drop it back to 9% with 2 catalysts used all the time.

 

Now the problem is not all tanks are the same and you have to consider how long the tanks been set up, how many gallons you have, how many animals fish and corals you have in there, how well you skim if at all, what other types of filtration you may have including chemical filtration and you may even use ozone (I would not recommend using ozone with an Oxydator) and last but not least how heavily you feed your tank.

 

Now this might sound mighty complicated but in fact it isn't really. Let your eyes be your test kit. Your eye are the best test kit you will ever have, I am sure Paul and Albert will agree with me. Monitor your animals using the different strengths of peroxide. If things react a bit negatively remove the Oxydator and reduce its strength. The higher the peroxide you use the quicker it will be used up. Same goes with the catalysts if you use 2 in the "A" model the peroxide will get used up more quickly than if you use just the one catalyst. Of course the mini and the "D" versions only come with the one catalyst but you can use different strengths of peroxide in them.

 

If anything is to react negatively at any time it is most likely to be in the first few minutes of installing or refilling the Oxydator so keep an eye on it until you have figured out the best % of peroxide to use. animals most likely to react fist are anemones and mushrooms IME. it may take a few weeks to come to your ideal peroxide % after the residue DOC has been oxidised but its no big deal.

 

Finally any questions both Albert and I am sure will be able to answer them. I look forward to hearing about your experiences using the Oxydator no matter which model you use and there are 4 in total.

 

Les.

 

Also note that the "A" model is a little different in that it uses a heavy ceramic ball with a flat bottom to weight the acrylic receptacle down.

 

Thanks Les for the explanation on how you started yours up and how you used a stronger solution and then adjusted it as needed, and that is IMO indeed the correct manner in which to use the Oxydator.

 

And as you say, it all depends on the size of the tank, the bioload, and what the water chemistry is at the time the unit is added.

 

I think both methods will work, start with a higher % and adjust it to what gives the best results, or start with a lower one, and then slowly increase it the way I did.

 

Mine is now running with 4% and I plan on increasing it to 5% when I need to refill it again.

 

When I switched from 3 to 6% I think the change was too rapid, and I therefore lowered it, and as the pictures posted after the change showed the corals reacted quite positively to the change. Of course I ran the tank for a while without one and posted pics and the reaction was that the corals did not look nearly as healthy when there was no Oxydator in the tank, and then very quickly turned around when I added it again (posted pics of that too).

 

I guess there is also the difference in size of tanks that needs to be taken into account ... mine which is 20 gallons and yours which is larger and require a more steady and stronger release of oxygen.

 

The best approach is the one you suggest and that is use a particular strength, and either lower it if it appears to be too strong, or increase it if not much change is noticed in the tank at the lower concentration.

 

What would be an indication of it being too strong : some of the life forms would close up or not open as widely (as you pointed out). If the solution is too weak, not much of a change would be noticed, and that would be an indication that a stronger solution can be used.

 

In the end though, whichever approach is used is not all that critical ... the result when the right % is used will be that the tank looks much better and that the corals open wider and that the tank looks more vibrant, the water is clearer, there is hardly any algae growth on the glass, if any, and the water is far "crisper" meaning that the DOC is far lower than it used to be (any bubbles on the surface pop immediately because their surface tension is low due to the low DOC).

 

This may all sound a little hard to implement ( meaning start with a high % or with a low %) but it is not, believe me. Just start with the % peroxide available to you and if you do not notice a very obvious improvement in the conditions in the tank and in how your corals look, get a higher concentration, either locally if you can, or from an online supplier.

 

I got mine from hms-beagle.com (John Farrell Kuhns who has been around in the hobby for decades). I got the 35% solution and diluted it. I'll post a message on how to dilute to various other concentrations a little later this morning.

 

And as both Les and I wrote ... if you have any questions, feel free to post them here.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The hydrogen peroxide that I purchase is the same as what's in my first aid kit for cuts? R.

 

Yes you can start with that one which is more than likely 3% and if you do not see any positive changes then try to find or order some stronger solution, like 6% or even stronger and then dilute it to the concentration you want. The strength to use to get results depends on how heavily your tanks are loaded so if you tell me more about that I can suggest what I think would be best for both of your tanks.

 

If you need instructions on how to dilute I will post them later ...

 

Albert