THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Paul.b]

Quote

YVW Albert,
I have been asked a number of times both on Nano-Reef and other forums if Oxydator's work so good why aren't we all using them and how come we have never heard of them?.

 

Why isn't everyone running reverse UG filters?

Why doesn't everyone feed live blackworms?

Why doesn't everyone hatch brine shrimp?

Why doesn't everyone build hollow live rock?

Why hasen't everybody ordered Albert's new book?

Why does virtualy everybody want to know what Paris Hilton is up to?

Wh just don't know these things and never will

[atoll]

Hmmm, let me try again.

Thanks for the link Albert but I am still not 100% sure exactly what species they are. What I can tell you is when I had the positioned near the front of the tank they were under stronger illumination than they are now. I moved them around to the side of the tank and they look much better with less direct light.

 

Very nice looking Les, and although I am not entirely sure as I cannot see it well enough it could be Rhodactis inchoata which comes from various areas including Fiji and as per the article referred to below in many different color variations.

 

It could however be an unidentified species of Rhodactis ...

 

Julian Sprung wrote an article on Corallimorpharia and maybe this will be of help as it shows what looks like what you have + other Rhodactis species

 

Link : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/10/inverts

 

Hope this helps in further ID'ing it.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

YVW Albert,

I have been asked a number of times both on Nano-Reef and other forums if Oxydator's work so good why aren't we all using them and how come we have never heard of them? My answer is always the same, it seems to me it needs a well known author like Julian Sprung who writes in one or two of the marine aquaria magazines to test one and report of it to give it kudos.

 

I can understand people being sceptical and I believe the makers of Oxydator's do themselves no favours by not advertising them. Its almost as if they don't want Oxydator's to catch on too much. I have posted that IMO they are the best kept secret in the hobby before. I have been ridiculed for not carrying out laboratory, repetitive and clinical test to support my observations and experiences using Oxydators for the last 30 years or so.

 

I am just a simple hobbyists and have never had more than 2 tanks at any one time let alone access to a lab etc. I do of course stand by everything I have said about Oxydators and have always reported on my experiences using them rather than theory.

Les

 

Yes that is indeed so Les and on Söchting and based on my conversation with that gentleman that is supposed to import them, that is the impression I got as well. Best kept secret indeed except amongst Seahorse breeders I guess ...

 

Söchthing does not seem to be willing to launch an aggressive marketing campaign in the US and maybe that is because they are selling all they can produce in Europe and perhaps in the Far East ... not sure but they certainly are leaving the market here alone and are not pursuing sales as I would have thought based on how well the units work.

 

On someone writing an article about it I am not sure if that would help a great deal as with all the controversy that has been going on about product reviews written by a number of authors, I am not sure how well that would be received.

 

I would think that rather than Julian who has his own company, that an article by Dr. Joshi would be a lot more effective but not sure how one would make that happen unless Söchting approached him directly. -- FWIW --

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert,

 

My Falco Hawkfish was doing so well. Looked normal this morning and now looks pale. Any ideas on what is going on with this fish? I have never seen him change colour before. He still seems to be acting normal and still comes up to see me when I come to the tank.

 

Has he been chased around by another fish .. do you have clownfish in that tank ? Let me know pls

 

They do change color when they are stressed, and chased around but not sure if that is the case here. Are you feeding different types and not the same all the time .. if so I would try feeding some different meaty foods e.g. clam meat as you may have read about here on the thread.

 

Another reason could be the type of food you are feeding that does not provide all the nutrients he needs ...

 

In the worst of all cases it could be an internal disease e.g. bacterial but hopefully it is not that.

 

The only other reason is a sex change but for that to happen you would have to have two in the tank and as far as I know you do not. My guess at this point is either aggression or a food issue.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Hmmm, let me try again.

Thanks for the link Albert but I am still not 100% sure exactly what species they are. What I can tell you is when I had the positioned near the front of the tank they were under stronger illumination than they are now. I moved them around to the side of the tank and they look much better with less direct light.

 

Well I will look around some more in various books I have to see if I can find an ID but it may very well be one of the many non yet identified or named types.

 

Can you post a picture of what they look like now under that different light you have them under so I can see what they really look like Les ?

 

Thanks

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Quote

Why isn't everyone running reverse UG filters?

Why doesn't everyone feed live blackworms?

Why doesn't everyone hatch brine shrimp?

Why doesn't everyone build hollow live rock?

Why hasen't everybody ordered Albert's new book?

Why does virtualy everybody want to know what Paris Hilton is up to?

Wh just don't know these things and never will

 

Yes indeed ... there is much we do not know... not just about products or devices but also about the life forms we keep and the ID of so many we sometimes find as HH's in your tanks.

 

But then when it comes to products, some companies may not be ready yet to tackle the US market .. the Oxydator Company from what I know is a rather small one and may not be ready to invest large amounts of money to flood the US market with advertising etc.

 

But then who knows right ? I could be something totally different ... maybe time will tell ....

 

Albert

[wavemaster]

Has he been chased around by another fish .. do you have clownfish in that tank ? Let me know pls

 

They do change color when they are stressed, and chased around but not sure if that is the case here. Are you feeding different types and not the same all the time .. if so I would try feeding some different meaty foods e.g. clam meat as you may have read about here on the thread.

 

Another reason could be the type of food you are feeding that does not provide all the nutrients he needs ...

 

In the worst of all cases it could be an internal disease e.g. bacterial but hopefully it is not that.

 

The only other reason is a sex change but for that to happen you would have to have two in the tank and as far as I know you do not. My guess at this point is either aggression or a food issue.

 

Albert

He is still in my biocube 29 with the 2 clowns. He is not bothered by them at all. Unfortunately, I did loose my diamond goby today. It would only eat when spot fed as the hawk would scare him every time it tried to come out. His stomach was very shrunk even though I fed it. I have not yet been able to get the body as my blood shrimp took it behind in a cave.

 

As for feeding, I use Hikari brine and mysis shrimp as well as marine pellets. Not sure if the Hawk tried eating the dead goby?

 

The Hawkfish color change did not happen gradually as he looked 100% normal in the morning. If he had a disease, could the color change that fast? I am new to keeping Hawkfish and have only had him for about 4 weeks.

[ZephNYC]

Hi Albert,

Just a quickie....

DOnt you think ozone does everything the oxydator does, but perhaps better ?

[albertthiel]

He is still in my biocube 29 with the 2 clowns. He is not bothered by them at all. Unfortunately, I did loose my diamond goby today. It would only eat when spot fed as the hawk would scare him every time it tried to come out. His stomach was very shrunk even though I fed it. I have not yet been able to get the body as my blood shrimp took it behind in a cave.

 

As for feeding, I use Hikari brine and mysis shrimp as well as marine pellets. Not sure if the Hawk tried eating the dead goby?

 

The Hawkfish color change did not happen gradually as he looked 100% normal in the morning. If he had a disease, could the color change that fast? I am new to keeping Hawkfish and have only had him for about 4 weeks.

 

Clowns can be very aggressive and you may not have been there when they harassed the Hawkfish, but then the Hawkfish can be pretty aggressive him/herself.

 

At this point I would suggest you isolate him if you can if by tomorrow morning he/she has not regained color.

 

What I suspect could be an internal disease if that condition does not change. Not sure which one as I cannot see the fish well enough in that picture, and if it is an internal disease then obviously it would be hard to determine what it is by just looking at the fish.

 

Other than color changes when harassed and when changing sex I cannot think of any other reasons why that color change would have happened.

 

I suggest you wait and see what it looks like in the morning and if that color loss is still there you may need to treat the fish in a separate tank.

 

Sorry about the loss of the Goby ... and yes when competition for food exists then the only way to make sure the fish eats is to keep the others at bay and make sure you see the shy fish eat. Of course not having that kind of combination of fish avoids that problem.

 

Let me know whether there is any change and if you can send a larger picture in the morning.

 

Thanks .... Albert

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert,

Just a quickie....

Dont you think ozone does everything the oxydator does, but perhaps better ?

 

Yes it will indeed Zeph, no doubt about it, especially if you have a unit like the one in the picture ... but even with a smaller one on a decent size tank it will do a great job.

 

But it is more costly and needs a lot more equipment and is IMO more difficult to use on a Nano Reef whereas the Oxydator can just be placed in the tank.

 

Now if you have a larger aquarium and a good skimmer and a controller etc... then using ozone will certainly up the water quality real well and effectively ... but not sure it will get rid of Bryopsis though :-)

 

The new book does have a section on ozonizers and their use etc. and everything hobbyists should know to use them safely.

 

That is some piece of equipment you have there. What is the output if I may ask ?

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Pet shops sell cheap nets. I think toole would be to course, maybe nylon stockings which may be the reason my wife's have a few 4"X4" holes in them.

 

The hatchery has been on here so many times it is starting to fade on my computer.

 

Paul : I was at my LFS today and also at Petco as I had to get something that my LFS does not carry but Petco does so I looked around for netting and they did not have any that would have worked for the feeder.

 

And wouldn't the mesh of nylon stockings be too tight - not sure would have to check.

 

I also think that it is important to point out that the sooner they get fed the higher their nutritional value is as they use the nutrients they store for their own growth and if not used within max of say 6 hours there is little nutritional value left.

 

Of course if they are kept too long they will reach a size where they can no longer get through the netting anyway, as I believe that freshly hatched brine shrimp are less than 1/2 mm in size, so a real fine mesh is needed indeed. I guess 1/2 mm is about the size of a dot like this one: . or maybe slightly larger, which is indeed real small.

 

I guess I'll have to look at my wife's stockings to see what the size of the mesh opening is but I doubt that I can measure that small a size as i sure do not have an electronic Micrometer : -)

 

Anyway I got side tracked and what I wanted to say is that I saved the picture of the hatchery so if someone asks for it again I will just post it as I think you have posted it so many times already that now that I have the image I can just post it.

 

And for those who are interested here is a video of FW Angelfish feeding on freshly hatched brine shrimp (Artemia)

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

"Nano-Reef Aquariums" Book Update : Pre-Pub Price Change

 

As I am approaching the final formatting of the book before it goes to the printer, the pre-publication price of $ 15.00 + $ 3.50 in shipping (USA and Canada) will go up tomorrow Thursday Jan. 24 at 12:00 (noon) EST to $25.00 + shipping.

 

Order before that time and you can still take advantage of the lower price. The final price of the Book, when printed, has not been set yet, but based on what I know at this point it looks like it will be around $ 80.00 - The format will be 7" by 9".

 

Pre-order and receive a free e-version of the book. When published the e-version will be $ 19.99

 

Also, and this is for everyone who buys, or has ordered a copy of the book, all will receive a 1 year free subscription to the Marine Reef Newsletter (25 issues).

 

The Newsletter will update the book to keep it current, will expand on certain of the topics or subjects, and will bring information on new findings, techniques, products of interest, etc ...

 

The first issue will come out about 2 to 3 weeks after the book hits the market. It is an e-version Newsletter and to receive it I will need your email address. If you pre-ordered I already have it of course. if you buy the book from a Pet store or Book store, you will need to send me a completed form that is part of the lat pages of the book.

 

There will be no further updates except for announcing that the printed version is on the market.

 

Thanks for your support. You will not be disappointed by the content and the information provided as every topic is dealt with in great detail, including Fishes and Corals and other life forms "by species", and with a very large number of color photographs.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

My Humongous Emerald Crab .. well ... not "so" humongous

 

 

After acclimating him in the red container I use for acclimating for about 30 minutes or so, maybe a little less, I placed him in the tank on a rock that had some Caulerpa on it, and he stayed there for quite some time and then moved a little and went into hiding. Now that the lights are out I am not sure where he is, hopefully roaming around and munching on the Caulerpa and who knows if I am lucky on the Bryopsis although I would be very lucky if he did that.

 

Doesn't look very green in there against that red background but green he is ...

 

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I think this is a real great shot of a Conch

 

This one is in Neuwave's (a member on NR) Tank. From the pic I cannot tell for certain whether it is a Queen or a Fighting one, but to me it looks like a Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus), although to be sure I would have to see more of it

 

 

 

 

 

[albertthiel]

Live Bearing Marine Brotulids - Best Known is the Yellow Brotulid

 

© F McCauley

 

 

 

Link : http://aquariumadventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/livebearing-marine-brotulids.html

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The Aquanerd Fish Blog ... with some interesting Stories for You to Read

 

Brandon Klaus blog on Happenings in the Hobby, like this theft of Corals and more

 

Link:.. http://blog.aquanerd.com

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

Live Bearing Marine Brotulids - Best Known is the Yellow Brotulid

 

© F McCauley

 

 

 

Link : http://aquariumadventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/livebearing-marine-brotulids.html

 

Albert

 

 

Live Bearing Marine Brotulids - Best Known is the Yellow Brotulid

 

© F McCauley

 

 

 

Link : http://aquariumadventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/livebearing-marine-brotulids.html

 

Albert

I had one of those for 18 years, I never fed it and it never came out in the day. The only reason I knew I had it was at night I could see it with a flashlight. I had the flashlight, not him. I killed him by accident a few years ago along with a 5 year old moorish Idol and an old mandarin. In a tqank with rocks, he will disappear which is a shame because they are a beautiful color and an interesting, peaceful fish that can swim backward as well as it can swim forward. Mine must have lived on amphipods or possably bristleworms, I really don't know, but he would eat anything if I could shoot the food near him especially in the dark.

[albertthiel]

Videos on Brine Shrimp Nauplii (± .4 mm to .5 mm in size)

 

About the size of a large dot like this one: .

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I had one of those for 18 years, I never fed it and it never came out in the day. The only reason I knew I had it was at night I could see it with a flashlight. I had the flashlight, not him. I killed him by accident a few years ago along with a 5 year old moorish Idol and an old mandarin. In a tqank with rocks, he will disappear which is a shame because they are a beautiful color and an interesting, peaceful fish that can swim backward as well as it can swim forward. Mine must have lived on amphipods or possably bristleworms, I really don't know, but he would eat anything if I could shoot the food near him especially in the dark.

 

Great looking fish indeed Paul and they kind of swim like an eel .. but very shy and hide a lot as you say. But the interesting thing is that they are live bearers ... and the yellow one is very colorful.

 

Pity you lost it as they are not that easy to come by either.

 

Albert

[atoll]

Good morning Albert and all,

I hope you don't mind me posting the following which some may find of interest.

 

Some of you know I have been thinking of getting a kalk stirrer for my 2’ cube with sump the description of which I will give later on. I already have a TMC V600 calcium reactor so why a kalk stirrer after all its old technology and over kill in a 60 gallon tank right? Well no actually, so OK kalk has been around for use in reef tanks for many years its true but it should not be dismissed lightly as a provider of calcium and it carries added benefits. Kalk administered via a stirrer or even a drip method will not only add calcium but will increase/stabilize alkalinity and PH.

 

You can use a kalk stirrer just at night if needed and many use it this way to smooth out PH swings which happen mainly at night when PH drop is most likely to happen esp. if for instance you don't grow algae in a sump on reverse lighting.

 

My reasoning for wanting a kalk stirrer apart from the above is that my TMC calcium reactor is a bit OTT for my system to be honest although I had it on a timer but there is a fair bit of maintenance involved and to run it best it is best used with a PH controller. To talk about both calcium reactors and kalk stirrers with the pluses and minuses would take quite a long article and I don't want to get into the arguments for each. However in a large system then you could as many do run both together esp. If you have a heavily stocked predominately SPS reef tank.

 

I looked around for a kalk stirrer and found that Julian Sprung had a new type on the market which uses no motor to stir the kalk instead it was water powered. Julian’s kalk stirrer is powered by a powerhead which not only turns the spinner but mixes the kalk with the water be it RO or tank water from the sump or tank itself. Another advantage of this kalk stirrer is that it can be hung on the side of the sump or tank or stood in the sump.

 

After doing some research on the net and reading some good reviews I was all ready to buy Julian’s kalk stirrer. However when I enquired nobody had them in stock that I could find apart from a seller here on UK eBay. This kalk stirrer is also cheap compared to say a Deltec stirrer at about 1/3 plus of the price of the Deltec. The one on eBay was £70 and they had a number of them for sale on buy it now.

 

Just as I was about to buy the Julian Sprung stirrer, out of the blue I was offered an Aqua Medic KS 1000 klak stirrer in VGC for just £40 plus £5 P&P so after a few questions I snapped it up. I have temporally hooked it up to my Reefloat ATU with 12v caravan type pump but this is not ideal as it’s far too powerful. I have however restricted the water from the pump to the stirrer using a tap/valve but this puts a lot of back pressure on the pump and causes it to turn on and off rapidly which I am sure will shorten the life of the pump in time.

 

Ideally with this and similar types of kalk stirrers you need to feed it with a peri pump (Peristaltic pump). This type of pump will feed a constant drip which is preferably controlled but fine with just a normal one providing a constant drip rate. You could of course rig the peri pump up to a timer to control when it operates along with the ATU which will probably be the way I will run it when my peri pump is up and running. My old Aqua Medic peri requires a new roller set which I have sent off for which should arrive any day now.

 

The kalk I buy from a chemical supply company and it is best to use lad grade which is around 98% pure. Tech grade is around 90% pure and many use this but IMO lab grade is better due to it containing less contaminants but it is more expensive as you would expect. Far cheaper to buy lab grade from a chemical supply company than buying similar in a fancy container promoted for aquarium use costing quite a bit more. Let’s not get started on rip off aquarium additives here though.

 

If all my trials with my AM kalk stirrer go as well as I am hoping my TMC calcium reactor will be sold on that’s if it can maintain my calcium level to around 400ppm. We will just have to wait and see how well or otherwise it performs more long term.

 

 

The Aqua Medic Ks 1000 kalk stirrer seems a good, solid piece of kit if a little pricey new (isn’t most good aquarium kit) but it is cheaper than the equivalent Deltec one. This stirrers motor in situated within the top which comes off to replenish the kalk and makes little noise in use. No other pump is required when fed from an ATU and the stirrer does a good job of stirring the kalk and getting the top up water within into a saturated solution of lime water known as kalkwasser.

 

The PH ok saturated lime water is around 9PH so you do have to be careful not to over dose it hence why you add it on a drip rate. Top up water is fed to the bottom of the stirrer and the water allowed to rise and overflow into the sump or tank. This way you administer a clear liquid rather than a less desirable milky liquid which can pose a danger of too fast a rise in PH.

 

I will of course let you know how I get on with the stirrer once I have the peri pump connected up and working how I want it. However it will take a little while to arrive at the ideal way to use it I guess by monitoring my tanks PH.Alk and calcium levels.

 

Julian Sprung’s kalk stirrer.

My Aqua Medic KS 1000 kalk stirrer set up and not long after filling with kalk so still a little milky.

 

Les.

[albertthiel]

Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef

 

Video

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XpMH25IB-A

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Good morning Albert and all,

I hope you don't mind me posting the following which some may find of interest. ---- > NOT AT ALL

 

Some of you know I have been thinking of getting a kalk stirrer for my 2’ cube with sump the description of which I will give later on. I already have a TMC V600 calcium reactor so why a kalk stirrer after all its old technology and over kill in a 60 gallon tank right? Well no actually, so OK kalk has been around for use in reef tanks for many years its true but it should not be dismissed lightly as a provider of calcium and it carries added benefits. Kalk administered via a stirrer or even a drip method will not only add calcium but will increase/stabilize alkalinity and PH.

 

You can use a kalk stirrer just at night if needed and many use it this way to smooth out PH swings which happen mainly at night when PH drop is most likely to happen esp. if for instance you don't grow algae in a sump on reverse lighting.

 

My reasoning for wanting a kalk stirrer apart from the above is that my TMC calcium reactor is a bit OTT for my system to be honest although I had it on a timer but there is a fair bit of maintenance involved and to run it best it is best used with a PH controller. To talk about both calcium reactors and kalk stirrers with the pluses and minuses would take quite a long article and I don't want to get into the arguments for each. However in a large system then you could as many do run both together esp. If you have a heavily stocked predominately SPS reef tank.

 

I looked around for a kalk stirrer and found that Julian Sprung had a new type on the market which uses no motor to stir the kalk instead it was water powered. Julian’s kalk stirrer is powered by a powerhead which not only turns the spinner but mixes the kalk with the water be it RO or tank water from the sump or tank itself. Another advantage of this kalk stirrer is that it can be hung on the side of the sump or tank or stood in the sump.

 

After doing some research on the net and reading some good reviews I was all ready to buy Julian’s kalk stirrer. However when I enquired nobody had them in stock that I could find apart from a seller here on UK eBay. This kalk stirrer is also cheap compared to say a Deltec stirrer at about 1/3 plus of the price of the Deltec. The one on eBay was £70 and they had a number of them for sale on buy it now.

 

Just as I was about to buy the Julian Sprung stirrer, out of the blue I was offered an Aqua Medic KS 1000 klak stirrer in VGC for just £40 plus £5 P&P so after a few questions I snapped it up. I have temporally hooked it up to my Reefloat ATU with 12v caravan type pump but this is not ideal as it’s far too powerful. I have however restricted the water from the pump to the stirrer using a tap/valve but this puts a lot of back pressure on the pump and causes it to turn on and off rapidly which I am sure will shorten the life of the pump in time.

 

Ideally with this and similar types of kalk stirrers you need to feed it with a peri pump (Peristaltic pump). This type of pump will feed a constant drip which is preferably controlled but fine with just a normal one providing a constant drip rate. You could of course rig the peri pump up to a timer to control when it operates along with the ATU which will probably be the way I will run it when my peri pump is up and running. My old Aqua Medic peri requires a new roller set which I have sent off for which should arrive any day now.

 

The kalk I buy from a chemical supply company and it is best to use lad grade which is around 98% pure. Tech grade is around 90% pure and many use this but IMO lab grade is better due to it containing less contaminants but it is more expensive as you would expect. Far cheaper to buy lab grade from a chemical supply company than buying similar in a fancy container promoted for aquarium use costing quite a bit more. Let’s not get started on rip off aquarium additives here though.

 

If all my trials with my AM kalk stirrer go as well as I am hoping my TMC calcium reactor will be sold on that’s if it can maintain my calcium level to around 400ppm. We will just have to wait and see how well or otherwise it performs more long term.

 

 

The Aqua Medic Ks 1000 kalk stirrer seems a good, solid piece of kit if a little pricey new (isn’t most good aquarium kit) but it is cheaper than the equivalent Deltec one. This stirrers motor in situated within the top which comes off to replenish the kalk and makes little noise in use. No other pump is required when fed from an ATU and the stirrer does a good job of stirring the kalk and getting the top up water within into a saturated solution of lime water known as kalkwasser.

 

The PH ok saturated lime water is around 9PH so you do have to be careful not to over dose it hence why you add it on a drip rate. Top up water is fed to the bottom of the stirrer and the water allowed to rise and overflow into the sump or tank. This way you administer a clear liquid rather than a less desirable milky liquid which can pose a danger of too fast a rise in PH.

 

I will of course let you know how I get on with the stirrer once I have the peri pump connected up and working how I want it. However it will take a little while to arrive at the ideal way to use it I guess by monitoring my tanks PH.Alk and calcium levels.

Julian Sprung’s kalk stirrer.

My Aqua Medic KS 1000 kalk stirrer set up and not long after filling with kalk so still a little milky.

Les.

 

Thanks for the details on how they work Les and yes do keep us updated on how it maintains you Ca and Alk levels. Looks like the solution has cleared up a good deal already.

 

Some do put the slightly milky solution in their sumps and as far as I know have not reported any negative effects but more just add the clear liquid indeed.

 

Good acquisition I would say and at a good price too. I'll have to look in the Two Little Fishes ones and see if my LFS as one running to see how it performs and if he does I will report on it later today as I have to go there anyway as I need more compounds (which I forgot to to buy yesterday when I got the Emerald Crab).

 

From what I see you are starting to have a lot of equipment on that 2x2 of yours :-)

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

James Cameron Expedition to the Bottom of the Earth

 

Video

 

Dive Southwest of Guam and more

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGzsjhgsw08

 

 

Albert

[eitallent]

Paul : I was at my LFS today and also at Petco as I had to get something that my LFS does not carry but Petco does so I looked around for netting and they did not have any that would have worked for the feeder.

 

And wouldn't the mesh of nylon stockings be too tight - not sure would have to check.

 

I also think that it is important to point out that the sooner they get fed the higher their nutritional value is as they use the nutrients they store for their own growth and if not used within max of say 6 hours there is little nutritional value left.

 

Of course if they are kept too long they will reach a size where they can no longer get through the netting anyway, as I believe that freshly hatched brine shrimp are less than 1/2 mm in size, so a real fine mesh is needed indeed. I guess 1/2 mm is about the size of a dot like this one: . or maybe slightly larger, which is indeed real small.

 

I guess I'll have to look at my wife's stockings to see what the size of the mesh opening is but I doubt that I can measure that small a size as i sure do not have an electronic Micrometer : -)

 

Anyway I got side tracked and what I wanted to say is that I saved the picture of the hatchery so if someone asks for it again I will just post it as I think you have posted it so many times already that now that I have the image I can just post it.

 

And for those who are interested here is a video of FW Angelfish feeding on freshly hatched brine shrimp (Artemia)

 

 

 

Albert

 

I looked in Petco as well and did not find any fine netting. I did find a brine shrimp net online but it was only three inches. I will continue the search and will post here if I find anything good.

 

Great video and I really like the music.

[albertthiel]

I looked in Petco as well and did not find any fine netting. I did find a brine shrimp net online but it was only three inches. I will continue the search and will post here if I find anything good.

 

Great video and I really like the music.

 

Thanks eitallent .. indeed it seems that the netting needed is not all that easy to find but someone must be selling it online I would image. So thanks for letting us know when you find any.

 

The 0.4 mm mesh size is tiny and may not be that easy to find but maybe Paul can get you some if you need it as his LFS seems to carry it from what I remember.

 

Albert