THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[lohitha]

Albert:

 

My little reef is now about 2 yrs old. I started as a 14 gln BC and then moved into a 29 gln BC about 3 months ago. I have SPS (not the greatest color), LPS, Softies and a RBTA (most recent addition). My nitrates are at 0. Dont know about phospate, and Mag. My Alk is at 7 and Ca is around 400. Both on the low side and trying hard to raise their levels. Reef has a LED sun with simulated sunrise and sunset. Anyway, I am getting some strange ugly looking growth on rock surface exposed to light. It is really dark and starts as tiny dots like mold. It is not slippery like cyno or squishy like a sponge. It is a really thin layer which can be scraped off with a sharp object. Once scraped off, the rock underneath is milky white. I hate this stuff and want to get rid of. Please see the attached pics and help me identify this and perhaps a remedy.

 

 

-Lohitha-

[albertthiel]

ALbert those pictures are SCARY, but I did love the Elephant tangs.

 

I guess with Photoshop or Gimp one can do just about anything now even show corals that are not necessarily WYSIWYG : - (

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Lets hope you have a good dental plan

 

Yes with those kind of dentures that fish is indeed going to need it :-) Of course it just adds to the maintenance as now I have to floss his teeth :-)

 

Thought I'd add a little humor to the thread !

 

Albert

[rick12]

Yes with those kind of dentures that fish is indeed going to need it :-) Of course it just adds to the maintenance as now I have to floss his teeth :-)

 

Thought I'd add a little humor to the thread !

 

Albert

Maybe the Oxydator will help keep them clean

[Paul.b]

That clownfish is definately cool. He has better teeth than I do.

 

Just now I changed the way I pump oxygen into the tank. I installed an extra air inlet in one of the air pumps that supplies my skimmer and I connected the oxidator output to it. I also added a much larger catalyst to the thing so it is making much more oxygen. I am using 3% hydrogen peroxide but I want to go with 35% and a much bigger catalyst. Soon I will be generating manamounts of oxygen, it's a good thing I don't smoke. I just need some time to do that but it is generating quite a bit of oxygen and pumping it right into the skimmer where it mixes with the ozone. What that will do, if anything is anybody's guess but I am fairly sure I won't notice any difference.

I found a dried up fish on the floor before. It looks like a codfish but I think it is a chalk bass. Oh well, better him than me. I gave him an opportunity to live a long and happy life but he chose freedom. I lose a lot of fish like that, they think they can fly. I don't take this personally because if you spend time at the sea, you will know that fish jump all the time, but in the sea, they usually fall back into the water.

 

[albertthiel]

Albert:

 

My little reef is now about 2 yrs old. I started as a 14 gln BC and then moved into a 29 gln BC about 3 months ago. I have SPS (not the greatest color), LPS, Softies and a RBTA (most recent addition). My nitrates are at 0. Dont know about phospate, and Mag. My Alk is at 7 and Ca is around 400. Both on the low side and trying hard to raise their levels. Reef has a LED sun with simulated sunrise and sunset. Anyway, I am getting some strange ugly looking growth on rock surface exposed to light. It is really dark and starts as tiny dots like mold. It is not slippery like cyno or squishy like a sponge. It is a really thin layer which can be scraped off with a sharp object. Once scraped off, the rock underneath is milky white. I hate this stuff and want to get rid of. Please see the attached pics and help me identify this and perhaps a remedy.

 

-Lohitha-

 

Hard to tell what it is but it could be coralline algae that are dying off that sometimes will turn black ... and when you scrape it off you see white underneath so that would kind of make me think that it is indeed dead coralline.

 

Now if not when you scrape it off can you get a piece of it and does it have a bad smell to it? If not I would just leave it and keep an eye on it to see if it gets larger and spreads or not. Is its size affected by your lighting or not ?

 

If on the other hand it is very dark red it could be Foraminiferans and if it is that then there is nothing to worry about.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Maybe the Oxydator will help keep them clean

 

Now that's the ticket ... indeed it will :-)

[Paul.b]

 

Albert:

 

My little reef is now about 2 yrs old. I started as a 14 gln BC and then moved into a 29 gln BC about 3 months ago. I have SPS (not the greatest color), LPS, Softies and a RBTA (most recent addition). My nitrates are at 0. Dont know about phospate, and Mag. My Alk is at 7 and Ca is around 400.

 

-Lohitha-

 

I also can't see it from here but it is odd that your nitrates would be zero in a 2 year old reef.

[albertthiel]

That clownfish is definately cool. He has better teeth than I do.

 

Just now I changed the way I pump oxygen into the tank. I installed an extra air inlet in one of the air pumps that supplies my skimmer and I connected the oxidator output to it. I also added a much larger catalyst to the thing so it is making much more oxygen. I am using 3% hydrogen peroxide but I want to go with 35% and a much bigger catalyst. Soon I will be generating manamounts of oxygen, it's a good thing I don't smoke. I just need some time to do that but it is generating quite a bit of oxygen and pumping it right into the skimmer where it mixes with the ozone. What that will do, if anything is anybody's guess but I am fairly sure I won't notice any difference.

I found a dried up fish on the floor before. It looks like a codfish but I think it is a chalk bass. Oh well, better him than me. I gave him an opportunity to live a long and happy life but he chose freedom. I lose a lot of fish like that, they think they can fly. I don't take this personally because if you spend time at the sea, you will know that fish jump all the time, but in the sea, they usually fall back into the water.

 

Sorry about the Jumper ... pity it is not a large one or it could have been dinner I guess :-( Just kidding !

 

And on the oxygen injection, nice mod indeed and I guess we'll have to wait and see whether it does make any change and IMO it will but only time will tell once you have it set up with more oxygen being produced.

 

And yes 35% is obviously going to produce a LOT of oxygen, that is for sure. Not sure you want to use that strong a solution though but you can try and if it produces too much and affects the redox too much you can always dilute it.

 

Nice clown indeed ... but now I have to spend money on Floss and find a fish dentist !!!

 

Albert

[nanoreefnate]

What's your take on the use of purified natural seawater taken from California's coast for use as water change for nano tanks? Many LFS's in my area carry it, but I'm beginning to think that my bacteria blooms are coming from the NSW as opposed to something else in my tank.

[albertthiel]

What's your take on the use of purified natural seawater taken from California's coast for use as water change for nano tanks? Many LFS's in my area carry it, but I'm beginning to think that my bacteria blooms are coming from the NSW as opposed to something else in my tank.

 

Are they not treating that water before selling it ... normally it gets run through a UV filter before getting sold IME. You may want to ask them as if it is not treated at all then yes that could lead to a bacterial bloom depending on what is in that water you add to your aquarium.

 

Can't remember reading that you were using NSW in your original message but I may have missed it ... I would call them and ask and let us know what they tell you. Thanks.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Watch a close-up Video of a massive Spawning event on the Reef

 

National Geographic video : quite a sight to enjoy

 

 

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/invertebrates-animals/other-invertebrates/deadliest-zombie-snails/

 

 

Albert

[nanoreefnate]

Are they not treating that water before selling it ... normally it gets run through a UV filter before getting sold IME. You may want to ask them as if it is not treated at all then yes that could lead to a bacterial bloom depending on what is in that water you add to your aquarium.

 

Can't remember reading that you were using NSW in your original message but I may have missed it ... I would call them and ask and let us know what they tell you. Thanks.

 

Albert

I used to work at the LFS where I get my water and I can remember the owners saying that the guy that delivers the water gets it from a tap straight from Santa Cruz Bay once. I don't remember them mentioning it going through a UV. They do boost the Mag and Cal levels though.

 

Sorry I didn't mention that I use NSW in my original post. I'll ask them when I go there today.

[albertthiel]

 

 

Albert:

 

My little reef is now about 2 yrs old. I started as a 14 gln BC and then moved into a 29 gln BC about 3 months ago. I have SPS (not the greatest color), LPS, Softies and a RBTA (most recent addition). My nitrates are at 0. Dont know about phospate, and Mag. My Alk is at 7 and Ca is around 400.

 

-Lohitha-

 

I also can't see it from here but it is odd that your nitrates would be zero in a 2 year old reef.

 

Lohitha :

 

What brand of test kit are you using if I may ask as if you are not using a low range set of test kits it is highly likely that it will show a 0.00-ppm level for Nitrates and Phosphates when in fact the levels are higher ... API is one brand that is ok for general use but does not give you the low range readings needed for Reef tanks.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I used to work at the LFS where I get my water and I can remember the owners saying that the guy that delivers the water gets it from a tap straight from Santa Cruz Bay once. I don't remember them mentioning it going through a UV. They do boost the Mag and Cal levels though.

 

Sorry I didn't mention that I use NSW in my original post. I'll ask them when I go there today.

 

Not quite sure I understand : "from a tap" .. ... and if they went out in the Bay do you know how far they went out and from how deep they were drawing the water ? And then as I said: how was the water treated after collection? Was it just filtered and if so how, was it put through UV or Ozone, GAC, etc ...

 

I think that you should get as much information as you can about this NSW before using it as it may not be of good enough quality for your tank. That is just my opinion of course based on what we know about that sea water so far.

 

I believe that Paul uses NSW at times also and he may be able to chime in here as well.

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I take water from the ocean and usually filter it through a coffee filter just to remove the numerous tiny jellyfish and floating stuff we sometimes have. Then I test the salinity because usually it is a little low and I have to add a little ASW. After it warms to the correct temp. I dump it in.

I just walk out here in my Speedo with a bucket.

There is only supposed to be one picture but I can't delete it.

 

[wavemaster]

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

My Hawkfishes colour is normal again! I am thinking I better just stick with the hawk and the 2 clownfish for now in the biocube 29. I don't know of any fish that I could add with these 3 aggressive fish in my reef?. My crab, snails, and blood shrimp are still doing well and so far not bothered by the hawk. Thanks for the help.

[albertthiel]

I take water from the ocean and usually filter it through a coffee filter just to remove the numerous tiny jellyfish and floating stuff we sometimes have. Then I test the salinity because usually it is a little low and I have to add a little ASW. After it warms to the correct temp. I dump it in.

I just walk out here in my Speedo with a bucket.

There is only supposed to be one picture but I can't delete it.

 

Well I guess your tank can deal with just about anything you put in the tank :=) And as to how to treat NSW there seem to be so many different methods suggested that one has to make up one's own mind and decide what to do based on where it came from and where it was collected and whether it was from an incoming tide or not ...

 

When I lived in CT and used it I would run it through GAC and sterilizer but that is only one of the methods of course, after filtering it like you do to remove particulate and whatever else floats around in it, whether we can see it or not.

 

FWIW

[Paul.b]

Albert it would make no sense for me to sterilize my water then throw in mud and amphipods from the Sound.

Here are 5 gallons of amphipods, mud and water right from the Sound. I dump this in my reef all the time and feel that the bacteria in this is the key to what is missing in many tanks. Of course I do not mean to say that everyone should do this but I have proof that at least in my tank, it works. I personally do not think a sterile tank is healthy and I also feel it is always on the verge of crashing.

Bacteria are the force in our systems that control the health of the inhabitants. Bacteria cover virtually everything including our fish and corals. If you only have the bacteria from the LFS where you bought your coral it is woefully limited in types of bacteria. A LFS gets it's animals from a whole saler who gets it from a shipper who gets it from a holding facility on an Island someplace who gets it from some guy on a little boat. All of this moving and shipping I am certain allows a good portion of bacteria to die or at the least some of the bacterial strains will outnumber other strains who may like living in styrofoam boxes in the dark.

Bacteria from the sea is healthy, natural and diverse.

This of course is my opinion as I am not the God of bacteria and neither is Paris Hilton.

 

[albertthiel]

My Hawkfishes colour is normal again! I am thinking I better just stick with the hawk and the 2 clownfish for now in the biocube 29. I don't know of any fish that I could add with these 3 aggressive fish in my reef?. My crab, snails, and blood shrimp are still doing well and so far not bothered by the hawk. Thanks for the help.

 

Well I am sure glad to read that he got his color back, and I can only assume that maybe he was stressed for some reason, which is one of the reasons that they lose their color.

 

And yes you are right, for now it is probably best not to add any other fish as with those 3 it is going to be difficult to introduce any fish only to find out that the Clowns and the Hawkfish start to chase it around.

 

It may not be that easy to find a fish to add, but let's see how things go for a few days, and I'll give it some thought and see whether I can make some suggestions.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Albert it would make no sense for me to sterilize my water then throw in mud and amphipods from the Sound.

 

Here are 5 gallons of amphipods, mud and water right from the Sound. I dump this in my reef all the time and feel that the bacteria in this is the key to what is missing in many tanks.

 

Of course I do not mean to say that everyone should do this but I have proof that at least in my tank, it works. I personally do not think a sterile tank is healthy and I also feel it is always on the verge of crashing.

 

Bacteria are the force in our systems that control the health of the inhabitants. Bacteria cover virtually everything including our fish and corals.

 

If you only have the bacteria from the LFS where you bought your coral it is woefully limited in types of bacteria.

 

A LFS gets it's animals from a whole saler who gets it from a shipper who gets it from a holding facility on an Island someplace who gets it from some guy on a little boat.

 

All of this moving and shipping I am certain allows a good portion of bacteria to die or at the least some of the bacterial strains will outnumber other strains who may like living in styrofoam boxes in the dark.

 

Bacteria from the sea is healthy, natural and diverse.

 

This of course is my opinion as I am not the God of bacteria and neither is Paris Hilton.

 

Well we know Paul that in your system it works, and it has for some 42 years if not more, and as I wrote when the weather gets better and you get a chance to send me some of the mud, water, and whatever else is in it, I am willing to run the test on my 20 gallon tank and follow what you do and see what effect that will have. Hopefully that will be positive too although I may have to do it several times before seeing a difference. Not sure but we'll see I guess.

 

I certainly do not disagree on the statement you make about bacteria as that is indeed what keeps our systems going, meaning our corals and other life forms and our filters too.

 

I will adjust whatever comes in when it does (no rush) for temp, and s.g. and whatever else I need to adjust of course and run it through a filter if needed if you have not done so yet before sending it.

 

I think I still have the message on how you handle it and how you put it in your tank but if not I will let you know.

 

Thanks for your clarification .... and it sure will be an interesting experiment to conduct on a small reef.

 

Albert

[zemuss]

I have always had an issue keeping SPS in my tank.

 

Parameters don't change much and are:

Calcium 450

Alk 9-10

MG 1480

Phos 0

SG 1.025

Ph around 7.9

 

I ruled out copper, electric shock and ph swing. What else should I look for to correct?

 

I am currently running a 250 watt Metal Hailed which is on for 8 hours a day.

 

"Z"

[albertthiel]

Factors controlling the Expansion Behavior of Favia favus: Effects of Light, Flow and Planktonic Prey in the Water column

 

A Technical Article (full version)

 

Link: http://www.biolbull.org/content/200/2/118.full

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I have always had an issue keeping SPS in my tank.

 

Parameters don't change much and are:

Calcium 450

Alk 9-10

MG 1480

Phos 0

SG 1.025

Ph around 7.9

 

I ruled out copper, electric shock and ph swing. What else should I look for to correct?

 

I am currently running a 250 watt Metal Hailed which is on for 8 hours a day.

 

"Z"

 

Before I can answer Z I need some more info from you:

 

- how large is the tank and how deep is it?

- how strong is the flow in the tank?

- what other corals are you keeping in that tank?

- is the 7.9 pH a morning reading or an evening reading?

- how high above the water is that MH?

 

And maybe if you can post a picture that would be helpful as well. Thanks

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Pathogens Identified for White Syndrome Epizootics in Corals

 

A technical paper (full version) - PLOS ONE

 

Link : http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002393

 

Albert