THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[albertthiel]

Albert I still have that copy I think. On the back cover is a picture of my tank. I also don't remember what the article was about.

I probably read your articles as I used to get it in the mail and read al of them.

 

While Miss Hilton most likely has excellent autopsy skills I have yet to send her any specimins to examine. Maybe in the future.

 

Well I am sure it was about your tank :-) but you may have written so many that you don't remember that specific one ... that's more than likely what it is IMO.

 

And on Miss Hilton ... I am not sure she knows what a fish or coral actually is :-) She does not seem to be that interested in that kind of stuff although lately her dog interests have caught people's attention, which is better than what it was that she was on TV for all the time ....

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Thanks Paul. That is really interesting. I have done fish dissections, along with frogs, worms, fetal pigs in Anatomy and Physiology class but it never occured to me to do a necropsy on the little wrasse. I will make a mental note of this and probably will look closer at any mystery deaths in the future.

I also have a microscope which I can use to look at gills. Recently I used it to look at Cironalid isopods I found in a new pico I set up. The new pico had liverock from my LFS and boy am I glad I did not put those in with Skipper.

 

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/cirolanid_isopod.html

 

Yes lucky you are indeed as those "fish lice" as they are often referred to are not only nasty but come in small and real large sizes and are very fast too and can hook into a fish that swims by them with two hooklike claws in the front.

 

Oddly enough there are a lot that are harmless, but the problem is that we cannot tell the difference ... so out they go if you saw one. Nasty things they are for sure.

 

Big eyes they have usually too .. here is a pic of one ... and ... not from my aquarium ...

 

 

And a Large One :

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Albert:

 

Following are my PH readings.

 

Before lights off: 8.4

In the morning: 8.3

 

I have fuge light (back chamber in the BC29) on during the night hours for Chaeto.

 

Those are good readings ... and the fuge-like area obviously helps in keeping the pH swings to a minimum.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I did a disection last night. I had flounder and a dozen clams for dinner. The flounder died a noble death as did the clams and I didn't see anything wrong with them.

I also had a few anchovies just because I could.

 

That is a different kind of dissection I would think but glad you enjoyed it .. btw I love anchovies and sometimes order them on pizza. A bit salty but that does not bother me ...

 

I guess fish and the like is really about all you eat right ... !

 

So just for you :

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Aquarium Fish are found to be more resistant to Antibiotics a Study done by an Oregon Research Team finds, exposing humans to potentially catching diseases

 

(article is translated from Dutch but is in English)

 

Link : http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?client=tmpg&depth=1&hl=en&langpair=nl%7Cen&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&u=http://www.aquariuminfo.nl/blog/aquariumvissen-ontwikkelen-weerstand-tegen-antibiotica/%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Daquariumvissen-ontwikkelen-weerstand-tegen-antibiotica&usg=ALkJrhgQAs5QbWxz3GhSRRXbHbQEF4rnFw

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

Tonight I am going to a restaurant called Bacala's. Guess what I will be eating?

[albertthiel]

Tonight I am going to a restaurant called Bacala's. Guess what I will be eating?

 

Cod maybe ... Amalfi style maybe or alla Vicentina ... Gee wish I was there ...

 

Albert

[zemuss]

Ok so I just tested my ph which is 7.8 with the light on at 7 pm..

 

I think I found the problem. Now to get going on resolving it before the corals start receding again.

[albertthiel]

Ok so I just tested my ph which is 7.8 with the light on at 7 pm..

 

I think I found the problem. Now to get going on resolving it before the corals start receding again.

 

Well that is low indeed for an evening reading ... what is the problem you mention you found if I may ask?

 

Was it the CO₂ issue or is it something else. Do let me know what you are going to do to fix it. Thanks.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Ever seen a Sea Urchin eating a Cookie ?

 

 

 

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Videos of the Green Brittle Star of Death Feeding

 

There are a number of videos you can watch

 

 

http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/ophiarachna-predatory-brittle-star.html

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

 

Hey Albert,

I asked the guys at my LFS where the NSW comes from and it's source is from Half Moon Bay, CA. They didn't know much else so I will have to go back when the owners get back to the store. What I have noticed is that their water is very cloudy when introduced to my tank. I did not clean the rocks with a turkey baster this time around. The water was crystal clear before the change and after, it was cloudy even 8 hours after the WC. I'm thinking about switching over to ESV's B-ionic Seawater system. Do you have any comment on that particular salt or recommend any specific salts?

 

Additionally, can I get your comment on my current sump setup? Should I change anything or do you see any blaring flaws in the design? Thanks.

 

*Note that the sponges are in the baffles due to the copious/annoying amount of microbubbles my Tunze 9004 is creating. I'm hoping on obtaining a new skimmer soon due to the hardships I've been through with my current one.

DIY 10G Sump by NMB.Photography, on Flickr

 

Will get back to you on the Sump in the morning as I have not had time to really take a good look at it ... have been working on the book most of the day.

 

Albert

[zemuss]

Well that is low indeed for an evening reading ... what is the problem you mention you found if I may ask?

 

Was it the CO₂ issue or is it something else. Do let me know what you are going to do to fix it. Thanks.

 

Albert

 

Well since I am getting a Ph reading of 7.8 I think adding a CO2 scrubber will help remove the CO2 in the air.

 

I have the plans to make it and will be adding this to the tank tomorrow.

 

Only thing I need to do is stop by the local dive shop to get my some Soda Lime.

 

Let me know if I am on the right track because I would rather add a scrubber than introduce another chemical in my tank. I am the type that questions everything before adding it. For instance I had about an hour discussion with the LFS guy before even purchasing any type of Cal or Alk dosing solutions.

 

"Z"

[albertthiel]

Yes the CO2 scrubber is the way to go. If the shop you are going to does not have the soda lime see if you can find an Airgas Co. In your area

 

Albert

Sent from my IPhone

[eitallent]

Ever seen a Sea Urchin eating a Cookie ?

 

Albert

If you give a sea urchin a cookie he will want a glass of milk.

[zhuangcg]

Hello Everyone,

I find myself in need of a new algae eater for my 28 gallon reef tank. We're having issues with our beloved hermit crabs ganging up and killing snails that wander into the crabs territories. Since the crabs are so well-loved, getting rid of them is not an option. The easiest solution would be to just buy a handful of snails every few months to keep their numbers up in the face of predation. However, I would prefer not to buy creatures that I know will be killed by their tankmates. Given the above constraints, I have been considering purchasing a small sea urchin. I have been reading about different types and I am finding a lot of contradictory information about them.

 

Here is a link to one that I have been considering,

http://sealifeinc.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=197

 

Do you think this would be a helpful addition to my tank? Would it be able to resist the attentions of our two blue legged hermit crabs and the other two red legged hermit crabs? Is there something better?

 

Thanks.

[jedimasterben]

Hello Everyone,

I find myself in need of a new algae eater for my 28 gallon reef tank. We're having issues with our beloved hermit crabs ganging up and killing snails that wander into the crabs territories. Since the crabs are so well-loved, getting rid of them is not an option. The easiest solution would be to just buy a handful of snails every few months to keep their numbers up in the face of predation. However, I would prefer not to buy creatures that I know will be killed by their tankmates. Given the above constraints, I have been considering purchasing a small sea urchin. I have been reading about different types and I am finding a lot of contradictory information about them.

 

Here is a link to one that I have been considering,

http://sealifeinc.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=197

 

Do you think this would be a helpful addition to my tank? Would it be able to resist the attentions of our two blue legged hermit crabs and the other two red legged hermit crabs? Is there something better?

 

Thanks.

Please don't put an urchin in your 28g tank unless it looks like this all the time:

 

If you don't want the hermits to kill your CUC, then the hermits have to go. Snails are an integral part of a CUC, far better than hermits.

[Paul.b]

My urchins are very helpful in decorating my tank for me.

 

[albertthiel]

Hi, Gena. As a matter of fact, the first night I had him he was behaving nervously, swimming zig zag, left to right, up and down. I was concerned that he may jump out so I did have the tank covered. When I turned out the lights I heard splashing like he jumped up but did not see him hit anything. However, a bump resulting from all that thrashing may have been a cause for internal damage.

 

Thank you all for all your support. Losing our livestock is the worst part of this hobby, or any hobby that involves animals for that matter.

 

Yes that was not a good sign indeed and you are right any loss is too much of a loss. Sorry again for what happened.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Well since I am getting a Ph reading of 7.8 I think adding a CO2 scrubber will help remove the CO2 in the air.

 

I have the plans to make it and will be adding this to the tank tomorrow.

 

Only thing I need to do is stop by the local dive shop to get my some Soda Lime.

 

Let me know if I am on the right track because I would rather add a scrubber than introduce another chemical in my tank. I am the type that questions everything before adding it. For instance I had about an hour discussion with the LFS guy before even purchasing any type of Cal or Alk dosing solutions.

 

"Z"

 

Not sure why when I responded the system did not include your message but here was my response :

 

Yes the CO2 scrubber is the way to go. If the shop you are going to does not have the soda lime see if you can find an Airgas Co. In your area

 

Airgas is national and they have distributors all around the country.

 

Also Two Little Fishes sells a product called CDX which is also for scrubbing CO2.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

If you give a sea urchin a cookie he will want a glass of milk.

 

Yes I guess so ... Had never seen an Urchin eat cookies though :-) I guess something new comes up every day ! Did not look like it was PS'ed to me ... but who knows what cookie it was ...not chocolate chip but maybe algae I guess. Odd indeed.

 

Albert

[atoll]

Morning all well afternoon in the UK.

 

I have a certain reputation around here for picking up bargains and I did so again a couple of days ago. I was in a local charity shop (not sure if you have them or what you call them in the US etc) I came across the following item for all of £5 thats about $8 to you in the US.

 

 

If you look carefully you will see it is made by a company called Eschenbach a German company. They make excellent optical devices and are not cheap to buy.I checked them out on the net after getting them home and although £5 is quite expensive for a charity shop item it is a great bargain. The magnifying heads are £30 and £27 each respectively not to mention the holder complete with batteries and light to illuminate whatever you wish to magnify. The magnifying heads are 6x and 10x magnification.

[albertthiel]

Hello Everyone,

I find myself in need of a new algae eater for my 28 gallon reef tank. We're having issues with our beloved hermit crabs ganging up and killing snails that wander into the crabs territories. Since the crabs are so well-loved, getting rid of them is not an option. The easiest solution would be to just buy a handful of snails every few months to keep their numbers up in the face of predation. However, I would prefer not to buy creatures that I know will be killed by their tankmates. Given the above constraints, I have been considering purchasing a small sea urchin. I have been reading about different types and I am finding a lot of contradictory information about them.

 

Here is a link to one that I have been considering,

http://sealifeinc.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=197

 

Do you think this would be a helpful addition to my tank? Would it be able to resist the attentions of our two blue legged hermit crabs and the other two red legged hermit crabs? Is there something better?

 

Thanks.

 

I would not put an Urchin in a small tank as it needs very large amounts of algae and you will need to keep supplying it with additional ones as there will not be enough of them in the tank once it has taken care of what is there. I notice that the one you refer to is called a nano urchin but I am not sure how large those get and how voraciously they will eat your algae and whether algae growth can keep up with its needs.

 

Hermits are not my favorite as they do turn on you at times and are not that predictable even if in general it is believed that they will focus on your algae and nothing else. That is IME not the case, they turn on you and start feeding on whatever they find and snails are one of those opportunistic foods they will go for, and as Ben stated you need snails in your tank.

 

IMO you need to either reduce the number of Hermits you have to maybe 1 or so or remove all of them so you when you add new snails they do not get preyed on and consumed by your Hermits.

 

What Hermits do you have BTW as that makes a difference too, some are not as opportunistic in their feeding habits as others.

 

IMO best is to remove them and add new snails and not add an Urchin unless you can find a lot more info on those small ones and determine how much algae they consume and whether you can actually keep them alive by supplementing the tank with seaweed in sheets or in another form.

 

Urchins gnaw on algae all the time and it is amazing how much they can actually consume so as Ben stated unless you have tons of algae that will IMO not be a good way to go, but do some research on that Nano one by emailing or calling the sellers and finding out more about them. I am going to try and look up what I can find later this morning as I only just got back from an early breakfast meeting and have not had the time to look into it.

 

If you know what Hermits you have do let us know and if you have some pics of them you may want to post them here. Thanks

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Please don't put an urchin in your 28g tank unless it looks like this all the time:

 

If you don't want the hermits to kill your CUC, then the hermits have to go. Snails are an integral part of a CUC, far better than hermits.

 

That looks like an awfully small Urchin but not sure how large it gets ... I emailed the seller and asked a few more questions and if I get an answer I'll post it here.

 

But yes Ben ... they need a constant supply of algae and after a few days there may not be any left in the tank for it to consume, and not sure whether that Urchin will eat seaweed in sheet form that can be added to the tank.

 

And I guess you have seen my comments on Hermits .. I think they are very unpredictable, and often become opportunistic feeders as opposed to algae eaters. It is not the first time I see posts about Hermits eradicating snails in a tank, and even more than that, and picking on Zoas and whatever else they decide to take a fancy to. I do not trust them as reef-safe. Some may never do anything else but eat algae, but is it worth the risk since so many do feed on whatever they take fancy to.

 

Good point on removing them and adding more snails of various types. Nerite, Cerite and Dwarf Cerite, Nassarius and Astrea (although those can get fairly large). Reefcleaners.org has a large selection of tank cleaners for zhuangcg as you know and I am sure have seen.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

My urchins are very helpful in decorating my tank for me.

 

Yes they sure like to "redecorate" that is for sure, and if your rocks are not held together well they will make them tumble as they are real good "bulldozers" but I know, Paul, in your case they could not do so as everything is well held together, but others may not have that kind of arrangement, and those Urchins can move rocks far larger than what one imagines !

 

Thanks for the post

 

Albert