albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I quarantined in about 1979 or so, then I got smart and started to think like a fish and realized that a fishes immune system works in a few different parts of a fish, unlike us. Fish even manufacture antibodies in the glands that produce slime. If the fish doesn't have the correct food, that slime is devoid of antibodies which is why there are so many threads on ich, black ich, white ich, ich, ich, velvet, cordoroy, dropsy, fin rot, diptheria, etc. I wonder why my fish have had none of those things in over 3 decades. I must be the luckiest guy in this hobby because I am not that good looking so I know it is not that. Feed "empty" type foods and the fishes will get in the state you describe, and will even develop swim bladder disease due to malnutrition, but feed "wholesome" foods, as you say, and it will not happen ! No fish should become disease if the right foods are fed regularly, and as you have pointed out, and Les as well, feed small quantities but often, 3 or more times a day (if possible) but as has been stated 3 times should be easy to accomplish. To repeat how it can be done : feed early in the morning, feed when you get home from work, and feed again a few hours later. And there you have 3 feedings. And you can even add a 4th one if you feed before you call it a day, even if the lights are out but not for too long ... of course if you feed at night (corals) some of your fish will benefit from that food as well. Add fish oil, use live foods, use clam and/or mussel slivers, or use a real commercial complete food, and I am starting to see some good results using the LRS new all natural ones that are now on the market, and that I posted about yesterday. Thanks Paul, the more followers on this thread read this, the better ... Albert Here is a pic of the new LRS food for Nanos Note this is for info purposes ... Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Critter LED Torch ... I have a limited supply of the Red LED Critter Torches and am making them available "at cost" (device, shipping box, and postage) for the US $12.50 and for Canada US $17.50. Includes shipping cost. Order via paypal account a.thiel@att.net and specify Critter Torch. The device got great reviews on Reef builders ... 1 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Other benefits of feeding "natural" foods inc. Easy to prepare yourself. Easy to obtain if not fresh then frozen. Can be frozen when made. Can be frozen into small small feed portions or simply broken off or grated as needed. No fillers. Plenty of choice IE. squid, mussel, clam (cockles to us brits) shrimp, prawn,white bait/silver sides, Cheap to make compared with commercially prepared foods for reef fish and inverts. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Other benefits of feeding "natural" foods inc. Easy to prepare yourself. Easy to obtain if not fresh then frozen. Can be frozen when made. Can be frozen into small small feed portions or simply broken off or grated as needed. No fillers. Plenty of choice IE. squid, mussel, clam (cockles to us brits) shrimp, prawn,white bait/silver sides, Cheap to make compared with commercially prepared foods for reef fish and inverts. Thanks Les +1 Albert Quote Link to comment
andi.rahl Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Any update on the snail ? Sounds like it may have been fine if it was able to close its operculum ... And on the coral ... give it some time ... the shock of whatever happened may take time for it to get over it and back to normal. And yes I agree ... one takes perfect care of a tank and then equipment fails .. unfortunately it happens ... not much we can do about it except deal with it as best as we can ... remember when heaters used to stick and overheat our tanks ... seems like you had something similar but with a filter pump and yes with those lights too but that was really due to the power failures. It is upsetting for sure but don't give up .. we all had problems of some sort happen to us ... Albert he didn't make it. I did what the other poster suggested and smelled things. my undata didn't smell bad yesterday but it does today. I still am trying to figure out of my zoas are okay or not - if they are, they're the only things that made it. the shrimp died last night and the hermit crab did, too. I was surprised yesterday since it was my first time mixing saltwater and it came out just right - to match the sg of the water I had been buying from a lfs! Unfortunately between getting everything dead out and the water change, it still doesn't change the fact that I lost everything I just bought. huh, I didn't know that heaters would stick and overheat! I never had to use heaters on my tanks at my mother's because my room was above the garage so it was always a couple of degrees warmer than the rest of the house. It tended to keep any of the tanks I had (just freshwater, though) at the right temps. I'll keep trying, I was enjoying it when everything was going well. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Fighting Conch - - - Strombus alatus Video Watch it roam around and feed ... Albert 3 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 he didn't make it. I did what the other poster suggested and smelled things. my undata didn't smell bad yesterday but it does today. I still am trying to figure out of my zoas are okay or not - if they are, they're the only things that made it. the shrimp died last night and the hermit crab did, too. I was surprised yesterday since it was my first time mixing saltwater and it came out just right - to match the sg of the water I had been buying from a lfs! Unfortunately between getting everything dead out and the water change, it still doesn't change the fact that I lost everything I just bought. huh, I didn't know that heaters would stick and overheat! I never had to use heaters on my tanks at my mother's because my room was above the garage so it was always a couple of degrees warmer than the rest of the house. It tended to keep any of the tanks I had (just freshwater, though) at the right temps. I'll keep trying, I was enjoying it when everything was going well. It is always sad to loose life forms, especially when it is not due to something that "you" did wrong or did not do ... and in your case it was equipment failure, which makes it even harder to accept, but do not give up ... Get the water quality back where it should be and let the system stabilize and then add new life forms slowly. Sorry to read about all your losses and I know how you feel. I empathize with your feelings. But as I said, it does happen and has happened to most of us at some point or another ... Keep at it at ... you will get there ... I know it is hard to deal with but that is sometimes how it goes unfortunately ... Albert 3 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Acropora and Flatworms ... Suggested remedy by this author is an iodine dip ... FWIW Link : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4818 Albert Quote Link to comment
kendrid Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 huh, I didn't know that heaters would stick and overheat! I never had to use heaters on my tanks at my mother's because my room was above the garage so it was always a couple of degrees warmer than the rest of the house. It tended to keep any of the tanks I had (just freshwater, though) at the right temps. Heaters are evil. I lost 90% of my first freshwater tank to a stuck heater. I walked into my home and it smelled like cooked fish (because there were cooked fish). You do not need to buy a fancy controller though. You can get an external heater controller to use with a heater. Set the heater's thermostat a few degrees higher than you want the tank at then set the external controller to the temp you want. If the controller fails your heater's thermostat will kick in. If the heater fails you won't know because the external controller will keep the temperature in check. I have an Neptune Apex on my discus tank and I am in the process of moving it to my new reef tank. I bought a Finnex external heater controller and hooked it up yesterday. The left side of this graph is the Apex controlling the temp. I let it swing 1 degree on purpose. The middle is me dialing in the new Finnex controller. The right side is the controller on it's own. The Finnex appears to have a .5 degree temperature window which is impressive. A Finnex controller for a nano tank is around $30 I believe. This one was for a 500w heater so it was $40. 3 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Heaters are evil. I lost 90% of my first freshwater tank to a stuck heater. I walked into my home and it smelled like cooked fish (because there were cooked fish). You do not need to buy a fancy controller though. You can get an external heater controller to use with a heater. Set the heater's thermostat a few degrees higher than you want the tank at then set the external controller to the temp you want. If the controller fails your heater's thermostat will kick in. If the heater fails you won't know because the external controller will keep the temperature in check. I have an Neptune Apex on my discus tank and I am in the process of moving it to my new reef tank. I bought a Finnex external heater controller and hooked it up yesterday. The left side of this graph is the Apex controlling the temp. I let it swing 1 degree on purpose. The middle is me dialing in the new Finnex controller. The right side is the controller on it's own. The Finnex appears to have a .5 degree temperature window which is impressive. A Finnex controller for a nano tank is around $30 I believe. This one was for a 500w heater so it was $40. Thanks for that post and I agree heaters can be unpredictable indeed and "cook" your tank, so buying a high quality one is definitely a good idea, but better yet is having the external controller as you state, and of course have the multi-purpose one such as the Apex or Neptune or other still is even better ... Thanks for posting the graph that shows the temps and how your unit controls the temp. Of course not everyone invests in a full fledged controller so having an external thermostat that is more reliable than a regular heater is definitely a good addition to any tank .. I appreciate the post and info. Albert 2 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 The Coral Sea and its many Life Forms Explored ... Link : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4784 Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Why do Clownfish suddenly stop spawning ? No real reasons know but some clues here as to why it can and may happen Link : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3769 Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 After using the Red LED Critter Torch a day ago, and as I posted, I noticed an Aiptasia that I had not seen during the day. To show what remains of it after I used the Majano want to "zap" it I had to turn the rock it was on a bit so you can see what remains of it now ... I used the Majano Wand and hit it with its "zap" a few times and the white spot below on the rock is all that is left ... given the # of hits I gave it I don't think it will be back at all .... (shot enlarged for clarity .. To the left you can see one of the many many tiny dusters that populate that rock) Albert 3 Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 As to fish nutrition I feel that if you could feed fish at least three times a day with good food, meaning some live food, and whole foods like clams and no flakes, the fish will be forced to get into breeding condition and never get sick. You will also have to step on such fish to get them to stop spawning because all that extra food goes into egg production and egg production forces the fish to have a fantastic immune system. How do I know? I know, just work with me here. Good food a few times a day = no disease. Good food does not mean good flakes, oor good pellets although these could be used as long as the other foods I mentioned are used a couple of times a day. I have an automatic feeder that puts fish oil infused pellets into my tank for the fish that eat at night, but during the day they get live worms and live baby brine. My 19 year old fireclowns won't stop spawning as almost all my fish. I had to stop playing Tony Bennet music because the fish were to amorous and even the female fish couldn't stop staring at me. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 As to fish nutrition I feel that if you could feed fish at least three times a day with good food, meaning some live food, and whole foods like clams and no flakes, the fish will be forced to get into breeding condition and never get sick. You will also have to step on such fish to get them to stop spawning because all that extra food goes into egg production and egg production forces the fish to have a fantastic immune system. How do I know? I know, just work with me here. Good food a few times a day = no disease. Good food does not mean good flakes, oor good pellets although these could be used as long as the other foods I mentioned are used a couple of times a day. I have an automatic feeder that puts fish oil infused pellets into my tank for the fish that eat at night, but during the day they get live worms and live baby brine. My 19 year old fireclowns won't stop spawning as almost all my fish. I had to stop playing Tony Bennet music because the fish were to amorous and even the female fish couldn't stop staring at me. I couldn't agree with yoo more Paul .... BTW what kind of pellets are you feeding ... some you make or are they a commercial brand ? Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 A Very Comprehensive Article on Centropyge Angel Fish © Dave Wolfenden Link : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5604 Albert Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 I couldn't agree with yoo more Paul .... BTW what kind of pellets are you feeding ... some you make or are they a commercial brand ? Albert Some kind of soft commercial pellets, I put a little fish oil on them and let it soak in a day or so. This is weird, my large 4" watchman gobi first of all turned yellow, he was always brown. My last pair started yellow and then turned brown. But he always hid in the back and I wasn't even sure if he was still alive, but now I see he is in the same burrow with my striped shrimp gobi and the shrimp. The small shrimp gobi has to hang around at the entrance because he can't fit. I can't imagine how much room they have in there. Also my possum wrasse that I also thought bit the dust because I never see him is alive and fat as he came out today to eat worms and he is a huge lover of them. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 A Member wants to know where the cover image of my Book : Nano-Reef Aquariums came from This is the image without the text and it is a picture of Randi's (FlCandy) Tank and the work for the cover was done by her Husband Andrew (thanks again) but besides adding text, he also embedded some other life forms in the image .... if you look at the book's cover you may be able to find them but you will have to look real real carefully ... Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Some kind of soft commercial pellets, I put a little fish oil on them and let it soak in a day or so. This is weird, my large 4" watchman gobi first of all turned yellow, he was always brown. My last pair started yellow and then turned brown. But he always hid in the back and I wasn't even sure if he was still alive, but now I see he is in the same burrow with my striped shrimp gobi and the shrimp. The small shrimp gobi has to hang around at the entrance because he can't fit. I can't imagine how much room they have in there. Also my possum wrasse that I also thought bit the dust because I never see him is alive and fat as he came out today to eat worms and he is a huge lover of them. Well Paul glad to read that your Possum Wrasse is starting to become a little more daring, and showing its presence at feeding time ... guess it got used to the tank and is now comfortable enough in it to make an appearance for you ... of course it is more interested in the worms of course :-o And on the Gobies ... color changes are not unusual but that may just be temporary .. or it depends on which species you have and what its color is to be as it matures. Or it depends on whether the lights are on or not for some of them ... Thanks for the info on pellets ... guess it is just a basic pellet food then but it is the fish oil added that makes it more than just a basic food. Albert Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 This little yellow guy. http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/tank007.jpg.html'> Became one of these guys. http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/2008reef011.jpg.html'> But the one I have now reversed the colors 3 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 This little yellow guy. Became one of these guys. But the one I have now reversed the colors Very nice Paul, they really look good, and on the color change: there can be many reasons IME including sex change, adaption to lighting intensity, pair formation, courtship, aging and getting to adulthood ... and more still .. I have not seen a definitive article though that explains it in detail and that has been studied on a repeated basis to validate the reasons given. Most of what one finds is more than likely anecdotal or can be attributed to one of the reasons given above ... You may have seen this article before, but this one IS comprehensive on Gobies ... Here is the link : http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/ Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Keeping Sun Corals in the Aquarium - Several Genus' of Tubastrea .... It takes a truly dedicated Hobbyist ... © Dave Wolfenden Link : http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5631 Albert Quote Link to comment
ExSmoker Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Off topic but, when or did the 2nd Albert Newsletter come out? 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Off topic but, when or did the 2nd Albert Newsletter come out? Thanks for asking. No it has not come out yet but it is being sent out in about 3 days .. Tuesday more than likely. It will come as an attachment to an email to all who have the Book and get a free copy of the Newsletter. Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Very nice Paul, they really look good, and on the color change: there can be many reasons IME including sex change, adaption to lighting intensity, pair formation, courtship, aging and getting to adulthood ... and more still .. I have not seen a definitive article though that explains it in detail and that has been studied on a repeated basis to validate the reasons given. Most of what one finds is more than likely anecdotal or can be attributed to one of the reasons given above ... You may have seen this article before, but this one IS comprehensive on Gobies ... Here is the link : http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/ Albert That pair of watchmans lived and spawned for about 12 years then both died with in a couple of weeks of each other. Here they are about 9 years old. Notice how fat and old looking they got from the younger picture I posted a few posts above. And her eggs This is the guy that moved in with the shrimp/Gobi pair, he is twice their size [/url This is his color a couple of months ago. (notice the red scooter bleeny behind him) [url=http://s258.photobucket.com/user/urchsearch/media/IMG_1952.jpg.html] 3 Quote Link to comment
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