atoll Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 After my BIG skimmer clean (that's a big clean not a big skimmer) I am happy to report its working better than ever. I hadn't noticed the drop off in performance until I checked the skimmer cup this morning and there is 1/2" of dark skimmate in it. I often hear of people disassembling skimmers to give them a thorough clean only to have issues with them after. Well not with mine its running as good as they day I first installed it. Needless to say I am extermely pleased with the build quality, pump, performance and VFM of my Bubble Magus Curve 5 to say the least. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I just received a Alpheus randalli from Liveaquaria this past week. The darn thing hasn't even touched my sand yet, it is living at the highest point in my tank in the rocks. My yellow watchman circled it for a while then gave up and went back to his burrow. There really is not much that I can suggest if that is how it is behaving other then changing the scape around at the op and hopefully get that Shrimp to move to the lower part of the tank and find your "Goby" although the A. randalli is not one of the favorite shrimp for that Goby ... Can you post a pic of your Watchman goby as there are more than 120 species + that are referred to a Watchmen gobies and not all associate with the shrimp you have. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 After my BIG skimmer clean (that's a big clean not a big skimmer) I am happy to report its working better than ever. I hadn't noticed the drop off in performance until I checked the skimmer cup this morning and there is 1/2" of dark skimmate in it. I often hear of people disassembling skimmers to give them a thorough clean only to have issues with them after. Well not with mine its running as good as they day I first installed it. Needless to say I am extermely pleased with the build quality, pump, performance and VFM of my Bubble Magus Curve 5 to say the least. True indeed Les .. sometimes when they are cleaned they take some time to "run-in" again and start operationg normally like when they are new but I guess in your case that is not what happened at all, not based on what you report on the amount of skimmate that collects in the cup .. Good for you ... and a nice skimmer indeed ... a bit large for my tank though : ) Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Yeah its a stand in sump only skimmer Albert. They do make some HOB skimmers however. True indeed Les .. sometimes when they are cleaned they take some time to "run-in" again and start operationg normally like when they are new but I guess in your case that is not what happened at all, not based on what you report on the amount of skimmate that collects in the cup .. Good for you ... and a nice skimmer indeed ... a bit large for my tank though : ) Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Yeah its a stand in sump only skimmer Albert. They do make some HOB skimmers however. Yes indeed, I did see them at the CoralCon2013 conference where one of the Exhibitors had a whole number of those skimmers on display. Quite a selection they have indeed Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Safeguarding your System from Meltdown ... Diseases, RTN and more ... Link : http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/gh/index.php Albert Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Albert I didn't forget you. I have gone to my boat a few times but I didn't take it out of the marina yet. The water is cold and scurvy looking, maybe still from hurricane Sandy and there are no shrimp or amphipods. There is no life there at all which surprises me. But as soon as something turns up, I will send you some stuff. Paul 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Albert I didn't forget you. I have gone to my boat a few times but I didn't take it out of the marina yet. The water is cold and scurvy looking, maybe still from hurricane Sandy and there are no shrimp or amphipods. There is no life there at all which surprises me. But as soon as something turns up, I will send you some stuff. Paul Not a problem Paul, I knew you did not forget ... Electricians never do ! There is no rush and as you say if there is nothing interesting around then it would not make much sense to send a package .... Take your time when you feel that the right kind of "life and whatever else" is there. I am not in a rush and am working on a few other things right now anyway ... I appreciate the update and hope your Gobies have made "Peace". Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Hermit Crabs ... A description of some by Richard Aspinall Link : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/6/inverts Albert Quote Link to comment
kendrid Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Can you post a pic of your Watchman goby as there are more than 120 species + that are referred to a Watchmen gobies and not all associate with the shrimp you have. Albert This is my fish: If he is not one that often pairs is it safe to have another goby in the tank with this fish? If you need a full body shot to identify I can get one later. He was being very shy earlier today. This fish often swims all around the rocks, perching and watching. Thank you. To the left of the fish is a small colony of closed zoas. If you look closely you can see that they are attached to a scallop. The scallop moves around the tank I'd estimate once a week. Sometimes the zoas get enough light to open, sometimes they do not. My daughter named the scallop Flower since it often has "flowers" on it's head. 1 Quote Link to comment
andi.rahl Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 I loved it Paul ... thanks for sharing your thoughts and "deep thinking" And I guess since I am posting ATT finally fixed the DSL problem in the area here. We had been DSL'less since about 6:30 this morning when I just tried to log on to my Laptop ... oh well .. that's hi-tech for you Thanks again for those great and insightful thoughts Paul Albert our dsl was out for days here. well, out for one then in and out for another 5 days. It was frustrating. I just tether from my phone if that happens, but that's annoying too. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 our dsl was out for days here. well, out for one then in and out for another 5 days. It was frustrating. I just tether from my phone if that happens, but that's annoying too. p Yes and it can be expensive too besides being real annoying. Tethering plans usually run a lot more than data ones. Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 This is my fish: If he is not one that often pairs is it safe to have another goby in the tank with this fish? If you need a full body shot to identify I can get one later. He was being very shy earlier today. This fish often swims all around the rocks, perching and watching. Thank you. To the left of the fish is a small colony of closed zoas. If you look closely you can see that they are attached to a scallop. The scallop moves around the tank I'd estimate once a week. Sometimes the zoas get enough light to open, sometimes they do not. My daughter named the scallop Flower since it often has "flowers" on it's head. This looks like Cryptocentrus cinctus which usually associates with A. bellulus (Tiger Pistol) but should also at some point associate with A. randali so not sue what it going on if it is not ... Are you seeing any indication that the shrimp may be moving lower in the tank an closer to the Goy ? And on the Zoas ... interesting of course but I would imagine that at some point they may come off the Scallop and if not you may want to get them loose so you can keep them in a spot where they get enough light, although they not need a lot of it but do prefer more light obviously as you have noticed. Let us know on the Shrimp ... can you catch it and put it on the bottom somehow ? Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 June 9 Will be " Coral Triangle " Day where most of our Corals come From A short introductory Video http://vimeo.com/66308690# Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Not What you Want in Your Tank ... Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 If you own my Nano-Reef Aquariums Book and are a member of this Forum, the "Nano-Reef Newsletter" #3 was sent out yesterday and this morning. You should have received it by now. If not PM me with your full name and email please. Thanks Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Light Photosynthesis and Marine Invertebrates An Article by © TFH and Mike Maddox Link : http://www.tfhmagazine.com/saltwater-reef/feature-articles/lighting-photosynthesis-and-marine-invertebrates-full-article.htm Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Microbes, Nitrogen Crystals and Reef Building Corals Microscopic algae that live within reef-forming corals scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form, and slowly feed it to the coral as needed, according to a study published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. © Leonard Ho .... Advanced Aquarist Link : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/microbes-capture-store-and-release-nitrogen-to-feed-reef-building-coral Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Well .. I finally succumbed and got a better refractometer than what I had. Even though I had been calibrating mine, when I got the higher end one, and calibrated it with first distilled water, let it temp adjust for about 30 seconds and then adjusted the reading to exactly zero ppt. I then did a second calibration using 35ppt calibration solution and added 3 drops to the main prism and closed the plate on top of it again, an checked the reading ... 35 ppt. I then took some aquarium water, after cleaning the surface of the refractometer well, let it adjust for temp once more, only to find that the s.g. in my tank has slowly risen to 1.040 ! And that is even though two different Hydrometers told me it was 1.025 and 1.026. Does this mean that Hydrometers cannot be trusted? That is not what I am saying, but it would seem, as was pointed out in the past, that as they age, they go out of calibration and may not adjust for temp, which affects the reading, and may due to matter that remains inside the plastic container not give you the real s.g., as I found out using two and comparing their results over time, with one being older than the other one. With the price drops of refractometers I believe one can find a good quality one for around $70.00 or so. FWIW Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 A Detailed Article on "Refractometers" © Reefkeping.com and Randy Holmes-Farley Link : http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-12/rhf/ Albert 1 Quote Link to comment
atoll Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Albert I well recall not so long after the swinging needle hydrometers first came out. I invited a group of reefers to my home and asked them to bring their swinging needle hydrometers with them. We had 5 or 6 of them and I filled each with water from my reef tank and lined them all up together in a line. Although all the hydrometers were not so old the variation in reading were all over the place giving widely different results so much so a friend who was there who was having an issue with his tank found his salinity was way over what his swinging needle hydrometer was showing. If I remember correctly his SG was over 1.40. He lowered it over a period of a week or so and his tank recovered. I would never recommend a swinging needle hydrometer again however they may have improved but even so over time they may go widely off true readings even if accurate to start off with. 1 Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Albert I well recall not so long after the swinging needle hydrometers first came out. I invited a group of reefers to my home and asked them to bring their swinging needle hydrometers with them. We had 5 or 6 of them and I filled each with water from my reef tank and lined them all up together in a line. Although all the hydrometers were not so old the variation in reading were all over the place giving widely different results so much so a friend who was there who was having an issue with his tank found his salinity was way over what his swinging needle hydrometer was showing. If I remember correctly his SG was over 1.40. He lowered it over a period of a week or so and his tank recovered. I would never recommend a swinging needle hydrometer again however they may have improved but even so over time they may go widely off true readings even if accurate to start off with. Thanks Les for relating that story which is indeed what seems to be the case, and although the units have been improved upon somewhat as you suggest, it seems that as they age and as swinging needle gets coated with "whatever" as it can be many different things IMO, their accuracy gets more and more off ... and so the 1.40 reading does not surprise me ... and is about what I discovered as I related ... so it is just one more fact to consider when something does not look right in the aquarium .. is it the salinity .. or is it something else, and it would no hurt at all to make sure first, that it IS not the salinity ... Thanks for bringing that up Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 For those interested in the Red LED Critter Torch ... "See" what is in your aquarium during the night as this LED will not get anything to dash back into hiding. These got excellent reviews in the UK, which is where I received them from. At cost : $12.50 for the US and $17.50 to Canada including postage. To paypal a.thiel@att.net ... not many left so order now if you want one ... I still have some available ... Albert Quote Link to comment
albertthiel Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Plerogyra sinuosa, Plerogyra simplex, Physogyra lichtensteini All Generally known as "Bubble Corals" © James Fatherree, M. Sc. Link : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/4/corals Albert P.S Les has a beautiful specimen in his 2 Cube ... Quote Link to comment
Paul.b Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Albert I well recall not so long after the swinging needle hydrometers first came out. I invited a group of reefers to my home and asked them to bring their swinging needle hydrometers with them. We had 5 or 6 of them and I filled each with water from my reef tank and lined them all up together in a line. Although all the hydrometers were not so old the variation in reading were all over the place giving widely different results so much so a friend who was there who was having an issue with his tank found his salinity was way over what his swinging needle hydrometer was showing. If I remember correctly his SG was over 1.40. He lowered it over a period of a week or so and his tank recovered. I would never recommend a swinging needle hydrometer again however they may have improved but even so over time they may go widely off true readings even if accurate to start off with. I always use one of those but I calibrate it. When I go to a LFS and buy a creature, I ask the store owner to test the salinity of the water in the bag with his refractometer. Then I test the water with my swing arm and put a line on it with a magic marker with the measurement he got at the store. I let him spend the $100+ bucks on the thing. I have not had a problem yet, but maybe the problems start at 43 years. 1 Quote Link to comment
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