THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert,

I do hope Mrs Thiel is feeling much better today and that she will be allowed home. I am sure it would be good to have her home where you can take good care of her. Best wishes for a homecoming and speedy recovery.

 

I hope I am OK in posting the following link but thought you (and many others) might like to see a couple of videos of my fav FLS here in the NW UK. The videos aren't of the shop more what they have stock wise and they are always well stocked with corals. In may they are holding a very special weekend with lots of speakers and all manner of things, I will be there for at least one of the days but not speaking.

Anyway I hope its OK to post the following link, let me know if its not please.

 

http://www.thesaltybox.com/forum/aquarium-cockfields/147084-sneak-peek-before-mega-stock-thread.html#post1436615

 

BTW no photoshop pic's its just the lighting they use so what you see is what you get and the prices are pretty good as well.

 

Thanks Les ... not sure yet about her coming home ... should find out when I get a call from her .... although I will be heading out to the Hospital in about 30 min or so. It seems like every time we think she will be allowed to come home they find something else and want her to stay for longer ... I am at a loss to understand what is going on I have to admit.

 

NP with posting the video. Thanks

 

Albert

 

Albert

[atoll]

Good luck Albert and send her my regards please. I do hope she is at least well enough to be close to coming home.

[atoll]

I think this may have been posted before not 100% sure. It's the new skimmer Impeller from Jebao. It got me thinking (always a dangerous thing for me to do I have to admit) What if we where to design an impeller with slightly;y larger pins in it but then drilled a series of holes say 3 through each pin? Or even produce the same but with stainless steel pins (for strength) with the same number of holes in them. I would expect such an impeller would be even more efficient even to thew point of reducing the number of pins but still making the impeller even more efficient. Opps better go patent the idea before somebody steals it.

Here's the new Jebao skimmer impeller.

[albertthiel]

Good luck Albert and send her my regards please. I do hope she is at least well enough to be close to coming home.

 

 

Thanks Les ... still don't know ... all I can do is wait till they decide she can come home ... What bothers me the most is why all the delays?

 

But she is in the best place she can be if anything is still wrong that they are concerned about ..

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

I think this may have been posted before not 100% sure. It's the new skimmer Impeller from Jebao. It got me thinking (always a dangerous thing for me to do I have to admit) What if we where to design an impeller with slightly;y larger pins in it but then drilled a series of holes say 3 through each pin? Or even produce the same but with stainless steel pins (for strength) with the same number of holes in them. I would expect such an impeller would be even more efficient even to thew point of reducing the number of pins but still making the impeller even more efficient. Opps better go patent the idea before somebody steals it.

Here's the new Jebao skimmer impeller.

 

I have seen am impeller with those holes in it a few weeks ago but cannot remember to be honest who made it or whether it was a mod made by a Hobbyist

 

Albert .............. off to the Hospital now ...

[atoll]

I have yet to see such an impeller Albert. It maybe difficult to make as impellers as far as I know are made in one piece so making them with a series of holes in the pins maybe very difficult to achieve.

[albertthiel]

I have yet to see such an impeller Albert. It maybe difficult to make as impellers as far as I know are made in one piece so making them with a series of holes in the pins maybe very difficult to achieve.

 

Indeed it would not be easy to do ... but I did see one with the holes just not sure how it was done ..

 

AND

 

the good news is that Sarah is coming home later today ... I will be picking her up around 6:00 or so from the Hospital (which is only about 2.5 miles away from where we live).

 

No serious and lasting injuries ... just recuperation time I guess that will probably take several weeks so the sternum heals and the knee damage heals as well ... but thank God nothing of any lasting consequence.

 

Her morale is not too good because of the accident and the totaled car, the only one we had, so we'll have to work out how to get another one .... but I am sure we will find a way to do so ... for now we will just use the Rented car for a week or two till we can get another vehicle.

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

That's great news Albert, But don't let her clean your tanks yet.

[albertthiel]

That's great news Albert, But don't let her clean your tanks yet.

 

Thanks Paul ... and no I will not let her do that .. but then she does not anyway ... I do

 

BTW how is the weather in LI ... I hear you got 1o or more inches of snow ..

 

Here it has been VERY cold but no snow in the ATL area, just a little but very North of here.

 

This morning when I got on the Net the outside temp was 11 degrees, now it is 14 ....kind of chilly for us here...

 

Hope all is well with your tank ...

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Mantis Shrimp SEE things differently ... they really do :

 

Text and Video

 

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/mantis-shrimp-see-things-differently-literally

 

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Do we, or do we not, have to add Amino Acids to our Reef Tanks

 

An interesting Analysis

 

http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/nutrition-6/amino-acids

 

Albert

[hypostatic]

Do we? lol

[albertthiel]

Do we? lol

 

Yes the article is a bit neutral if I can call it that way except in the SPS section and LNS tanks.

 

IME we should since we use skimmers or resort to water changes and whereas those replace some of the elements needed we do not really know how many amino acids we are adding back as the salts usually list a minimal amount of info about their content, or limit themselves to indicating the pH level at a certain temp and s.g. and the dKH etc ... but little is said about amino acids.

 

In fact, even though a real good one has been around for some time (Acropower - Julian Sprung) it has not received a lot of attention until Reef Builders decided to write an article about it ... but again focuses on its effect on SPS corals.

 

IME it is beneficial to all corals in our tanks and one can use it by adding a small amount at first for a week maybe, and check the results on their corals, then perhaps increase the amount a little and again observe its its effect, etc ... until one arrives at what one determines as being a desirable level.

 

Now how does one see the difference : take photos of the corals each time you use a certain dose and take one every day, and then start comparing the pics of early doses with pics of subsequent ones etc ... to determine at which level the corals looked best.

 

Since we cannot really "measure" the level of A. acids, and since we do not really know either what the exact requirement of each is and what the uptake of each coral is, we have for now at least to determine what seems to be the appropriate level by what one refers to as "trial and error".

 

It is important though to have that photographic evidence so one has a basis for comparison that relates to a specific dosage.

 

There are other brands on the market besides Acropower but I have found that the Two Little Fishes one seems to give the better results.

 

FWIW

 

And here is the link to the article : http://reefbuilders.com/2012/10/09/acropower-amino-acid/

 

The Salifert one is actually pretty good as a supplement IMO but as I said I find that the Acropower appears to give better results. Note that these are my experiences and that yours may differ ...

 

Albert

[hypostatic]

What if you don't keep SPS and periodically flood your tank with food?

[albertthiel]

What if you don't keep SPS and periodically flood your tank with food?

 

And what kind of foods are you adding ? That sort of determines the yes or the no ... it depends on their content and how processed they have been ...

 

Any live foods ?

 

Albert

[hypostatic]

All the food is dead. Mainly goniopowder. Lets see whats in it...

 

hmmm can't find the actual ingredients (bummer) but the label says "Rich in vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, and lipids"

[VABumpkin]

Hi Albert, first time in the thread and I'm excited to ask my first question! I noticed today that there's a few weird things happening in my reef. There is a white, transparent film covering the rocks and bubbles coming out of the sandbed. I've determined that it is bacteria most likely feeding off of some kind of carbon source in the water. I am concerned though because I know that this type of bacteria dies off and needs to be exported from the water with a skimmer. Another issue is that if I remember correctly this kind of bacteria produces a lot of nitrogen gas, so my oxygen supply may dwindle without the use of a protein skimmer. I am really not sure where the carbon is coming from that is feeding the bacteria so I'm worried there is something in the air or water supply that could be causing it. I am however benefiting from reduced nitrate levels, so I guess that's the good side of it. Any idea what I should do or if I should even be concerned?

[albertthiel]

All the food is dead. Mainly goniopowder. Lets see whats in it...

 

hmmm can't find the actual ingredients (bummer) but the label says "Rich in vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, and lipids"

 

The "Goniopowder" is the one you have to mix first, and stir somewhat correct and then spot feed it based on what I know about that food. Is that the one you are using?

 

When you spot feed and squeeze the food out of a baby feeding type syringe over each Polyp gently you should see a feeding response when the tentacles close over the food and take it it. Is that what you see ?

 

If not the coral is not feeding .. if it does do then it is feeding ... it should no get go of the food after a little while ...

 

If it is ingesting the food and since the contains amino acids, then you should IMO not have to add any supplemental ones, but it certainly cannot hurt to add some extra ones, the way I explained before, and observe whether your corals do better when you use a supplement.

 

Do you have any pics of the Goniopora, and other corals that you can post, so I get a better idea of what they look like ? That would help in getting a better idea of what you may want to do.

 

Spot feeding, as described in my book Nano-Reef Aquariums, is certainly recommended, especially if you are dealing with a Goniopora, a notoriously "touchy" coral to keep alive and in good shape for extended periods of time, meaning years.

 

Let me have some more info on how you feed and some pics pls

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Hi Albert, first time in the thread and I'm excited to ask my first question! I noticed today that there's a few weird things happening in my reef. There is a white, transparent film covering the rocks and bubbles coming out of the sandbed. I've determined that it is bacteria most likely feeding off of some kind of carbon source in the water. I am concerned though because I know that this type of bacteria dies off and needs to be exported from the water with a skimmer. Another issue is that if I remember correctly this kind of bacteria produces a lot of nitrogen gas, so my oxygen supply may dwindle without the use of a protein skimmer. I am really not sure where the carbon is coming from that is feeding the bacteria so I'm worried there is something in the air or water supply that could be causing it. I am however benefiting from reduced nitrate levels, so I guess that's the good side of it. Any idea what I should do or if I should even be concerned?

 

Based on the description your are giving that sounds like Dinoflagellates ...

 

How old is this tank if I may ask ?

 

Also they should be siphoned out if you can and if you cannot get rid of them in that manner, then a chemical method may have to be used but before I suggest you do that, can you post a picture that shows what these look like as I think they are dines growing in your tank that may be fairly new still and is actually going through a phase where the dynos appear and then either go away by themselves or though your intervention.

 

So as I said, I picture or two, will tell me a lot more and allow me to make some suggestions on what to do ...

 

Thanks

 

Albert

[hypostatic]

Yeah, it's a brown powder that you mix with water. I don't know if you're supposed to have a really thick consistency or thin, but mine usually ends up being thin and watery. A few second after target feeding it'll spread out around the tank. So the tank basically gets flooded with food.

 

almost all of the corals react really strongly to the goniopowder. zoas react almost immediately lol. Ironically the goniopora doesnt react strongly to it, heh. I've seen the polyps close up a bit, but I haven't seen anything that really looks like it's eating it.

 

I've actually posted a picture of one goni before on this thread, but I havent really shown a progress update recently. So here's a picture of when I got it, and then ~6 months after. It has shown some very nice growth. In the first picture I counted ~8 polps, and in the second one counted ~42. So it's increased in size 4X-5X since i got it.

 

 

And this is the other one. This hasn't really shown much growth.

 

[VABumpkin]

Based on the description your are giving that sounds like Dinoflagellates ...

 

How old is this tank if I may ask ?

 

Also they should be siphoned out if you can and if you cannot get rid of them in that manner, then a chemical method may have to be used but before I suggest you do that, can you post a picture that shows what these look like as I think they are dines growing in your tank that may be fairly new still and is actually going through a phase where the dynos appear and then either go away by themselves or though your intervention.

 

So as I said, I picture or two, will tell me a lot more and allow me to make some suggestions on what to do ...

 

Thanks

 

Albert

 

It should also be noted that the mystery film/bacteria doesn't show too much difference in population or growth from night time to day time. It is more visible during the day I believe because my pump is stretching it off the rock making it easier to see. The tank is a five gallon and has had live rock for about 2 months. I recently added an assortment of corals, which don't seem to be phased by the film on the rocks, but the film did appear about a week after adding the corals. Coralline is still growing rapidly on the rock as well despite the film. Also, after reading a bit about dinoflagellates I'm not sure that's what's going on, because the film is a transparent white, with a speck of white here and there, I believe indicating a bacterial colony. I will get pictures today so we can figure out what is up with this stuff.

[albertthiel]

Yeah, it's a brown powder that you mix with water. I don't know if you're supposed to have a really thick consistency or thin, but mine usually ends up being thin and watery. A few second after target feeding it'll spread out around the tank. So the tank basically gets flooded with food.

 

almost all of the corals react really strongly to the goniopowder. zoas react almost immediately lol. Ironically the goniopora doesnt react strongly to it, heh. I've seen the polyps close up a bit, but I haven't seen anything that really looks like it's eating it.

 

I've actually posted a picture of one goni before on this thread, but I havent really shown a progress update recently. So here's a picture of when I got it, and then ~6 months after. It has shown some very nice growth. In the first picture I counted ~8 polps, and in the second one counted ~42. So it's increased in size 4X-5X since i got it.

 

 

 

 

And this is the other one. This hasn't really shown much growth.

 

Well the growth on the first one is certainly evident so it would appear to me that it is getting the food and indeed growing and doing a lot better.

 

Not sure why the second one has not grown similarly but they appear to be two different species and so that may explain the difference.

 

How did that second one look when you first got it ?

 

The first one certainly looks like it is doing very well.

 

Maybe I would try feeding the second one by placing a cone over it and then injecting food in it and determine whether that will help it grow better ...

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

It should also be noted that the mystery film/bacteria doesn't show too much difference in population or growth from night time to day time. It is more visible during the day I believe because my pump is stretching it off the rock making it easier to see. The tank is a five gallon and has had live rock for about 2 months. I recently added an assortment of corals, which don't seem to be phased by the film on the rocks, but the film did appear about a week after adding the corals. Coralline is still growing rapidly on the rock as well despite the film. Also, after reading a bit about dinoflagellates I'm not sure that's what's going on, because the film is a transparent white, with a speck of white here and there, I believe indicating a bacterial colony. I will get pictures today so we can figure out what is up with this stuff.

 

Thanks for that update and yes pls do post a picture of that white film ... that will be helpful in trying to figure out what is going on, although based on your remarks it does not seem to affect anything in the tank.

 

Albert

[VABumpkin]

Alright here's the pictures. Excuse the brown corals, they're still adjusting to my lighting. I made them as large as the forum would let me. The film is what appears to be distortion caused by camera shake on the rock. It's almost like a "ghost" of my rock.

 

 

 

And the last one is something I discovered today. The "film" appears to have a green colored base. Looks almost like regular green microalgae but darker. The area of what looks like a light dusting of regular microalgae, dead center is what I'm describing. This leads me to believe that it is some form of really fine hair algae. It could just be a coincidence that it occurs on top of this green algae-looking stuff.

 

 

I hope the pictures suffice! The film is quite faint in pictures so let me know if you need me to crop them down or mark where the film is.

[hypostatic]

Well the growth on the first one is certainly evident so it would appear to me that it is getting the food and indeed growing and doing a lot better.

 

Not sure why the second one has not grown similarly but they appear to be two different species and so that may explain the difference.

 

How did that second one look when you first got it ?

 

The first one certainly looks like it is doing very well.

 

Maybe I would try feeding the second one by placing a cone over it and then injecting food in it and determine whether that will help it grow better ...

 

Albert

 

Yeah they are definitely different species. #2's polyps are maybe 1/3 of the diameter of goni #1. I think it grows much more similarly to SPS than #1 (which might explain why they are growing so slowly). I remember that when i got it at the LFS it came from the tip of a "Y" shaped stick.

 

The picture I posted is actually from when i got it. You can see it's current condition in this picture, though it's not as well in focus, and the coral is at a different angle (it's to the left of the red goni).

 

Food is definitely reaching it, and I have the pumps off for 1/2-1 hr when i feed the powder. But again, even the goni that has noticeable grown doesn't react much to the food. Though I sometimes have seen it with the tell-tale "swollen" look that indicates it's eaten something.

 

Oh, I also dose my tank with microbe lift. I remember justin credable's article on gonis saying that some might eat some sort of bacteria...