THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Paul B]

That "problem" of corals stinging each other is normal and corals do that constantly (as they don't have much else to do) It is actually a good sign and means your corals are healthy and growing. Your birds nest will continue to grow in another direction until something there halts it's growth. My tank is very old and some corals, especially Montipora even kill their cousins by growing over them and shading them. It tries to grow into the light but then gets attacked by something else so in a tank is a constant war which is normal and healthy, for the winner of course.

[atoll]

Yes he does but it does not appear to be "definitive" as a suggestion the way I read it

 

I guess we'll have to wait till more research info becomes available

 

Albert

 

Well I am surprised such an analysis hasn't already been done. Surely it cant been that difficult to undertaken these days.

[albertthiel]

Well I am surprised such an analysis hasn't already been done. Surely it cant been that difficult to undertaken these days.

 

 

I fully agree Les, it should not be that complicated and it is surprising that some of the skimmer manufacturers have not undertaken it so they could promote "their" skimmer as producing the best skimmate (based on what the analysis showed)

 

Odd indeed

 

Albert

[atoll]

I fully agree Les, it should not be that complicated and it is surprising that some of the skimmer manufacturers have not undertaken it so they could promote "their" skimmer as producing the best skimmate (based on what the analysis showed)

 

Odd indeed

 

Albert

 

I think the manufacturers of skimmers like the idea of dry/dark skimmate from their skimmers Albert as they possibly think customers think of it as removing more than the weak looking wet skimmate. "just look how much our skimmer produces of thick dark skimmate" Which in affect means little without any real proof it is anyway preferable.

[albertthiel]

I think the manufacturers of skimmers like the idea of dry/dark skimmate from their skimmers Albert as they possibly think customers think of it as removing more than the weak looking wet skimmate. "just look how much our skimmer produces of thick dark skimmate" Which in affect means little without any real proof it is anyway preferable.

 

Yes agreed and as you say No Proof that the dark skimmate is actually better

 

I guess we'll have to wait and see whether someone will undertake the study / analysis

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Protect our Hobby .... The industry needs your Help

 

http://www.pijac.org/ADF

 

Albert

[Paul B]

No one really knows which way of skimming is best. But as long as you skim, you will be ahead of the game.

[albertthiel]

No one really knows which way of skimming is best. But as long as you skim, you will be ahead of the game.

 

Agreed Paul, the only other way is to do a lot more water changes to compensate for the lack of skimming, and of course adding a sump and refugium will help as well

 

Albert

[nanoreefnate]

Since we're on the topic of filtration, What's your take on only having a protein skimmer on for only 6-12 hour increments with it being off for the same amount of time instead of just running it 24/7?

[Drift Monkey]

Since we're on the topic of filtration, What's your take on only having a protein skimmer on for only 6-12 hour increments with it being off for the same amount of time instead of just running it 24/7?

 

Why not have it on 24/7?

[nanoreefnate]

Why not have it on 24/7?

 

I have mine on 24/7, but my skimmer is a tad bit underrated for my aquarium which I want. I just have heard and read that skimming does take out some good things like amino acids and iodine. A coworker of mine also is experimenting with every other day skimming. I just wanted to get Albert's take on the matter.

[Drift Monkey]

 

I have mine on 24/7, but my skimmer is a tad bit underrated for my aquarium which I want. I just have heard and read that skimming does take out some good things like amino acids and iodine. A coworker of mine also is experimenting with every other day skimming. I just wanted to get Albert's take on the matter.

 

I won't speak for Albert, but IMO, all the better to leave yours on 24/7 since it's already a bit undersized. At one point, I also bought into the "overskim" theory, but it doesn't really hold much weight as the skimming we do will never even approach 100% efficiency. Advanced Aquarist did a research article on this a while back.

 

Meanwhile, while the skimmer is off...you're not allowing it to do its designed function of removing TOC as well as providing a secondary benefit - aeration.

[nanoreefnate]

I won't speak for Albert, but IMO, all the better to leave yours on 24/7 since it's already a bit undersized. At one point, I also bought into the "overskim" theory, but it doesn't really hold much weight as the skimming we do will never even approach 100% efficiency. Advanced Aquarist did a research article on this a while back.

 

Meanwhile, while the skimmer is off...you're not allowing it to do its designed function of removing TOC as well as providing a secondary benefit - aeration.

 

I guess I should state how big my aquarium is and what the skimmer is rated for.

 

I have a 35G with a 12G sump and a 10G fuge. Taking into account all the rock displacement as well as the 12G only being 2/3rds full as well as the 10G fuge having half it's length as a 6 inch deep mud bed for my seagrass, I have around 40-42 actual gallons of water. My skimmer, the Tunze 9002 is rated for 52 lightly stocked gallons. I consider my tank to be heavily stocked so I'd assume that the skimmer is either meeting, or just barely under the threshold of being the right size. And to compensate I have that fuge that is growing chaeto and titan like crazy as well as the seagrass which is flourishing. I think that considering it's a 10G fuge for a 35G the fuge may even be the main filter in my system.

[albertthiel]

Since we're on the topic of filtration, What's your take on only having a protein skimmer on for only 6-12 hour increments with it being off for the same amount of time instead of just running it 24/7?

 

Given the limited amount of DOC and TOC that skimmers actually remove I recommend running it 24/7 and a note on the iodine, that is mostly removed by GAC and with regard to trace elements and amino acids, those are replenished when you do water changes. Now if you under the impression that the amino acides are depleted you can use a moderate amount of the additives (amino acids) that are available on the market

 

BTW I have read the other comments made and thank those who posted them for their input

 

Albert

 

Why not have it on 24/7?

 

Indeed

 

 

I have mine on 24/7, but my skimmer is a tad bit underrated for my aquarium which I want. I just have heard and read that skimming does take out some good things like amino acids and iodine. A coworker of mine also is experimenting with every other day skimming. I just wanted to get Albert's take on the matter.

 

If underrated I would run it for 24/7 so it removes as much DOC and TOC as it can handle given its size

Albert

 

I won't speak for Albert, but IMO, all the better to leave yours on 24/7 since it's already a bit undersized. At one point, I also bought into the "overskim" theory, but it doesn't really hold much weight as the skimming we do will never even approach 100% efficiency. Advanced Aquarist did a research article on this a while back.

 

Meanwhile, while the skimmer is off...you're not allowing it to do its designed function of removing TOC as well as providing a secondary benefit - aeration.

 

Great article indeed. I had seen and read it before but it never hurts to repost good articles. Thanks for doing so

 

Albert

 

I guess I should state how big my aquarium is and what the skimmer is rated for.

 

I have a 35G with a 12G sump and a 10G fuge. Taking into account all the rock displacement as well as the 12G only being 2/3rds full as well as the 10G fuge having half it's length as a 6 inch deep mud bed for my seagrass, I have around 40-42 actual gallons of water. My skimmer, the Tunze 9002 is rated for 52 lightly stocked gallons. I consider my tank to be heavily stocked so I'd assume that the skimmer is either meeting, or just barely under the threshold of being the right size. And to compensate I have that fuge that is growing chaeto and titan like crazy as well as the seagrass which is flourishing. I think that considering it's a 10G fuge for a 35G the fuge may even be the main filter in my system.

 

Indeed , I agree with your statements

 

Albert

[Paul B]

What happened to my picture? I feel all gray, but it looks like I got more hair. And I only have 35 posts, I must have been in a coma when I did all that writing on here

[albertthiel]

What happened to my picture? I feel all gray, but it looks like I got more hair. And I only have 35 posts, I must have been in a coma when I did all that writing on here

 

That is very odd ... picture and yes only 35 posts and that does not make any sense ... I wonder what happened .. you may want to send the Admins a PM and ask them to look into it as you have far far more than 35 posts Paul

 

Albert

 

What happened to my picture? I feel all gray, but it looks like I got more hair. And I only have 35 posts, I must have been in a coma when I did all that writing on here

 

I sent a message to the Admins for you and copied you on the glitch Paul

 

Albert

[atoll]

Paul you can as many posts of mine as you like I don't need them as I have read them all :-)

[albertthiel]

Paul you can as many posts of mine as you like I don't need them as I have read them all :-)

 

Strange though that his total wend down to 35 for some unknown reason

 

Albert

[Paul B]

I don't know how many I had or even what I look like because I can't see my picture, even if I look in a mirror I see that same gray image.

I don't know how to find an administrator. Is that like calling Obamacare?

[albertthiel]

I don't know how many I had or even what I look like because I can't see my picture, even if I look in a mirror I see that same gray image.

 

I don't know how to find an administrator. Is that like calling Obamacare?

 

Very odd Paul ... let's see what the Admins come up with and I have no idea how the real # suddenly got down to 35 ...

 

STRANGE

 

Albert

[dougm]

Paul B. Had 37 posts...it just seems like more because he rambles! ......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

just kidding,Paul! Always enjoy and learn from you.

[albertthiel]

Paul B. Had 37 posts...it just seems like more because he rambles! ...... just kidding,Paul! Always enjoy and learn from you.

 

Odd I thought he had a lot more than that

 

Albert

[Paul B]

I am not a big fan of testing the water every ten minutes as long as everything is living well, but last week I lost a couple of new torch corals so I figured I would test the water. I have a very old nitrate kit probably from Christopher Columbus test kit company so that is what I used. My nitrates read 160 or off the chart. OMG, I hurry up and change 25 gallons of water in my 100 gallon reef. The next day I test again. OMG again, it's still off the chart. So I change another 25 gallons of water and run out and buy a new test kit and test the nitrates again. Another OMG, now it reads 90. I hurry up and change another 25 gallons of water. This is getting very tiring as I usually change 25 gallons of water 4 or 5 times a year. My fish are looking at me like

"Really! are you kidding us?" Then I test the salinity with my swing arm hydrometer, also probably from Christopher Columbus Swing Arm hydrometer company. The salinity reads 025. So I dig around and find an old floating hydrometer and throw it in the tank. It sinks like a rock. This is now the fourth OMG. So I look closely at that floating hydrometer and put my reading glasses on to read the numbers. The numbers read like 1260 and 1280. I then realize that that was my battery acid hydrometer so I could take back one OMG. Now I only have three. So I take some water to my favorite LFS to check my numbers. My salinity reads 025 and my nitrates are 30, which to me, is fine. So I can now remove the last three OMGs. The water is fine. The corals probably died by being in a coral war as sometimes corals exude chemicals that can irritate or kill other corals, so the corals have to say OMG, not me as this is their problem, not mine.

[albertthiel]

I am not a big fan of testing the water every ten minutes as long as everything is living well, but last week I lost a couple of new torch corals so I figured I would test the water. I have a very old nitrate kit probably from Christopher Columbus test kit company so that is what I used. My nitrates read 160 or off the chart. OMG, I hurry up and change 25 gallons of water in my 100 gallon reef. The next day I test again. OMG again, it's still off the chart. So I change another 25 gallons of water and run out and buy a new test kit and test the nitrates again. Another OMG, now it reads 90. I hurry up and change another 25 gallons of water. This is getting very tiring as I usually change 25 gallons of water 4 or 5 times a year. My fish are looking at me like

"Really! are you kidding us?" Then I test the salinity with my swing arm hydrometer, also probably from Christopher Columbus Swing Arm hydrometer company. The salinity reads 025. So I dig around and find an old floating hydrometer and throw it in the tank. It sinks like a rock. This is now the fourth OMG. So I look closely at that floating hydrometer and put my reading glasses on to read the numbers. The numbers read like 1260 and 1280. I then realize that that was my battery acid hydrometer so I could take back one OMG. Now I only have three. So I take some water to my favorite LFS to check my numbers. My salinity reads 025 and my nitrates are 30, which to me, is fine. So I can now remove the last three OMGs. The water is fine. The corals probably died by being in a coral war as sometimes corals exude chemicals that can irritate or kill other corals, so the corals have to say OMG, not me as this is their problem, not mine.

 

Very interesting Paul and good for you that all those OMG's are gone now

 

Sorry you lost the Torch corals

 

Albert

 

 

AND .................................

 

 

The Jellies are feeding this morning

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203142562461981

[Paul B]

Thanks Albert, but some torches just go out when they get wet.