THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Paul B]

Teddy just found out he is to young to start a reef tank

 

[albertthiel]

There has been some discussion on what Hydrogen Peroxide should be used in Oxydators. Some are using peroxide from the local Chemists (drug store to you) Some are using peroxide containing other chemicals as stabilizers and others for reasons I am unaware of.

 

I have replied with the following taken from the net..

 

 

Quote

"Phenacetin is a pain-relieving and fever-reducing drug, widely used from its introduction in 1887 until banned in the US by the FDAin 1983. Its use has declined because of its adverse effects, which include increased risk of certain cancers and kidney damage"The conjugate base of phosphoric acid is the dihydrogen phosphate ion, H2PO−

4, which in turn has a conjugate base of hydrogen phosphate, HPO2−

4, which has a conjugate base of phosphate, PO3−4" Unquote..

 

Quote

" in addition to being a chemical reagent, phosphoric acid has a wide variety of uses, including as a rust inhibitor, food additive, dental and orthop(a)edic etchant, electrolyte, flux, dispersing agent, industrial etchant, fertilizer feedstock, and component of home cleaning products.

The most common source of phosphoric acid is an 85% aqueous solution; such solutions are colourless, odourless, and non-volatile. The 85% solution is a rather viscous, syrupy liquid, but still pourable. Because it is a concentrated acid, an 85% solution can be corrosive," Unquote.

 

However the issue here is not only does the Hydrogen peroxide from Boots the Chemists contain both components but how much and more importantly what if any will be the long term effects on our corals etc. It is for this reason I always recommend pure food grade hydrogen peroxide for use in Oxydators. .

 

Les

 

Indeed Les, Food Grade only is the way to go ... no additives in the peroxide at ALL . Thanks for clarifying that

 

 

Albert

[Paul B]

Today I picked up this very cool clingfish although I have to admit, I never had much luck keeping them very long. You don't see them very often and I don't really like common fish.

[Paul B]

A Day in the life of a Mandarin

Hey, I am famished, I wish my caretaker would turn on the lights....Oh..Thats better..now for a snack..Oh, that was good. Wow, is that a new frag?..as soon as I grab a snack, I am going to check that out. Way cool frag. Dam, I'm hungry, Oh there's one..... I feel like stretching my dorsal fin just in case there is a Babe watching.... Oh God, that made me hungry...Haleulia, look at that, a live blackworm... thats the best looking worm I have ever seen, Let me check out the other end, look at.....Oh heck, that stupid pistol shrimp got it...Now I will probably starve to death...Oh, there's one, that was delicious. OMG, another worm. OK, I will get it, UMM, a little gamey.....Ug, I am so full, I feel like I ate a seahorse, I don't think I will eat for a week. Look! a female? Let me grab a snack and I will check her out.....Humina.Humina.Humina, What a Babe!...Look at the tail and dorsal fin on her....I better eat before I mosey over there to put my moves on her.......Hey beautiful, do you want to go out for dinner?......Oh...You just ate?...Thats to bad, then could we just hang out?...Do you want to see the new frag?..Oh, OK We can get a bite first.

 

[albertthiel]

Today I picked up this very cool clingfish although I have to admit, I never had much luck keeping them very long. You don't see them very often and I don't really like common fish.

 

Well at least they are peaceful and reef safe and feed on some pests that may be present in the aquarium

 

And yes not often seen indeed

 

Albert

 

A Day in the life of a Mandarin

Hey, I am famished, I wish my caretaker would turn on the lights....Oh..Thats better..now for a snack..Oh, that was good. Wow, is that a new frag?..as soon as I grab a snack, I am going to check that out. Way cool frag. Dam, I'm hungry, Oh there's one..... I feel like stretching my dorsal fin just in case there is a Babe watching.... Oh God, that made me hungry...Haleulia, look at that, a live blackworm... thats the best looking worm I have ever seen, Let me check out the other end, look at.....Oh heck, that stupid pistol shrimp got it...Now I will probably starve to death...Oh, there's one, that was delicious. OMG, another worm. OK, I will get it, UMM, a little gamey.....Ug, I am so full, I feel like I ate a seahorse, I don't think I will eat for a week. Look! a female? Let me grab a snack and I will check her out.....Humina.Humina.Humina, What a Babe!...Look at the tail and dorsal fin on her....I better eat before I mosey over there to put my moves on her.......Hey beautiful, do you want to go out for dinner?......Oh...You just ate?...Thats to bad, then could we just hang out?...Do you want to see the new frag?..Oh, OK We can get a bite first.

 

 

Nice Courtship Paul ... I am sure they will get along

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

The 2014 Updated List of Tank Bred Fishes

 

http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2013/12/17/coral-magazines-captive-bred-marine-fish-species-list-for-2014/

 

Albert

[Jorgieee]

Albert I have a questions I plan on moving 5 1/2 hours away real soon and I don't want to loose my fish I have 2 clowns, a mandarin, and a goby what's the best method I can use transport them thanks !

[albertthiel]

Albert I have a questions I plan on moving 5 1/2 hours away real soon and I don't want to loose my fish I have 2 clowns, a mandarin, and a goby what's the best method I can use transport them thanks !

 

Get one of those large styrofoam boxes like LFS use and receive their fish in. Get Plastic bags like the ones used when you buy fish and house one fish in each bag and tie them off well

 

Place in the Styrofoam and if you can get heat packs from your LFS use one of those in the Styro

 

Keep the temp in the car up meaning do not put your air conditioning on the low side

 

Doing all of that you should be ok

 

Now if when you pack your fish you can get your LFS to pump some oxygen in the bag like they do when you buy fish that is even better

 

Albert

[atoll]

Hmmm I am sure I did a post about an hour or so ago that I can't see now.

Anyway the gist of it was that I have ordered another 120/165w (depending how you want to measure the watts it pulls) Chinese full spectrum LED unit to go with the one I already have. The 2 of them will go on my new build a Reefspace 300 tank. I have also bought some aluminium angle and bar plus stainless steel nuts and bolts to make a frame come cradle to fit them in which will be attached to the tank. I made a similar one for my current tank which has just the one LED unit fitted. I will of course report back when it is constructed.

[albertthiel]

Hmmm I am sure I did a post about an hour or so ago that I can't see now.

Anyway the gist of it was that I have ordered another 120/165w (depending how you want to measure the watts it pulls) Chinese full spectrum LED unit to go with the one I already have. The 2 of them will go on my new build a Reefspace 300 tank. I have also bought some aluminium angle and bar plus stainless steel nuts and bolts to make a frame come cradle to fit them in which will be attached to the tank. I made a similar one for my current tank which has just the one LED unit fitted. I will of course report back when it is constructed.

 

I did not see the previous post either Les but thanks for the update and since you have had good success with that light I am sure that will be the right addition to your tank

 

Albert

 

--------------------------------------------

 

 

If you wish to see videos of my Jelly Fish Tank you can go to my Facebook page ajthiel1 and see them there

 

 

 

They are too large to post here and are not in U-tube but taken with a Flip video device and posted directly to the FB page

 

Albert

[Jorgieee]

My local LFS isn't the best and I'll ask about styrofoam box , also they don't pump oxygen in the fish bags I was thinking of getting a small cooler or a 5 gallon bucket with a battery powered air stone and possibility a heater for the ride i don't if that would work thanks !

[Jorgieee]

Would that idea work ? thanks !

[albertthiel]

My local LFS isn't the best and I'll ask about styrofoam box , also they don't pump oxygen in the fish bags I was thinking of getting a small cooler or a 5 gallon bucket with a battery powered air stone and possibility a heater for the ride i don't if that would work thanks !

 

If you cannot get what I mentioned then pack the fish in individual bags with lots of airspace left in the bag and tie off real well.

 

Keep in a cooler. No need to use a heater and/or aerate is the trip will only be a few hours

 

A few days before you are going to travel slowly start raising the temperature of the tank so that when you bag the fish they water is already at a fairly high temp of say 83 or 84 degrees

 

Pack the fish as late as possible meaning close to the time that you are about to leave

 

If you can get heat pack from your LFS or another one, then add one to the cooler. If not then use the raising the temp as indicated above.

 

If you can get hold of heat packs you do not need to raise the temp.

 

Pack the bags with the fish (one per bag0 tightly in that cooler so that they do not slosh around ... use newspaper or similar to pack the bags or better yet get those styrofoam peanuts and use those to surrounds the bags. Those will prevent the temperature from falling less than if you use newspaper

 

Albert

 

Would that idea work ? thanks !

 

See my response above

 

Albert

[albertthiel]

Teddy just found out he is to young to start a reef tank

 

 

I guess not He does not look happy about it for sure

 

Albert

[Jorgieee]

ok thanks for your help Albert !

[albertthiel]

ok thanks for your help Albert !

 

You are most welcome

 

Albert

[atoll]

My new LED unit finally arrived this evening along with some stainless steel nuts and bolts. Just waiting on a few more bits and I can strat building my twin light cradle. Should only take a couple of hours to make but the post is slow at the mo and I need the other bits to make a start.

[albertthiel]

My new LED unit finally arrived this evening along with some stainless steel nuts and bolts. Just waiting on a few more bits and I can strat building my twin light cradle. Should only take a couple of hours to make but the post is slow at the mo and I need the other bits to make a start.

 

Glad to read it got there Les and I am sure you will have it up and running real soon

 

Albert

[Paul B]

I built this de-nitrification coil a few years ago and it worked well. A de-nitrification coil is a simple device that reduces nitrates to zero for no money and it is a simple design costing maybe $25.00 to build. Hurricane Sandy put an end to the thing as it needs constant water flow and a few days without water flow will make the thing as helpful as some of our rock singers. I have posted the construction before but I will do it again in my book that is not out yet. Basically it is a long tube where anerobic bacteria grow on a diet of nitrates and Vodka. The Vodka keeps them smashed so they don't realize they are working for free. The thing also needs 3 weeks to a month to start working but now it reduces nitrates from 40 (which my reef is) to zero. It is still cycling in my workshop and I will again install it on my tank as soon as I get some time.

 

The device is just the blue tube, the rest of the stuff is just my normal workshop stuff.

 

 

The tube on the right is tank water and the tube on the left is water that leaves the coil.

 

[albertthiel]

I built this de-nitrification coil a few years ago and it worked well. A de-nitrification coil is a simple device that reduces nitrates to zero for no money and it is a simple design costing maybe $25.00 to build. Hurricane Sandy put an end to the thing as it needs constant water flow and a few days without water flow will make the thing as helpful as some of our rock singers. I have posted the construction before but I will do it again in my book that is not out yet. Basically it is a long tube where anerobic bacteria grow on a diet of nitrates and Vodka. The Vodka keeps them smashed so they don't realize they are working for free. The thing also needs 3 weeks to a month to start working but now it reduces nitrates from 40 (which my reef is) to zero. It is still cycling in my workshop and I will again install it on my tank as soon as I get some time.

 

The device is just the blue tube, the rest of the stuff is just my normal workshop stuff.

 

 

The tube on the right is tank water and the tube on the left is water that leaves the coil.

 

 

Looking good Paul

 

We used to sell coil denitrators via Thiel Aqua Tech in the mid 80's and they worked real well. Not as large as yours tough

 

Albert

[Paul B]

:rolleyes:I remember those Albert. I bought a lot of stuff from Thiel. Some of it doesn't work any longer, can I get some of my money back? It was only 25 years ago.

 

I don't know why more people don't so for these simple, low tech, natural things. Most people feel they have to spend a fortune and use all sorts of chemicals to do the simplest of things when we have all this bacteria that don't mind working for a few drops of cheap Vodka. Maybe it's me

[albertthiel]

:rolleyes:I remember those Albert. I bought a lot of stuff from Thiel. Some of it doesn't work any longer, can I get some of my money back? It was only 25 years ago.

 

I don't know why more people don't so for these simple, low tech, natural things. Most people feel they have to spend a fortune and use all sorts of chemicals to do the simplest of things when we have all this bacteria that don't mind working for a few drops of cheap Vodka. Maybe it's me

 

Unfortunately Paul the warrantee was only 15 years :) from the date of construction but thanks for buying our products in those days ... I appreciate it

 

 

 

Albert

[atoll]

I have recently created a Facebook group for the cheap Chinese LED units I use people maybe interested in. I hope you don't mind me mentioning it here Albert? Thanks.

[albertthiel]

I have recently created a Facebook group for the cheap Chinese LED units I use people maybe interested in. I hope you don't mind me mentioning it here Albert? Thanks.

 

Saw it Les and subscribed

 

Albert

[jedimasterben]

The Vodka keeps them smashed so they don't realize they are working for free.

LOLOLOL