THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[albertthiel]

Hmmmm am not so sure that constitutes progress. It won't keep corals or fish any better and IMO FWIW it's a toy gizmo. The hobby is becoming a play thing. I have just 2 pieces of automation on my tank. Light controller and an ATU. That's all I need. If people want all these gizmos fine but I like to be hands on. Just old school I guess. I am also sure Paul will agree that doing a lot of DIY on our tanks makes us learn more about it and the equipment we use.

 

At some point I guess we'll be controlling our tanks and all the equipment in some better way than what is used now (controllers via phone) so maybe the next best thing is to control them via our watch

 

Albert

My fish just text me if they have a problem. Besides that. That thing would drive me crazy. I get up in the morning and "if" I go downstairs, I run my finger on the front glass of the tank and ..........Well that's it. That's my daily check to test the temperature.

Then I go about my day, searching for the meaning of life, food and Supermodels until I return and "if" I go downstairs, I take a clam out of my freezer, shave off some pieces, add some blackworms, throw it I the tank and go watch something enthralling in TV. Maybe "Leave it to Beaver"

The fish (some of which have been in there for 24 years) also go about their day. I am not sure what they do all day but they are all spawning so I imagine they are dating. The technology in my tank is an $8.00 timer that turns on the light.

 

Yes that is obviously a way Paul but remember the days when we had nothing at all except an UGF and now we have ozonizers, skimmers, algae scrubbers, LED's etc ... so who knows better controls of all of those exist already and how we control them will IMO evolve

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I use an undergravel filter, ozone, algae scrubber and LEDs now. No use to control them as they stay running all the time except for the LEDs and an $8.00 timer takes care of that.

[albertthiel]

I use an undergravel filter, ozone, algae scrubber and LEDs now. No use to control them as they stay running all the time except for the LEDs and an $8.00 timer takes care of that.

 

indeed

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I started Building the heat exchanger for my water cooled algae scrubber LED light. Of course I could have bought one for half the price, but anyone could do that.

[albertthiel]

I started Building the heat exchanger for my water cooled algae scrubber LED light. Of course I could have bought one for half the price, but anyone could do that.

 

Looks good Paul, and yes you could have bought it for half the price but that is NO fun

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

So I went to the surgeon today who did my hand and knee surgery a few weeks ago. My right hand is not healing because I am using it to much. Like Duh, it is my right hand.
So I am not allowed to use it "especially" with tools. On the way to the Doctor's office I noticed a loud screech coming from my front right wheel. When I got out I checked it out through the wheel and I can see a big groove in the rotor.
So now I need to jack up the car, remove the wheel, take off the rotor to have it cut and change the front brake pads. Simple, but not by using only my left hand. I used to be a mechanic and can normally do this in 15 minutes, but without using my right hand, this is going to be an interesting repair. Oh, I forgot, he also operated on my left knee at the same time so I can't kneel down on it. I am going to see if I can do this using osmosis.

[albertthiel]

So I went to the surgeon today who did my hand and knee surgery a few weeks ago. My right hand is not healing because I am using it to much. Like Duh, it is my right hand.

So I am not allowed to use it "especially" with tools. On the way to the Doctor's office I noticed a loud screech coming from my front right wheel. When I got out I checked it out through the wheel and I can see a big groove in the rotor.

So now I need to jack up the car, remove the wheel, take off the rotor to have it cut and change the front brake pads. Simple, but not by using only my left hand. I used to be a mechanic and can normally do this in 15 minutes, but without using my right hand, this is going to be an interesting repair. Oh, I forgot, he also operated on my left knee at the same time so I can't kneel down on it. I am going to see if I can do this using osmosis.

Well it sounds like you are going to have a wee bit of a problem :)

 

Albert

[aj.solis]

Quick question. How bad would it be to rinse new sand out with tap water for a nano I am setting up? If I don't have any RO water on hand should I just not rinse it and let filter floss clean it up?

[atoll]

I have never washed sand out in RO water and have always used tap water for rinsing sand.

[albertthiel]

Quick question. How bad would it be to rinse new sand out with tap water for a nano I am setting up? If I don't have any RO water on hand should I just not rinse it and let filter floss clean it up?

 

Either or is fine .... that is what I have done ... and so apparently has Les

 

Albert

[StinkyBunny]

I use tap water to do the majority of the cleaning, then a quick rinse in RO water.

[Paul.b]

Generally if you can brush your teeth with it, you can rinse sand with it. But if you never brush your teeth, forget the sand and go to a dentist.

[Paul.b]

I recently acquired this beauty, the coral, not the fish. It's a blue "something" I don't normally remember names and was married to my wife for about 6 years before I stopped calling her "Hey".
I know by the color that it is not photosynthetic so it needs to be fed. Most tanks are far to clean to keep something like this (mine probably is also) so a couple of times a day I take one of these squeeze things and stir up a nice place in the gravel that I have not touched for a while and make a storm. The coral seems to enjoy this and I am hoping it is getting some nutrition out of this along with the clams with their juice I feed daily.

I use one of these to do the stirring.

[Hammerstone]

^Hi. Wouldn't making a storm aggravate the corals by stuff settling on them? I have sun corals and any time I accidentally blow up stuff from the sand I freak out and blow it off. I don't know all that much so that's why I ask. ? OH and I like your collection of Baster things!!

[albertthiel]

^Hi. Wouldn't making a storm aggravate the corals by stuff settling on them? I have sun corals and any time I accidentally blow up stuff from the sand I freak out and blow it off. I don't know all that much so that's why I ask. OH and I like your collection of Baster things!!

 

The water flow movement and the corals opening and closing should take care of that for the most part

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

Albert is correct. This happens in the sea all the time and I have always done it. I make those baster things and could not have a tank without one. I feed everything with them. Marine Depot sells them as coral feeders

[Hammerstone]

HI Albert and Paul!!! Thank you for your help. Can you tell me how you prepare the clams? Do you just chop them all up from the fish monger at the store?

[Paul.b]

No, unless all you can get is those small Sissy clams. Try to get fresh, live chowder clams, they are about as large as an orange. Open them part way and stick something in the shell to keep it open. Use your wallet or toothbrush. Freeze the clam and then open it all the way. With a sharp knife carve off paper thin slices. After you make an indentation, the slices come off a nice size. Cut larger slices for larger fish or anemones. If you need real small pieces take a baster, suck them up and squirt them out, makes great coral food. Put the rest of the clam back in the freezer or eat it yourself. If all you can get is small clams, chop them up and move to a place with real clams.

[albertthiel]

Albert is correct. This happens in the sea all the time and I have always done it. I make those baster things and could not have a tank without one. I feed everything with them. Marine Depot sells them as coral feeders

indeed

[Hammerstone]

Thank you very much!!! If I wouldn't have asked it would have been a real mess!!! ? Thank you both for helping. I've had two tanks for two years and still know nothing. I research each individual thing I plan on getting but I don't have much and still live in a small reefing world ?

[albertthiel]

Thank you very much!!! If I wouldn't have asked it would have been a real mess!!! Thank you both for helping. I've had two tanks for two years and still know nothing. I research each individual thing I plan on getting but I don't have much and still live in a small reefing world

 

You are most welcome

 

Albert

[StinkyBunny]

They just did an article in CORAL magazine on those blue gorgonians Paul.

 

The devil would be wearing long johns before I paid $20 for one of those basters. I use all sorts of stuff from a simple piece of rigid airline jammed into a 60cc syringe to a urinary catheter to suck aiptasia anemones off rocks. That all comes from having to be inventive when I was growing up because money was tight. Now it's just because I'm a cheap so and so.

[albertthiel]

They just did an article in CORAL magazine on those blue gorgonians Paul.

 

The devil would be wearing long johns before I paid $20 for one of those basters. I use all sorts of stuff from a simple piece of rigid airline jammed into a 60cc syringe to a urinary catheter to suck aiptasia anemones off rocks. That all comes from having to be inventive when I was growing up because money was tight. Now it's just because I'm a cheap so and so.

 

I have a set of those basters and they are worth every penny I paid for them StinkyBunny

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I have a few.

 

What did it say in coral reefs magazine? I don't get it.

[StinkyBunny]

There's an article in there about the care of that gorgonian you have. Stuff you've already figured out, they need food at regular intervals. I was hoping it was somewhere online, but nope. CORAL is about the best print magazine out there today for reef keeping.