THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Hammerstone]

PHEW!

Think I have all but finished my sump (better not say completely finished) and adjoining cupboard. The cupboard houses all my electrics calcium reactor CO2 bottle, controllers. and ATU reservoir.

 

 

 

OMG I think my head exploded!!!?

[atoll]

I bought another purple firefish out of the same tank I bought the other one from on Wednesday today from Burscough Aquatics today (UK) and they immediately got back together again. Love these fish but you need a cover on your tank as they can go carpet surfing. I the DIY net ones which should keep them safe.

[atoll]

Why I choose smaller fish over the larger specimens for my reef aquarium.


Many years ago I made a conscious decision to concentrate of keeping smaller specimens of reef fish and in as large an aquarium as I could afford to have and run. No large tangs, angels or the like for me. (I tell a lie as I currently house a smallish yellow tang which I put in my previous tank to rid it of some nuisance Caulerpa I will move it on when I need to) At the same time, I also made the decision to try as much as possible to house my fish as they would be found in nature. Therefore, I won't keep any open water fish and only those that stayed close to the reef structure and corals just as they would be found in their natural habitat on and in the reef. I also keep my fish in pairs, trios or small groups again as they would be found on the reef.


There are many reasons I chose to go down this route not least of which was concern for the welfare of the fish in my care. However, there are more reasons that I think we should consider when setting up our reef tanks and our choice of fish. The following is the main reasons I went with my decisions.


1/As above IMO we all have a moral obligation to provide the best care we can for any animal we keep. We are the custodians of those animals we incarcerate in their glass box. If you can't meet the requirements of an animal then don't keep it, it really is as simple as that. We have a duty of care which entails many things from space to diet to tank mates, there are more of course.


2/ By choosing fish that naturally stay close the reefscape and corals we are mimicking their natural enthronement. This has many beneficial effects on the fish IMO. Our fish will feel secure in familiar surroundings. Fish will feel less stressed (always a good thing right?) They will be healthier, often more colourful and even less aggressive to others. Your fish will live longer lives as a result.


3/ When we house fish in as they are found on the reef in pairs or small groups many will nest build and spawn as mine often do while others are pelagic spawner’s of course . EG, I have a pair of common clowns that spawn continuously, a group of damsels that do the same. A pair of pinstriped wrasse that spawn and so on. Many fish that I have heard people say are boring come alive when they have a mate after all fish live to eat and reproduce along with self-preservation. I have 2 different species of gobies along with partner pistol shrimps in a symbiotic relationship as my clowns are in their Red Bubble Tip Anemone. BTW I would never keep clowns without a host anemone as they are never found in nature without one and yes I know about clowns doing well without an anemone and even spawning without a host nem.


4/ Let's take a look at so-called age old stocking fish ratio in relation to size of fish per gallon. 5 x 1” damsels does not equate to a 5” angel for instance with regards to bio load so there is less pressure on your filters. I am not suggesting you can therefore cram your aquarium with a lot more fish as a result, however. Having said that most small fish are almost constant feeders so I feed a little and often and provide a good varied diet but that is for another post. Most my fish are opportunistic feeders feeding on what comes their way in the water column but I digress.


5/ My fish enjoy a predator free environment, sure there is the odd squabble as with my 5 star damsels but they are so preoccupied chasing one another they have no time or any other fish in the aquarium it would seem. However, these squabbles never end in any injuries to any of them not even a nipped fin. I recently introduced a pair of Purple Firefish, none of my fish including the damsels have given them a second look.


There are other reasons I have chosen to keep my reef as I do and I could expand on the above but I have covered most of if not all the main reasons for my choice, my fish have no option after all.

Finally, I would like to think given the choice or returning to the reef with all the perils that await them or staying residing in the 5 star Hilton I call my reef aquarium they would choose the latter . I have no real way of knowing this but all appear very healthy and contented with what I provide in my 100-gallon reef tank. I am not trying to preach to you all at all as these are just my thoughts and philosophy towards my animals and reef keeping yours of course, may well differ.

[albertthiel]

Well said indeed Les and IMHO very good decision

 

 

Albert

[atoll]

Well said indeed Les and IMHO very good decision

 

 

Albert

It's how I have approached my reefkeeping for over 30 years Albert.

[albertthiel]

It's how I have approached my reefkeeping for over 30 years Albert.

 

Yes indeed Les

 

Albert

[Paul B]

We went to a really nice all inclusive in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We went there because our Daughter and Son in Law wanted us to come with them (to babysit) and that was the perfect place for us and the kids. They have a kids club with everything a little kid would want like giant hippopotamuses that spouted water and other things like Supermodels for me to look at. ( I particularly liked the Supermodel that was the singer) The place was great but the diving was not worth it at all. I knew diving there was going to be a waste, and it was not worth the effort to get wet. But it was very cheap, I guess that's why.

They came to get me on the beach with their "Dive Boat". Their "dive boat" was basically a 21 foot row boat with an outboard engine. No place to put anything including tanks and equipment that just rolled around in the bilge water of this very bare boat. If you had sun glasses, a camera, fine china or your best crystal it had to live on the bottom of this tiny boat under the tanks. There was no room for your feet so you hung them overboard. There were about 8 of us on the boat including the "driver" and the divemaster/GPS/depthfinder who stood at the front and pointed left or right so the "driver" didn't run over any swimmers near the beach as we were going full speed.

I was a little concerned because I was by far the oldest guy on the boat (as I normally am) and I didn't see any way to climb back on the thing after the dive. The freeboard (part of the boat above the water) was about 3' and there was no way for me to rocket myself out of the sea like a penguin to get back on this "boat". I asked about that and the divemaster ran up on the beach and produced this thing made from electrical tubing that he said would work as a ladder.

So we get to the site and tried to put on the equipment. I have been diving long before any of these guys were born but I need at least 8" around me to put on the equipment. It's not like you could stand up due to the 6' waves that people were surfing on right next to us.

I get on the equipment and happily throw myself into the water very excited to be off the "dive boat". I bob around a while banging my regulator in my hand trying to get it to stop free flowing for fear that I would run out of air before I sunk.

So we go down to the bottom which they told me was 45' deep. It looked much shallower. The first thing I noticed, was,,, well,,,, nothing. There is nothing there. Sea fans, more sea fans, other sea fans behind the first sea fans and an occasional gorgonian. I did manage to see "1" cowfish, "1" sharp nosed puffer and "1" trigger fish. We spent much of the "dive" looking for a place to tie the dive buoy (Clorox Bottle) to the bottom. That was the most exciting part of the both dives.

We got back on the boat by using the "ladder" and sailed about 100 yards to the second dive site. The second dive was a little better and had many more gorgonians. And in places where there were no gorgonians, there were more gorgonians. It was like a gorgonian warehouse. I think I saw a parrotfish but it may have been wishful thinking.

I fell asleep a couple of times and had to be woken up as I was drifting toward the bottom. I could have just walked on the bottom to shore as it would have been easier than climbing up the "ladder".

My GoPro camera croaked after a few shots but that didn't matter because how many sea fan pictures do you really need?

Flying back to the beach full of tourists at top speed was exhilarating because there was one or two of them that we didn't scare to death.

This is me with the "three" fish that we saw. I was clearly calling for someone with a spear gun to shoot me.

 

 

And a gorgonian. I took this picture because I have a few of these gorgonians in my tank. Maybe they "escaped" from there.

 

[albertthiel]

Sorry to read you had such an uneventful experience there Paul but at least you had "family" including the grand children there with you

 

 

I have heard similar stories about diving in that area btw ... not good for a true diver

 

At least you saw 1 supermodel

 

 

Albert

[Paul B]

Albert, as always, the Supermodel made the trip worthwhile

[albertthiel]

Albert, as always, the Supermodel made the trip worthwhile

 

That is for sure :)

 

Albert

[atoll]

My new reef tank part one of two.

 

 

part two of two

 

[albertthiel]

Very nice job Les

 

 

Albert

[Paul B]

This guy stopped eating today which means he will molt in a day or two. Not a minute to soon as he is becoming to be covered in some algae and a little cyano.
After he molts I will look for a female for him to date as I want them to mate.
I have had arrow crabs mate a few times and it just seems right to get him a girlfriend to try to impress. I got him as a baby and I think he is now ready.

[Hammerstone]

I think everything should have the opportunity to get it on if it desires lol???

[albertthiel]

Yes indeed Paul that is a super idea

 

Albert

[atoll]

A couple of top down pic's both left and right of my tank. sorry for the reflection of the lights,

 

 

[albertthiel]

Nice shots Les

 

Albert

[atoll]

Nice shots Les

 

Albert

 

Thanks Albert I am getting there.

[albertthiel]

 

Thanks Albert I am getting there.

 

You sure are Les

 

 

Albert

[atoll]

New quick vid.

 

http://vid541.photobucket.com/albums/gg378/lesmelling/ACAquatics%20tank/VID_24591107_183811_zpso2a9qcze.mp4

[albertthiel]

New quick vid.

 

http://vid541.photobucket.com/albums/gg378/lesmelling/ACAquatics%20tank/VID_24591107_183811_zpso2a9qcze.mp4

 

I notice the Clowns stayed where you wanted them .... +++

 

Albert

[StinkyBunny]

 

I bought another purple firefish out of the same tank I bought the other one from on Wednesday today from Burscough Aquatics today (UK) and they immediately got back together again. Love these fish but you need a cover on your tank as they can go carpet surfing. I the DIY net ones which should keep them safe.

 

Those guys do MUCH better in a pair or group. Every time I only have 1 they don't come out to feed and it's always when I can't get hold of more of them.

 

OK, back to Cleaner wrasses, the one in my wife's tank is nuts (we call him crackers), he eats romaine lettuce with the Purple tang, lol.

[Paul B]

That arrow crab shed as I knew he would and now he is much larger. So much larger that I am afraid to go to sleep at night as he has been looking at me funny lately with those beady little eyes.
I think he is mad that it is taking me so long to find a suitable mate for him but I am looking for a real cute one, sort of like a Crab Supermodel, so it is taking a while. I find that crabs seem to live forever and that the only time one would die is right after they shed and another creature finds them tasty. I am sure the numerous bristleworms I have smell him and chase him around right after he sheds. If he sheds on the gravel, they will surround him and possibly trip him so that when he falls down, they put him in a Ricky Nelson.
(Full Nelson for you young uns)
I also have some large hermit crabs that I got the size of a pea. Those too live forever and I lost a pair a few years ago that were about 12 years old. They died a week apart.

These guys lived to 12 years old. The female is the cute one with the above the knee shell and blue eye stalks.

These local New York rock crabs you can collect here all over the place. They grow to about the size of a baseball in a year so you can't keep them to long.

[albertthiel]

Wow

 

 

Albert

[atoll]

Bit of DIY again today.

My Nyos 160 comes with the facility to attach a supplied tube to the cup to drain off skimmate. However, the distance between the cup bottom and the shoulder locking end of the cup is quite small resulting in a kinked tube when fitted. This is not good and also means the tube can easily come adrift with the skimmate draining back into the sump or worse.

My solution was to drill out the nipple the tube attaches to and fitted a RO elbow connector I had from a dismantled RO unit. I had to file down the thread of the elbow almost smooth and glued it into place with some Unibond extreme glue. I also fitted a tap to aid draining of the cup. I know some people will say the cup should be removed and cleaned rather than simply drained but there are times when you just want to drain the skimmate off.

This mod would also work with many other skimmer cups of course.