THE OFFICIAL ASK ALBERT THIEL THREAD

[Paul B]

Today I went to my favorite LFS because they were getting me some Caribbean gorgonians I wanted and a couple of porcelain crabs. I want a mate for mine. I got the 2 crabs, but they didn't look like porcelain crabs and were in a tank a little high for me to see. So now that I got them in my tank my porcelain crabs are really green crabs so I will never see them again.

They didn't get in my gorgonians either so I just took 3 small frags. I had to stick them on my sand because I can't glue them with one working arm. Normally I break off those silly frag plugs and glue the frag to a rock or bottle. I hate the way those frag plugs look as they kill the natural look of a tank.

I was supposed to get a couple of these to mate with mine.

As I was looking at the tank I saw one of these pop out of a frogspawn and I couldn't figure out where I got him. Then I remembered I bought him last week. It's great getting old.

[aviator300]

Hi Albert. I've been on this forum almost 3 years now but have never asked you a question until now. I have a hazy water problem that I can't seem to correct.

 

It's in a 7gal mixed reef tank. RSCP salt in dist water. Nano Box Tide, Bare bottom, AC70 filter with floss, Chemi pure Blue and Seachem Denitrate. Glass on outside and inside clear. Cured live rock. MP10.

 

All parameters good. Water has slight haziness that wont go away. Tried 50% water changes, floss changes, etc. Have used Seachem Clarity. No algae, diatoms, etc.

 

Could you give me some other things to check or any other suggestions. I've never had this problem before with any of the many tanks I have had over 3 years.

 

Sincerely: Aviator300 (Forrest)

[Paul B]

Today I picked up a couple of corals. One is about 6" and the other two are small. I had to cut about 6" of my blue sponge so it has some light. I will give that away, hopefully someone wants it.

It isn't easy to glue frags because I am still in a sling and can't raise my arm. I got them in there, a little sloppy, but that's the way it is.

I can't find those two green crabs I accidently got and don't believe I will ever see them.

I ordered a new small LED light for my algae scrubber because the red water cooled one I built is just a little to Thick even though it is less than one inch thick water drips on it. I will use the one I bought while I design a thinner LED light.

Everything else is good except due to the drought in California, I am having a hard time getting blackworms. I still have some but I am rationing them.

[RayWhisperer]

Black worms are a hot commodity these days. I've got a friend who works at a wholesaler. They used to get 40 boxes a week. Now they get 7 a month.

[Paul.b]

When my shoulder is movable I will expand my worm keeper so they breed. They breed now but no where near fast enough and I don't think California is going to have a rainy spell any time soon.

[atoll]

FTS taken a couple of hours ago.

 

[Paul.b]

Very Nice Atoll

[atoll]

Very Nice Atoll

Thanks, Only 9 months old Paul but 36 years in the making. Got a long way to go to equal your length of time with your tank and doubt it will get close.

[johnthehermit]

I have a question regarding a Sochting oxydator. I have just purchased one to use in my sump after siporax to add oxygen before the return pump and I'm wondering if it would be possible to use one in a QT while treating with cupramine. Would the oxidator affect the copper treatment or be of benefit?

thanks

John

 

ps; I'm asking here as I know Albert and Les are the gurus regarding their use.

[Paul.b]

Today I went to my favorite LFS again. While there I say this beautiful lipstick tang and the way she was looking at me with those pouty lips, I almost went home with her. But then I thought, this thing will probably live for 20 years. At that time I will be in my 80s, probably senile, blind and have a weak bladder. How am I supposed to catch her then because I will want to give her away before I croak.

So I didn't buy her. Instead, I got another crab. He waltzed over to my existing crab, carefully put his arms around her, pulled her closer, and tried to rip her face off.

But now that they have been formally introduced, they settled down to share filter feeding next to each other.

 

[Paul.b]

One of the pitfalls of having shoulder surgery is that it is difficult to do any tank maintenance that requires two hands. I can feed the tank, clean the glass and the skimmer cup but that's about it.

My algae scrubber is so full that the algae is sloughing off the thing and falling into the tank. In my set up, there is a pump in the tank that supplies water to the scrubber, then the water flows into a pipe that feeds my reverse undergravel filter.

The amount of algae is preventing the water from traveling into the UG filter as it is overflowing that pipe and going straight into the tank.

I can't raise my right are right now to clean it but I managed to clear some of the algae with a screwdriver.

I won't be able to reach up to it for a few weeks when my shoulder gets better so I will have to live with this for a while. It is not the end of the world, just a little annoyance.

This is an older picture of the scrubber.

[atoll]

Can't you get Mrs B to help you do a few jobs like clean your scrubber under you guidance Paul?

[Paul.b]

I could, but first I would have to tell her we have a fish tank. Then after she falls in the tank, I would have to fish her out. It takes a bit of tool use to clean this thing.

[atoll]

I could, but first I would have to tell her we have a fish tank. Then after she falls in the tank, I would have to fish her out. It takes a bit of tool use to clean this thing.

I get your drift Paul, somethings are best left till you can do them yourself.

[Paul.b]

A friend of mine on another forum had an Idea to use a shop vac to clean the scrubber. Great Idea. I did it in 2 minutes and the thing is almost brand new. I still have to take it apart eventually to clean the slot, but it's working perfectly.

[atoll]

A friend of mine on another forum had an Idea to use a shop vac to clean the scrubber. Great Idea. I did it in 2 minutes and the thing is almost brand new. I still have to take it apart eventually to clean the slot, but it's working perfectly.

 

Just be careful as you will know salt water might not be to the vacs parts liking

[atoll]

I have 2X FX150S horizontally at each end of the tank plugged into a Scice Wave Surfer and have just installed a FX130 vertically in the rear cover to provide circulation behind my reefscape.

[Paul.b]

I just decided (possibly stupidly) to feed my corals yeast. I feed it to my worms and they are always smiling but now my tank is all cloudy from yeast. So either the tank will crash or It will make one heck of a salty loaf of bread.

When I get bored, I sometimes do stupid things.

[albertthiel]

Happens to all of us .......

 

Albert

[Paul.b]

I just came back from the Doctors office. I had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago so I had to go for the follow up appointment.

I didn't see the doctor, I assume he was playing golf but I did see the physicians assistant which was good because she was a Supermodel. She took out the stitches on the four places where the guy dug holes in my shoulder and we talked a while being I had five shoulder surgeries already and I liked her boots. I worked construction all my life so I wore out some of my parts. The Dr. put two bolts, anchors or toggle bolts in the bone but he had trouble doing that because all the good real estate was already taken from the last 4 times I had this done. The tendon was to thin, probably from lifting Supermodels up on my shoulder so he had to take a piece of something to re inforce it. I am not sure if he used a sliver of muscle or a piece from the sole of my shoe but in 6 months I will be cured as long as I only lift very skinny Supermodels and only buy light fish like bluestripe pipefish and clown gobies, no groupers.

I still have to wear a sling for a month and go to physical therapy. I went to the therapy place after the Doctor to make an appointment. I like physical therapy because they also have Supermodels working there and I know them from the last surgeries I had. They also have good candy on the desk and a Siamese fighting fish that we spend time talking about. Next door is a bakery and coffee shop so what's not to like?

In between the doctor and the physical therapy I noticed that a new LFS opened up. I went in just to be nosy and the guy recognized me from one of these forums. He showed me how he feeds the fish using flake food. To me that is a no no and I explained to him what I think he should feed. He never heard of blackworms, or much else so I explained it to him. The guy actually hugged me and kept asking me to come back. I probably will as the owner is a very nice guy and I hope he makes it as it is a tough business.

[albertthiel]

Wow. Quite a surgery you had

 

Albert

[nano_MC_reef]

I just came back from the Doctors office. I had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago so I had to go for the follow up appointment.

I didn't see the doctor, I assume he was playing golf but I did see the physicians assistant which was good because she was a Supermodel. She took out the stitches on the four places where the guy dug holes in my shoulder and we talked a while being I had five shoulder surgeries already and I liked her boots. I worked construction all my life so I wore out some of my parts. The Dr. put two bolts, anchors or toggle bolts in the bone but he had trouble doing that because all the good real estate was already taken from the last 4 times I had this done. The tendon was to thin, probably from lifting Supermodels up on my shoulder so he had to take a piece of something to reinforce it. I am not sure if he used a sliver of muscle or a piece from the sole of my shoe but in 6 months I will be cured as long as I only lift very skinny Supermodels and only buy light fish like bluestripe pipefish and clown gobies, no groupers.

I still have to wear a sling for a month and go to physical therapy. I went to the therapy place after the Doctor to make an appointment. I like physical therapy because they also have Supermodels working there and I know them from the last surgeries I had. They also have good candy on the desk and a Siamese fighting fish that we spend time talking about. Next door is a bakery and coffee shop so what's not to like?

In between the doctor and the physical therapy I noticed that a new LFS opened up. I went in just to be nosy and the guy recognized me from one of these forums. He showed me how he feeds the fish using flake food. To me that is a no no and I explained to him what I think he should feed. He never heard of blackworms, or much else so I explained it to him. The guy actually hugged me and kept asking me to come back. I probably will as the owner is a very nice guy and I hope he makes it as it is a tough business.

that is actually kinda awesome that the fish store guy recognised you. i don't know what i would do in that situation. As for your injury i hope it gets better.

[Paul.b]

Thank you.

[atoll]

I tend to hide my identity when I go into LFSs as I am always after look out for a discount on anything I buy. When you are like that the shops swap mug shots of the guys who ask for discount. Most now have now have a camera outside the shop so they can see you coming and put the closed sign up before you can enter. One shop owner said after I asked about a discount "do you want me to give you it for nothing" I replied "yeah iof you will do a further 10% off and I promise never to come back again".

However I lie and come back in one of those scary clown masks threatening to scare all his fish to death. You have to be careful which shops you do that in as some have baseball bats under the counter which is strange cos I don't think any of them play baseball. Unlike Paul i don't tend to go for supermodels and prefer anything with a pulse as I like to make their pulse race. I once got a dear old ladies pulse to race a hermit crab but her pulse lost and she ended up in the accident and emergency depart of the local hospital, I never did find out what became of her perhaps she training her pulse to race hermit crabs, I do hope so as it could be the next big thing for senior citizens of the female variety.

[nano_MC_reef]

I tend to hide my identity when I go into LFSs as I am always after look out for a discount on anything I buy. When you are like that the shops swap mug shots of the guys who ask for discount. Most now have now have a camera outside the shop so they can see you coming and put the closed sign up before you can enter. One shop owner said after I asked about a discount "do you want me to give you it for nothing" I replied "yeah iof you will do a further 10% off and I promise never to come back again".

However I lie and come back in one of those scary clown masks threatening to scare all his fish to death. You have to be careful which shops you do that in as some have baseball bats under the counter which is strange cos I don't think any of them play baseball. Unlike Paul i don't tend to go for supermodels and prefer anything with a pulse as I like to make their pulse race. I once got a dear old ladies pulse to race a hermit crab but her pulse lost and she ended up in the accident and emergency depart of the local hospital, I never did find out what became of her perhaps she training her pulse to race hermit crabs, I do hope so as it could be the next big thing for senior citizens of the female variety.

wow that is a ... well... I got nothin