Ask Nano Questions and Find Information (Nano Expert Albert Thiel)

[alberthiel]

Here are some better shots of the largest crab which we are trying to ID. He is at least 2x bigger than the other 3. The red crab hardly shows herself. She's dug a nice hole under the live rock and pops out every so often.

Here are pics of all 5. The last pic is the bigger one obviously.

What I think you need to do is get all of the crabs out of that tank as IMO they are all carnivores and will just do more damage as they get larger and grab fish or corals during the night which is when they are often more active.

I do not think any of them are safe for your tank ... and I do not see a true Emerald crab ... they are way larger than what they should be. The red one I cannot ID because I cannot see it very well but the usual recommendation when one is not sure is : remove it ...

And on that last one : that is NOT a M. sculpts for sure, claws are way too large.

Here is a pic of one that I have (and that is 1 in a 20 gallon tank) and it is about 1 inch across ... and the claws are very small

Whatever that Pet Store sold you are not what you want

 

[alberthiel]

The new issue of CORAL magazine has a few article on Banggai Cardinals, one of which is by Matt Pedersen who was the one who was running that project ... My issue of the Mag arrived and I read the articles and I have to say that the Pedersen one was quite disappointing ... I did not see anything new or anything that I did not already know. A lot of what is in the article has been documented by others before .... very odd as this is supposed to be the "teaser" article so you buy the book and based on what I read ... well I was not impressed, and truly wonder what M. Pedersen really accomplished, and what all the donations he received were used for ... as it does not seem that he has contributed anything new to what was already known, at least not anything that I can determine.

I am going to order the book anyway but just to find out whether anything was actually achieved as based on what I read now I am wondering whether the Project was truly conducted and/or was successful

 

[Sun1914]

Not sure if you can see it well in my pic but my eel has developed a white bubble over his left eye. Not sure what to make of it or what to do with/for him.

 

[alberthiel]

Not sure if you can see it well in my pic but my eel has developed a white bubble over his left eye. Not sure what to make of it or what to do with/for him.

Cannot really see it but you may want to read up on Popeye and the cures for it ... sometimes it goes away by itself but usually not ... there is plenty of info on the Net about Popeye .. Chucksaddiction site usually has good info on fish disease etc ...

 

[Sun1914]

Yes, I know , not the best pic but if toy look closely you can see the left eye has a cloudy around it. Will test my water later today to ensure all levels are right and do my water change as well. I don't have a quarantine tank set up, which I've learned is a rookie mistake so I'm hoping it is just the result of a clumsy eel and will feel itself. Do you recommend removing him and treating him right away or should I/can I wait?

AL, in terms of a hospital tank, what would I need to set one up?

 

[alberthiel]

Yes, I know , not the best pic but if toy look closely you can see the left eye has a cloudy around it. Will test my water later today to ensure all levels are right and do my water change as well. I don't have a quarantine tank set up, which I've learned is a rookie mistake so I'm hoping it is just the result of a clumsy eel and will feel itself. Do you recommend removing him and treating him right away or should I/can I wait?

AL, in terms of a hospital tank, what would I need to set one up?

Yes do the testing and try to get me a close up of that eye .... and for now what you would do and where depends on what else is in the tank, so let me know as you may not need a treatment tank necessarily ...

 

[Sun1914]

Won't have any test levels until later this evening. As for what else is in the tank. 2 clown fish, 1 Yellowtail Damsel, 1 Domino Damsel, 1 Six Line Wrasse and the eel. I also have 4 alleged emerald crabs, 1 red crab (still haven't been able to ID it), 5 Turbo Snails, 7 Sand Bed Snails and a Hermit Crab. Called my LFS, picking up a 5 day anti bacteria treatment later today. He says I should be able to treat the main tank as a whole. Can you confirm...

 

[alberthiel]

Won't have any test levels until later this evening. As for what else is in the tank. 2 clown fish, 1 Yellowtail Damsel, 1 Domino Damsel, 1 Six Line Wrasse and the eel. I also have 4 alleged emerald crabs, 1 red crab (still haven't been able to ID it), 5 Turbo Snails, 7 Sand Bed Snails and a Hermit Crab. Called my LFS, picking up a 5 day anti bacteria treatment later today. He says I should be able to treat the main tank as a whole. Can you confirm...

No that does not make me feel comfortable ... what is he selling you ? And since he sold you crabs that are not what they are supposed to be I am worried about what he is going to sell you to treat the tank ... let me know what it is ...

 

[Sun1914]

I thought the same thing. It's why I called to another LFS. The product they are recommending is Maracyn Plus.

 

[alberthiel]

I thought the same thing. It's why I called to another LFS. The product they are recommending is Maracyn Plus.

Check this page which has a lot of links to treating diseases including Popeye which is what I think it is ... and if you were to use Maracyn II it would have to be in a separate tank not in the mai tank ...

Also I would return all those crabs ...

How to treat popeye in marine fish - Google Search

 

[Sun1914]

thank you for the link AL, I've read the first 3 already but will continue to research more.
Most of the post recommend placing him in QT unless there is a chance of cause more stress or injury to the eye.
Since I don't already have a QT set up I think I should go forward and set one up for the future but not sure how to go about that.
I really don't have the luxury of time on my side right now to wait for a 10g or so to cycle. What do you recommend?

From what I've read so far, in most experiences 1 eye Pop eye is most likely due to an injury. Some have just waited it out and its gone back to normal others treated with vitamins and food dosed in meds.

I'm hoping once I test the water that my levels are all in good if not great standing and I'm able to just leave him in there and wait it out. The eel is extremely hard to catch, especially since I have no net and more so again I have no where else to put him to treat him.

Can I just place 5 - 7 gallons from my tank into a 10g and just add some new RO/DI water into it to fill it? I was gonna do a water change today and so if I can do something like this it would be helpful cause I'll go and pick up a 10g tonight, set it up, and try to move the eel in tomorrow to start treatment.

 

[alberthiel]

thank you for the link AL, I've read the first 3 already but will continue to research more.
Most of the post recommend placing him in QT unless there is a chance of cause more stress or injury to the eye.
Since I don't already have a QT set up I think I should go forward and set one up for the future but not sure how to go about that.
I really don't have the luxury of time on my side right now to wait for a 10g or so to cycle. What do you recommend?

From what I've read so far, in most experiences 1 eye Pop eye is most likely due to an injury. Some have just waited it out and its gone back to normal others treated with vitamins and food dosed in meds.

I'm hoping once I test the water that my levels are all in good if not great standing and I'm able to just leave him in there and wait it out. The eel is extremely hard to catch, especially since I have no net and more so again I have no where else to put him to treat him.

Can I just place 5 - 7 gallons from my tank into a 10g and just add some new RO/DI water into it to fill it? I was gonna do a water change today and so if I can do something like this it would be helpful cause I'll go and pick up a 10g tonight, set it up, and try to move the eel in tomorrow to start treatment.

Well if it is an injury then it may heal and you can do as you say and add food to which you added vitamins or soaked in some med.

If you get a bucket and an airpump and airstone and make up some water you can treat the fish in there with meds and just let the water be moved around by the airstone and do some water change should the ammonia in that bucket rise ... that would be another way to go. That way you do not need another tank ... any bucket will do as long as it can hold

I would try the treating in that way first before going with a full fledged QT and Treatment tank ...

And on the water you can use tank water and yes add more water to the tank as long as the parameters of what you add are as they should be.

 

[Sun1914]

AL, I never got ur take on the water flow of the tank in the video. Please let me know if I should move the powerhead.

 

[Sun1914]

Results of water test:
(Taken with API Master Kit) about a hour and a half after feeding, lights out, if all that even matters.
High Range pH 7.8 (must get higher, have some Marine buffer that was given to me with the tank, will had during water change tomorrow unless you tell me otherwise)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm (I know thats horrible, besides the water change what else can i do to lower it?)

I also bought Furan -2 to treat the Eye Cloud the Engineer Goby (he's not an eel was final able to ID him properly) is suffering from.
One LFS told me to leave him and it will heal itself and the other LFS told me to treat him within the main tank and then Al says to treat him outside the main. Not that I doubt you Al just would like some clarity as to what and whys.
The Goby seems to be moving about and eating well. Tried some new Formula Two Pellets today fish seems to eat them but not like the Prime Reef Flakes. The pellets sink really fast and I'm not sure if thats a good or bad thing yet.
BUt yeah, the Goby seems to be swimming and eating fine, not as active as he use to be but understandable with the eye cloud and all.

Thanks for all your help and insight Al, much appreciated.

 

[alberthiel]

AL, I never got ur take on the water flow of the tank in the video. Please let me know if I should move the powerhead.

When did you send the video as I do not see it ... ?

 

[Sun1914]

Video I post to saw you the crabs. You can see powerhead and flow. I was told it was too much. Here's the link again. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/r1a53yjer4l7wz5/9M62NMQkaq

Also any insight you can give about my levels and so forth.

Update on Goby, he is doing well. Still active and eating well. Swimming about fine. Eye Cloud still only on one eye.

 

[alberthiel]

Results of water test:
(Taken with API Master Kit) about a hour and a half after feeding, lights out, if all that even matters.
High Range pH 7.8 (must get higher, have some Marine buffer that was given to me with the tank, will had during water change tomorrow unless you tell me otherwise)
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm (I know thats horrible, besides the water change what else can i do to lower it?)

I also bought Furan -2 to treat the Eye Cloud the Engineer Goby (he's not an eel was final able to ID him properly) is suffering from.
One LFS told me to leave him and it will heal itself and the other LFS told me to treat him within the main tank and then Al says to treat him outside the main. Not that I doubt you Al just would like some clarity as to what and whys.
The Goby seems to be moving about and eating well. Tried some new Formula Two Pellets today fish seems to eat them but not like the Prime Reef Flakes. The pellets sink really fast and I'm not sure if thats a good or bad thing yet.
BUt yeah, the Goby seems to be swimming and eating fine, not as active as he use to be but understandable with the eye cloud and all.

Thanks for all your help and insight Al, much appreciated.

Well what you have although it is commonly referred to as a Goby and sometimes even as a Blenny, is actually neither as it belongs to a separate family and the proper name for it is Pholidichthys leucotaenia . But that is not really an issue ..

Yes your nitrates are far too high, and you can lower them by water changes but you may have to do several on consecutive days to bring them down to the low ranges. Also you need to try and figure out why they are so high ? Are you feeding too much maybe ? or are you not doing regular water changes in sufficient quantity?

On the pH is that a morning reading ? As if it is it will go up during the day. If that is an evening reading then you need to test your alkalinity as it may be too low ... as in the evening the pH should be over 8 preferably around 8.2 or so.

And yes that powerhead seems to be running a little too strong from what I can see ...

And if you got Furan-2 then you can treat IN the tank ... and it deals with a lot of possible diseases ... after the treatment period do a water change and run activated carbon but do NOT run GAC while treating as ti will remove the med from the water and will Poly-Filters should you be using any.

And if the fish eats well that is always a good sign ...

 

[alberthiel]

Video I post to saw you the crabs. You can see powerhead and flow. I was told it was too much. Here's the link again. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/r1a53yjer4l7wz5/9M62NMQkaq

Also any insight you can give about my levels and so forth.

Update on Goby, he is doing well. Still active and eating well. Swimming about fine. Eye Cloud still only on one eye.

Thanks, watched the video again and yes as I said in my other message that power head is too strong of a flow right now IMO

Also what have you done about those crabs? ... one looks like a real M. sculptus, but the other one that is right next to it looks like a different one (claws are a lot larger).

And on the levels see my other response.

 

[pickupman66]

Albert,

I asked this over in the lighting forum but I figured I would ask over here as well.

I have an LED fixture over my 5.5 gallon nano. it is an 18x 3 watt CREE system that is brand new , but unheard of and no longer manufactured. it is mounted approx 6 inches above the water and water is 12 inches deep. It has 8 blues and 10 whites with I believe 60 ° optics on them.Due to the un-changeable programming of the light, it ramps up the lights over a 4 hour time span and then they are all on for 6 hours and then a 4 hour ramp down. I cannot change this. what I can control is the overall brightness of them. right now and for the last two weeks I have had the blues at about 25% and the whites at about 10%.

now that the background is laid out, I guess I am asking how high do I need to run these lights? I have Zoas and a frogspawn in the tank and they just dont seem anywhere close as happy

in my system at home, i cannot color tune the LED's. it is a 180 tank with 126x 3 watt CREE/Bridgeluxe that I run at 90% on 1/2 of it and 100% on non dimmable side. I also have 120 watts of T-5.

I tested night before last and my nitrates were about 25. I did a 50% water change the next day. Salinity is 35ppt, ammonia and nitrite were un-detectable.

 

[Sun1914]

I feed 2 times a day but maybe feeding too much. My clown fish are beast and barely leave anything for the others so I tend to drop in a bit more once they (the clown fish) get their fill. Besides that I do water changes every 1 and a half.

The pH was tested last night at 8:30pm or so, so yes it is low.

My plan of attack/correction is to do a 5gallon water change today and add the Furan 2 to the new saltwater going in as well has some Marine Buffer to raise the pH.

From what I understand I should remove my Biocube filter during the treatment correct?

Also I've been reading and many hobbyist speak negatively of the bio balls in the back on the tank. I'll be honest with you I forgot to clean those curbing the last water change. Smh.
Is it you recommendation to do away with the bio balls as well Al?

Here's the pic of the repositioned powerhead. Just lowered it and angled it more towards cross the tank to reduce the movement on the tanks surface. Power head is a Marineland 400 if you're wondering.


I moved the power head lower and pointed it more towards the opposite corner across the tank rather than the top of the tank. Will post pic of re positioned power head.