finbir

Hi, One of the greatest culprits of ich is 'stress'. Never put new fishes into the main tank. Not even those u just obtained from another fellow reefer. I've always placed my new acquisitions in my sump and wait until they r calmer and eating well. Sometimes, even in the sump disaster occurs viz. in fightiing....but though death occurs, the others that survive make it to the main tank. Currently my sump has a 9" Lo, a 6" blue tang, a black ocellaris, two cardinals and a fat powder blue. Cheers, Finbir.

Initial enthusiasm can create disaster. A friend of mine once went on a buying spree despite my advice. His 4 footer was already showing the typical milky water, yet he visited the shops again and again to add to the stress. The result u know. There is no short cut to a stable system despite the advent of new products. On the other hand, a fully matured tank can even handle an outbreak of white spots, another bane in marine reef keeping. The best alternative now is to place the remaining live stocks in a temporary holding with aeration while u do a complete water change with natural seawater. As mentioned earlier, if the system is already matured, things should return to normal in a day or two. Happy reefing. Finbir.

Hi, Just last wk, my four-footer started leaking. It's almost 35yrs old. Well, I transferred all the inhabitants to a spare tank with only an air pump running. I didn't use this pretty new tank 'cos I feel the stand's not well made. So water in the old tank was drained and the silicone came off easily. Scraped off the algae and remained silicone with a sharpened paint scraper. Didn't use a razor 'cos got cut on previous occasion. Used nail cleaner acetone to clean edges of the tank. Resealed the tank the next day and waited 3dys for everything to dry. Put back everything in the evening of the 3rd dy and now it's running gd as before. My skimmer did run a bit high but was back to normal at the end of the next day. IMO I strongly suspect ur tank's system is not fully matured or the content is overstocked. Good luck. Finbir

Actually a few of them around 16cm long managed to live peacefully in my 4' tank until red slime developed. The rocks were taken out and sprayed in the toilet. Those guys wriggled out and died almost instantly. I must say they certainly looked pretty with that rainbow-like shimmer, much darker unlike the ones pulled out from the sand along the seashore for fishing. Those r the bristleworms. The few I spied at the East Coast, initially mistaken for centipedes, I think one needs to be nimble with the fingers s they r between the cracks among the various species of corals growing there on the granite bund. But there's no mistaking them once u observe them up close n saying they r like centipedes except for their cylindrical bodies, aptly describe this type of marine annelids.

Hi fren, It depends on the size of the worm or worms u need to study. For miniatures, just go 2 the East Coast when the tide is at 0.1m and scoop a bagful of mud behind the breakwater wall beside the canal near Fort Rd. U can also wait patiently for the centipede sized version to appear among the rocks that form a ledge (seen only at low tides) there. Do wear shoes or u can end up with badly cut soles. If the rocks in ur tank r seeded with the mud, u should eventually be the proud owner of some juv. bobbits in the weeks 2 come. BTW the ones I spotted at the East Coast r the thickness of an adult's pinky thus making me think they r centipedes. It's just that a centipede can't live in saltwater area! So a trawl of the Net revealed what I'd seen. Happy researching, Finbir.

Many an enthusiast thought he made it when the fishes viz. regal angel, Phillipine halfmoon angel,etc. start to eat and grow fat. Unfortunately, even for the exceptional few, who have managed to keep the moorish idol, the happiness is shortlived. The ocean is vast as compared to our home tanks. Keeping the tried and tested ones, will in the long run, reduce unnecessary stress. Happy reefing.

Hi fren, Last month, my Laporinus xinctus (it's a torpedo-like fish with an orange body and bold tiger-like stripes) which had been with me for almost 9yrs sudddenly turned upside down. Initially, I left it alone thinking that it'd eventually return to normal. As it didn't after about a wk, I netted it and placed it in 16litres of dechlorinated water in a flowerpot. I added Epsom salt and Big Boy's bluish anti-chlorine plus a spoonful of praziquentel plus aeration. It was there for a week but still remained the same. In fact, its topside now upside down was getting descaled through constant rubbing and the dorsal was tearing. I decided to make a water change and continued the treatment. After 2wks with no improvement, I was on the verge of putting it to sleep. Then I decided to return it to the main tank before doing so. A miracle happened. The next evening, it was swimming head downwards at an angle of about 50 to 70 degrees. With a badly scratched top and 'warts' on the dorsal, it somehow managed to catch some of the guppies and continued to improve. It spent the entire week hiding in a 40mm PVC, showing only its tail and lips (BTW. It's about 10" long). To date, it has fully recovered and terrorising the rest of the inhabitants, made up of glass shrimps and wagtails. Hope the above helps. Finbir.

Hi, I'm using 2 1st gen., the 2nd's in my 4' sump which doubles s a quarantine tank. I've however substituted the original adaptors for 12vs from Sim Lin Tower. Whenever I want a stronger flow I just use W1 mode. Used 2 run my tank on Resun 1500.

Hi friend, Tinkling with electricity is no joke. If those with several years of experience, can pay a fatal penalty due to carelessness. It's totally different from getting zapped by torchlight batteries or that of a car. Best to get someone in the know to get it done legally. Happy reefing. Finbir.

Hi Eric, Kindly remove me from ur reserved list. My whole tank is hit by white spots n the fishes r dying. I'm sorry that I'm unable to go through with the deal. Anyway it's a good thing I did not get the fish earlier or else it would've been such a sheer waste.

Hi Eric, Put me 1st in line 4 ur multi-color. Happy New year and thks, Finbir.

Hi Wilfran, Am keen. Where 2 view the above? I stay in Bedok. My contact number is hp.97555258. Just say u r selling an angel when u call. Thks, Finbir.

Hi Trevally, I'm keen 2 off-load the stuff from u. But I'm staying in Bdk Nth near the Blk 89 mart at Bdk Nth Ave.4. What's the best arrangement if the stuff is still available? Cheers, Finbir.

Think of white spots being like the flu germs. Healthy fish will usually be immune but in the event of overfeeding and increased detritus, an outbreak can occur. Another cause of it is stress due to a new fish being just introduced without prior quarantine i.e. the new fish needs to be strengthened and feeding steadily in a , say, two gall tank. Usage of Seachem Buffer plus its Reef Builder should maintain a steady 8.3ph and alkalinity. In any event, the use of Stress Zyme on a regular basis will help to promote the good guys whose role is to neutralize the tank detritus. U need to net the fish out and use an anti-ich medication as the treatment can last up to a week. The tank itself must also be dosed to kill the parasites that r now multiplying in it. Without the fish, the parasites will die n the system will normalise faster. Fellow reefers have had success using a Kent Marine product. NB. My tank was hit last month and the outbreak was halted within two weeks. But I dosed with Aquapharm Ich Cure followed by Melafix in a quarantine tank. Good luck.

For breaking coral 'rocks' , ur best bet is the parrot fish. It goes to work quickly once acclimatised in the tank. The mantis will break ur heart when ur other shrimps n fishes r slowly decimated by this little terror.

The Scribbled Angel is endemic to Australia. Hence it's quite a rarity. Way back in the '80s, they were quite cheap. But nowadays, it's a different story and one should never think of keeping one unless the tank parameters are met. In other words, think b 4 u buy n appreciate the fact one is able to get hold of such rarities. Lastly, don't try to make money out of what u buy. Be thankful, that the local shops can bring in such rare treats. Be ready to sacrifice by selling only to those u know or clench ur teeth and pass it to the shop u purchase from. Let's not kill this fascinating hobby.

Hi fren, Am keen. Where do u stay? My HP no. 97555258. Thks, Finbir.

Lol! If u read carefully, there's nothing fantastic about my tank. All that I'm saying is that if u r going high-tech n is willing 2 spend $xxxxx...inclu. getting someone 2 service ur tank or tanks regularly, u can sit back n relax. That chap will trouble-shoot everything 4 u. In my case, it's experience teaches a fool. And I've found the ATS (diyed it myself based on IT gleened info.) very workable although sceptics (it's 2 cheap 2 to be true) will still run huge skimmers with filter socks n weekly water changes, activated carbon, vodkas,FL filters, calcium reactors,etc...to produce the ultimate scenarios. At the end of the day, we work with what we r comfortable with n enjoy what we can afford. Hope I haven't use any vocab. wrongly n point u in the wrong direction.

The Dutch guy's tank featured a few types of caulerpas (macro algae) a pair of pyjama cardinals(S. nematoptera) and a huge bubble coral. The whole scenario was like an outdoor scene lit by sunlight. Basically, corals need a different setting viz. HO tubes, metal halides or some of the latest leds (I'm not buying at the moment 'cos the market's dishing out new designs at quite a fast rate). Having gone thru' the gauntlet of available lights in the past, I guess i'll just wait and see for the time being. So the light mentioned is strictly for the chaeto. But if u want a more stable enviro, it's best 2 go for an ATS. And that's what I've done. Do check Santa Monica's postings for more details. I recently gave up on the chaeto and my set-up has never been healthier. BTW my tank is a 20yr-old four-footer and houses a few types of mushrooms, an Asfur, a pair of pygmy bi-color angels, three blue-eyed cardinals , a pair of black perculas, two ocellaris, a pair of pyjama cardinals and two rainbow wrasses (T. amblycephalum). They eat like pigs and have been around for close to a year. (NB. My main tank lights r nothing to yak about s they r a pair of T8s and some wrongly bought led tubes (15w and 18w respec.) Like I'd said earlier, no more buying till the dust has settled...Par 38, next Radion, next Pharos, Ophek, Beamworks....Mazzara....gosh!!

Okay, most electrical shops will have stocks. The paper holder will show 'cool white'. Only thing is 2 make sure the colour code is 840. In fact Osram, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic, etc., also have cool white tubes. But I'll stick 2 Phillips. The last current price at most shops at Kelantan Lane (off Jalan Besar) is around $4 to $5 for a two-footer but those in housing estates tend to charge more.

The light mentioned is not the usual 'daylight bulb' which has a code 54 or the warm white tube. Phillips also make T5s with code 865 which gives off a ghostly white hue. The light mentioned has been used successfully by Dutch aquarists in the '60s n featured in a magazine called Today's Aquarium (don't know if it's still in circulation). And I'm still using them in my sump (thank Phillips for its availability). Do remember that the tablet mentioned will show very rapid result but the slime will regenerate if the current problem is not rectified. The skimmer is totally hopeless in this case. Also, I presume, u run a chiller?

Excess nutrients viz. phosphates and iron (imo) are one of the causes of red slime besides wrong light spectrum. Mine did very well under two of the ordinary Phillips 840 T5 slim 2feet tubes. U can use amoxicillin tablet, just one will do, to knock out the slime (if u can get hold of the tablets) or else painfully hose away the red slime n siphon them off. It may take some effort till ur tank's biosystem is regained. Good luck

Having been a reefer for several yrs and gone thru' the gauntlet of using various powerheads by Eheim, Sicce and Rena, to name but a few, I think u'd not regret getting the Vortech or Conch s they r really state of the art devices. Other than that imo the Seio pumps do give u a run for ur money if it's a budget project. (If only the Vortech or Conch were invented earlier then my resources would've been put to better use). Hope this helps! Finbir

Hi fren, I'm keen. Where and when can I come to take a look? Thks, Finbir.

It's chaeto, short for chaetomorpha algae I've 4 tow huay tubs. Deal at Bedok North Ave 4 near Blk 88 renovation market or carpark opposite bird shop behind, if interested. No obligations.