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For the past few days, things have been 'odd' and I couldn't really figure out what was the cause. Both of my tanks were suffering from depressed pH readings, to the point that I became very concerned. pH 8.0 for the high at the peak of the lighting period is not good at all. My zoanthids and bubble tip anemone have looked so much better in the past. Plus the 55g reef has been running hotter and hotter as well!!!! What is the deal?!

I decided to take pictures of the Bubble Tip Anemone every hour for 24 hours, especially as it was looking miserable again. I didn't quite get it every hour, but I got pretty close. In the first shot you can see just how deflated it looked. And in the final picture, roughly 40 hours later it started looking better again. I can't figure out why it does this, but I wish it was happy looking 23 hours a day.

The first soft coral I ever bought was a "Colt" coral. It is listed on my 29g's webpage. Mushrooms, Xenia, button polyps, etc are all corals, but I don't look at them like that. The Colt coral was like a cactus, with a thick trunk and many stalks reaching upward, covered with thousands of little polyps for filter feeding.

It grew quite large in my 29g to the point that I thought I'd have to remove it. It spread onto another rock nearby, and I was able to take that piece and put it in to the 55g reef.

I tested out the new salt Oceanic is producing now. They'd mailed me a trial sample to make 5 gallons. Adding the entire amount to exactly 5 gallons of water, I let it mix for an hour. It was clear within 5 minutes, and dissolved completely. For 30 more minutes I aerated it by raising the hose the pump was connected to, to pound the surface of the water. These were the results.

Yesterday I got a few nice pieces from Dallas Marine, and wanted to post a few pictures.

Here are some beautiful zoanthids that I put in my 29g under PC lighting. They opened right up.

Here is a Distichopora, which is in my 55g under 175w MH and VHO 03's.

A single multicolored frilly mushroom, also in the 55g, put on the substrate.

When RTN (Rapid Tissue Necrosis) hits a coral, there is little time to act. I've been growing a tiny frag of "bird's nest" for about six months or longer, and as of yesterday it looked like it was really taking off. I have a Frogsspawn coral nearby, and it has brushed against this coral on occasion, but never enough to make me worry.

A few articles have been added to my site, that have been in the club newsletters over the past few months.

How to buy a good digital camera

Why should you use RO/DI water in your reef tank

When can I safely add a mandarin to my tank?

First of all, my Montipora capricornis frag is finally doing something exciting! I got a chip of a frag last year, and it just never did anything. Then I got this nice orange piece last August, but algae grew on it, it fell into my Milleopora several times, each time stinging the crap out of it to where a chunk would bleach and die..... Finally I used a zip-tie strap to hold this piece on a boulder of LR and it has been growing for me.

I took this macro shot today, and look what I see deep down in the ridges: POLYPS! I never get to see them and it was exhilarating to find a few.

The new 5100K bulb over my refugium is really making a difference. The macro plants are growing fast and furious. I was worried about it, but it looks like it was a success. :)

The sand storm from yesterday morning (in the 55g reef) left half the tank looking super clean. I'm ready to start a man-made sandstorm on the other end just so it will match. LOL

ARGH!!!!! I walked into the living room and saw the 55g was a little too white, like it snowed in there. The actinic lights were the only ones turned on, so it took a second for me to figure out what had happened. A powerhead came loose from the glass wall, and blew a good chunk of sand out of the corner and across the entire tank. Basically, suction cups suck!