New Ideas

Over the past couple days I have decided I want to add about 50 or so pounds of live rock as this will both increase my ability to handle nitrates and provide more surface area for corals to grow on. I will keep the rock in a holding tank (aka a big brute trashcan with heater and powerhead) and add a piece a week so as not to overload my system. I have not purchased any rock or set this up so more updates are on the way.

The sump and culture projects are still moving along, but at a slow pace as I don't have the capital to complete them (feel free to donate ;) ). I am mostly in the planning stage still, but I have made good progress on the phyto setup.

I also have reached a very balanced Ca -- alk ratio. I don't really buffer at all, except the Kalk i top off with. I have not tested water in a while and don't intend to as everything looks great and i am confident my alk and ca are where they need to be.

The M. Setosa has grown noticably and colored up. It has taken on a orange color and you can see the polyps. It is amazing how much it has grown in only a few weeks. Here is a photo (very blurry as it is still too small for my crumy digital camera to get.The left side of the tank is still very barren and does not have many rocks (note: this is one of the reasons i want to add live rock) here is a Pic of the left side. NOTE: m. setosa
Here are some general shots of the tank:

New Addition

I recived a very rare and unusual frag from Uncle last night. It is a frag of a Montipora Setosa, that is very rare and very expensive. I did not want to have to pay for shipping from Califonia, so my Dad carried it home in his carry on bag. Here is how we pulled it off: we used a gatorade bottle, some electrical tape and a couple heat packs to help it stay warm on the 6 hour flightOnce it arrived I quickly opened it and put it in the tank. It was a very small piece, which is verysmart, as one would not want to risk shipping a large several hunderd dollar colony. Here is the first pic of it, about 24hrs after putting it in the tank. It is very blurry, as It is so small and hard for me to get a good shot. It is pinkish orange and very pretty.
I googled it to find more info, as i did not know much about this type of montipora. I was shocked to see how rare it was and how expensive frags can go for (like 75$ for 0.5 "). Here is just one price for a small piece with out shipping
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=02-8027-10
Here is a pic of a larger colony (not my pic photo credit fragfarmers.com)
I am very happy to be trying my luck at a rare and amazing coral :)