I understand, and I do appreciate the advice.

Personally I love having a 150w metal halide over my 24g nano :)

Small tanks make wicked reef tanks, and even better with nice shimmering light :P

So here are some updated pics for you all to enjoy.

Red coraline algae
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/redalgae.jpg

Purple Coraline Algae spreading to different rocks.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...alinealgae.jpg

Pic of Xenia with heads all squished in like it does a couple of times a day for a a couple of minutes at a time. I figure it does this either to store, engery, expel waste, and or contricts to aid in how it splits to reproduce.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...et1/Xenia1.jpg

Pic showing how the Xenia is working it's way into splitting into 4 stalks.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...et1/xenia2.jpg

Front Tank Shot flash
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...et1/reef32.jpg

Front Tank Shot no flash
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...et1/reef33.jpg

Can you make out the Brittle Star legs in this pic? This is why I wish I had a better camera.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...rittlestar.jpg

Nasarrius snail with mushrooms and naked hermit cast off. I thought it was a dead hermit at first. LOL
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o.../nassarius.jpg


Tell me what you think.

I thought I would share a small video from today. I hope you all enjoy.


http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...h_MVI_0952.jpg

Looks good!

Just FYI

i had a xenia frag that was on a shell and well wouldnt you know it within an hour of me adding it two hermits started fighting for this shell. well as you may or may not know zenia spreads very fast and very easily. so what eventually happend was i had xenia everywhere!!!!!
i just recomend you remove it from the shell and place it onto a small rock or even a large rock so its easier to frag when it becomes to large.

My 2 cents.

I can understand a hermit wanting a shell like that, but my hermits are tiny compared to that shell. If they grow large enough to fit that thing I think I am gonna call guiness book of records and check my water for steroids. LOL. The shell is just a little smaller than my closed fist.

Yes, I am aware that Xenia spreads quickly. It is for this reason I think I am going to keep it on the shell as I can remove it very easily and quickly from the water, prune off what I dont want to keep of the Xenia when it gets out of control and place it back within a few minutes.

Well, I have some good news and bad new for today.

Yestarday I received my package from J&L Aquatics in Canada. It had my chemi-pure, purpleup, tap water conditioner for my freshwater tank and the Koralia 1 I had ordered.

I put the Koralia into the tank, after rinsing it off of course and wow, the power out of that. My hammer coral was like what the heck?? but got used to it. Unfortunately, the xenia hasnt seemed to like the flow from the koralia either. It was looking real nasty today and has stuff coming off of it like string pieces and small little particles like it was melting apart.

Moving it to a lower flow area didnt seem to help so I have taken it out of my tank right now and put it in a plastic bag with half old water and half new water and switching out a bit. I am letting it float in the back area where it can still get some light but won't impede the flow from the rest of the tank. I also did a little over a 10% water change in the tank itsself just incase it was releasing bad stuff.

Does anyone have any ideas what would cause this? Just a picky coral that didnt like the upgraded flow? or could it be something else.

My parameters both before and after the water change were fine.

Before:
PH: 8.3
Salinity: 1.022
Alkalinity: 4 meq/L
Ammonia: free = 0, total = 0.00 (after the 30min wait)
Nitate: 0.5
Nitrite: 0

After:
PH: 8.3
Salinity: 1.0225
Alkalinity: 4.5 meq/L (9dkh)
Ammonia: free = 0, total = 0.00 (after the 30min wait)
Nitate: 0.2
Nitrite: 0

Ok well I ended up cutting the end off the Xenai with a pair of scissors. After a good shake in some salt water I put it back in the tank. The cut areas this morning look well healed now with just a couple little brown spots. So it looks like it is on the mend a bit.

I now have dubbed him stubby. I am hoping that new polyps start growing on it in a couple of days.

So here is a pic of what is left of my Xenia now. 24hrs after I cut the tops off.

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...nianubbies.jpg


The tops are not flat but have rounded themselves out and have become stiff again instead of flopping over. I would have figured if it was going to continue to deteriorate it would have over the last 24hrs. Also the colour is coming back.

Do you think it will survive okay? or am I giving it false hope? Has anyone else had this sort of issue with Xenia before?

Well I have some updated picks today. I got some frags off of a local guy who was selling them from his tank.


Front tank shot
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...ts12-19-08.jpg


Hammer and little green zoas on right.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...hammerzoas.jpg

Close up of the Green Zoas
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o.../greenzoa2.jpg

Atcinic shot of the green zoas.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...icgreenzoa.jpg

My Xenia, with small new heads starting.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...anewgrowth.jpg


Orange and Brown Zoa
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o.../orangezoa.jpg

Candy Canes and my peppermint shrimp behind.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...rcandycane.jpg

Atcinic Shot of the Candy Canes and Orange/brown zoas.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...iccandyzoa.jpg

Mushroom Garden
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o.../mushrooms.jpg

Another front tank shot.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/o...s212-19-08.jpg

I have a small toadstool in there too but I wasnt able to get a decent pick of it. I will try again later.
Enjoy