Shown here is the aquarium at the old place. Strangely enough, it looks almost identical today. It's recovering very well since the move. It's been about 1 month so far.
The elegance coral, which we were most worried about, has grown, yet again. The thing is taking over!
I lost almost all the corralline algae upon the move. I've been religiously checking the calcium and alkalinity levels, both which needed a boost. In addition to using the liquid 2-part buffer (B-Ionic), I also like being able to control the two parameters individually with calcium blocks and an alkalinity powder. I am starting to see some corralline growth return.
I had to add my clean-up crew back again. I lost all my crabs and snails on the move. I added them into two small batches. Some have died off, and I think I've reached a saturation point.
Along the same lines as clean-up crew, I've been having some hair algae issues. Part of it is probably the stress of the move. Also, my temp has increased by a degree since the move (now at 81 degrees). Not to mention the increased humidity of living only a mile from the coast. The biggest reason is probably due to the death of my sea urchin. I've been hesitant to get a new one. For one, I like how my coral and rocks are arranged without having to glue everything down. Plus, I don't want to risk having one die again and "nuking" the whole tank. So in the meantime, I'm back to weekly water changes until everything settles. Not a big deal except I hate hauling tons of 5-gallon buckets of water down stairs. Ah, the joys of apartment living.
All-in-all, everything is good in aquarium land! Can't wait for a few more weeks to go by so I can move into phase 2--getting a new fish. Still trying to decide what to get. Maybe a wrasse...