ReefdUp

Agree with the above. The reclassifications are challenging for me, and I considered myself pretty respectable at identifications. My personal strategy is that I have a copy of Veron's "Corals of the World" series. It's a massive three-book set with copious photos and ID info. [And in searching for info just now, I found out there's a new version!] https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/06/25/verons-corals-of-the-world-is-launched-as-online-database/ I haven't messed with his website, but it's here: http://www.coralsoftheworld.org/synonymy_lookup/?taxonLink=Hydnophora_grandis_sensu_Vero But back when I was getting started in the hobby, I hung out on the "Identification" request parts of various forums and watched people guessing. There was one person that always blew me away (KologneKoral on ReefCentral), so I just watched and learned. I used to be a strict stickler for the scientific names, but I have certainly found myself very lazy with the renamings. It's extremely hard to not call Homophyllia australis just "Scolymia" or "Scoly." But no. I wouldn't hang out at a LFS to learn names. I can't begin to tell you how many wrong answers I've heard over the years (and many places haven't kept up with the renamings). A lot of times things are just sold under whatever name the exporter or wholesaler gave it. Instead, I would use the community, and if you get really into it, play the guessing games on various forums with a good resource in hand. You'll get good at it quickly. Now excuse me while I go stare at two corals in my tank that I've never been able to identify properly... 😵‍💫

Thank you! It really has been quite the adventure getting to this point. I like your take on it and will update my title...

Thank you! Genicathus angels?! They're the only... like 99%... reef safe angels (there is always the possibility, but it's pretty much unheard of). The Lamarck's are probably the most dull of the genus, but they're still phemonenal when adults. The others get *pricey*. I've never had Bellus angels, as they're typically in the $300++ range each. Highly recommend learning more about them, as they're just awesome. 15 years, and they're still my favorites.

Thanks to @johnnybv at Blue Ribbon Koi and @Capital Aquarium, I finally achieved one of my dreams: a pair of Genicanthus angels! Ever since I saw a mated pair of Watanabe angels in Ohio in 2008, I fell in love with them. Shortly after, I purchased a "mated" pair, but it turned out that the male was not mated with that female, and so the female beat him up to death. Strike one. I decided to then order three Watanabe angels, and they came in sooooo itty-bitty. But, they were phenomenal. Unfortunately, I had a family emergency and had to go out of town. My reefkeeper friend tank-sat, but when I came back, there was food everywhere in the tank - and the fish were dead. Strike two. Then, for *years* I could only find one at a time. I had Japanese swallowtails, Zebra angelfish, etc. But, no pairs. Strike... lots. I came across a Lamarck's at @Capital Aquarium that I had to get, as my love for these fish hadn't dwindled. Once again, I couldn't find anymore, despite these being the most common of the Genicathus angels. So, she grew big and bold in the tank. Then... it happened. @johnnybv at Blue Ribbon was able to order some in. He helped me pick out two of the best ones, and I walked out of the store figuring I would be on my last strike before my husband killed me. I decided to just add one smaller female initially in case anything went wrong. The other went into my grow-out tank. I held my breath... The large female completely changed her attitude immediately. She became more protective and friendly... the yellow spot on her head grew... the stripes on her back smoothed out straight, and her pectoral fins turned from white to completely black. In less than a month, *she* was a *he!* (see photos above and below to tell the differences). The two are phenomenal. The male regularly rolls onto his side hoping to mate (see below), but I think the female is still immature. I'm debating if/when to add the second female... I finally got my dream and don't want to disrupt anything! Thanks to two of our AMAZING sponsors!!!

Welcome! I see that you're already a member - awesome! Keep an eye out on the classified ads, as there are often some amazing offers. We're hosting Sanjay for our next meeting, so hopefully you can make it. There will be a bunch of local vendors, along with a great raffle to get you going!

Welcome! Wow, yes, it's crazy how much things have changed (and I've only been in 15yrs). I can't imagine jumping back in after that long. If you join as a member, you'll get access to the classified ads section, entry to our meetings, access to rental equipment... and you'll be supporting a non-profit organization (we support all sorts of schools, students, and other conservation organizations). Our next meeting is coming up, and we're having Sanjay as a speaker (he's still around from back in the day!) We have an awesome raffle and various vendors too. Let me know if you have any questions about joining! Glad to have you!

Sawing LPS in half is much different than just taking a tissue sample. You'll need a substantial portion of the gastrointestinal tract, some skeleton, etc. You could frag off a piece of your bubble, depending on the species. Again, there are some corals (the ones without skeletons), where just taking a piece of them is likely viable. Bubble corals need a portion of everything to heal and regrow.

No. I've never seen this work, and I rehab corals extensively. It would be like taking a slice off your leg and sticking it to your arm. The bubble coral needs its skeletal structure, its digestive system, etc. It's possible with other corals, but not with a bubble coral. When a coral self-propagates, it includes a start of skeletal mass. During polyp bailout, the tissue leaves intact but without the skeleton. These have atrocious survival rates, as they are missing the skeletal structure. They can live for a while, but it's rare for them to survive long enough to regenerate a skeletal structure. As mentioned, cutting a piece of tissue off would be the non-survival version. Recommend a hard "no" on this. Post a photo, and we'll see if we can find other ideas for you to consider.

I've fragged various bubble corals, and different species frag better/worse than others. Can you post a photo? Me personally, I'd rather just cut off the dead heads and let the coral continue growing naturally than trying to cut some off to reglue onto the dead spots. Typically the dead spots are dead for a reason (getting stung, high light/water flow, etc.), so the new frags won't have a good chance there. If it wasn't one of those similar reasons, I find that the new bits take forever to rejoin with the old bits, so the coral looks awkward for a while.

I think all of mine related to flooding of some description, though.

Looks like an egg mass to me, but I can't tell from what. What do uou have in the tank?

Oh goodness, what a dream! Glad you're getting settled in safely. Lots of previous members are still active here, and you're welcome to stay active here too. Hope you find a local group soon, too!

Mine is fine. However, I had a bizarre issue with the last firmware update, where I continuously got alarm notifications - with no actual alarms. Then, after a few weeks, it was randomly gone. I've had a few other issues and oddities since the last firmware update. Have you contacted support? They're usually awesome with responding (I usually get a response within hours, sometimes even afterhours).

I'm one of the oddballs that doses, and I'm happy to talk through it when I can get some time to respond better. I have no clue why it isn't more popular, other than it is probably a less common problem in general.

That's what I was referring to, so yes, it's a possibility if the rest of your tank looks good. Any chance you have clowns or something trying to host in it? I've seen that also cause a lack of extension in corals.

Leathers do this naturally - it helps to slough off extra tissue, mucus, etc. Granted, your params are a bit off of ideal, but leathers are generally pretty hardy. I would just wait a bit to see if the leather just does its thing.

Thanks to all of our Sponsors, Vendors, Marc our speaker, our volunteers, and all of the attendees! Even though it was a beautiful day, the turnout was still great. That speaks highly about how dedicated our club members are - and the value these meetings bring! Let's see those great finds - what corals, anemones, or even raffle prizes did you get??

And now we're featuring a small contest! At 1:30pm, we'll announce the start of an Icebreaker Bingo game! Come see me to get your card and a marker. Participants will then mingle and find out who has what unique characteristics to their reefkeeping background. The game will go until someone yells "BINGO" when they have all five boxes completed in a row in any direction - or after 30 minutes. Note that a single person can only contribute once to a card (you can't have someone that counts for 7 squares - that's not the point of an icebreaker). Winner will receive a frag of a pink hammer coral! See me for any questions or details.

Do you have young kids that have no interest in your aquariums since you don't have "Dory?" Do they just want to visit the vendors so they can splash around in all the water? Or do they just want to play "hide-and-seek" underneath everyone's chairs - while the speaker is giving the presentation? If so, WE HEAR YOU (literally). (And, I'm one of these parents, so I'm right there in the chaos too!) Now, you can bring your chaos and maybe manage it a little easier with our new kid-friendly corner. Just look for the colorful tablecloth and decorations. Please note - no supervision is provided for this activity center - please make sure your kids aren't eating the crayons or using the pipe cleaners to clean their noses. This was our last meeting's beta test. Activities included coloring pages, stickers, word searches, and color-sensitive coral anatomy models. This quarter, we're expanding! Check out these new craft projects! We hope to see you and your little ones there, as we work to make the WAMAS meetings more family-friendly. Thanks for your support! -Nikki

Issue resolved.

Ok, your account cannot receive PMs. Please email membership@wamas.org

There is no record in the system of your payment that I can see. Let's discuss this offline and figure out what happened.

I will take a look. In the meantime, can you provide details of who you contacted? I don't have any emails or PMs.

Amphipod - totally cool

WAMAS Participants (not current members), we need your help! You should see a survey in your email inbox soon with a link to a Google Form survey (it's not spam!) It's short; it should only take about five minutes (if that). We would love to hear your feedback on why you're not a member! (Or, if you're ready to join or need to renew, go here: https://wamas.org/forums/join.php/) If you have any questions or problems, please let me know. Thanks for your help! - Nikki P.S. We are not requiring sign-in or collecting information to identify you (unless you explicitly provide that information in the form). Please only complete the survey once per participating hobbyist.