Here are some of the latest photos from my aquarium.

I realized I never posted the pictures from our Colorado vacation in June.  Here they are, all in one shot!

I also have some really cool panorama shots from Hanging Lake that I posted on Picasa.

From 2009-06-09 – Hanging Lake

From 2009-06-09 – Hanging Lake

From 2009-06-09 – Hanging Lake

Anna and I are going to have our first child! She is 11 weeks, 5 days pregnant. Today we got to see our first ultrasound images. It was definitely a “Oh snap. It. Is. Real.” moment for me because it was amazing to see the baby move and react. He or she kept holding his or hand in front of the face, so I think it will be an enforcer someday.

Last night, Anna made me have a talk with the kid and tell him or her to put on a show today. The kid did not act up this morning, so we could not hear the heartbeat. We learned some other things this morning and an ultrasound was scheduled for later in the day. That is how we got the ultrasound and we did get to hear the heartbeat, too. It sounded like… a helicopter.

Anyway, the kid is due February 12, 2010. That is great because it falls right between the Red Wings and Sharks game on Feb 11 and the Red Wings and Senators game on Feb 13! And it is before the Olympic break!

And now, the moment you are all waiting for:

Well there is no going back at this point.  What happened has been done and it’s my fault.  I lost all of the coral in my nano because I tried to chemically solve a cyano problem.  I thought I would share this story with everyone so it helps others from making the same mistakes.  Here are some pictures and an explanation.

This is what the tank looked like before I left.  Foreshadowing, anyone?

This is what the tank looked like when I came back.

This weekend we took a trip out of town.  Before we left, I moved some frags from my big tank to my nano to make some room in my big tank.  I moved some palythoas, a small toadstool frag, and some mushrooms into the nano.  I was also battling some red slime, aka cyanobacteria, in the nano.  I admit, I had not been keeping up with the water changes on the nano and that was definitely contributing.  Mistake #1.

Mistake #2 came when I thought it would be a good idea to dose some Chemi-Clean to get rid of the cyano while I was gone.  The cyano is gone now, but it turned out to be a bad idea because every piece of coral in the tank is now gone, too!

This is what I lost:
1 Scolymia
2 different frags of zoanthid
2 frags of palythoa
1 hammer coral with about 6 heads on it
1 candy cane with 2 live heads on it
1 blastomussa frag
3 different types of mushroom frags

The only other thing I could think of to cause this is chemical warefare from the paly’s, but that would have left something intact.  Anyway, I thought others might appreciate knowing that [b]I tried to cheat and I lost[/b].  The best way to battle cyano is not medication or chemicals, but natural solutions that attack the source, not the symptom.

Ohio government considers 50% budget cut for public libraries. Click here to help stop it! http://bit.ly/kAfDh

Further Library Funding Cuts Proposed

The Governor’s proposed state budget is considering a 50% cut to the Public Library Fund, a $6 million FURTHER cut to our Library funding—our primary funding source—resulting in a 42% funding slash since 2000!

ACT NOW! Time is of the essence. Let your legislators know that these cuts will do unacceptable damage to our communities. We cannot afford to lose half of our Libraries at a time when people need them most.

Because Library funding is a percentage of the state’s general revenue fund, as the economy has faltered, the Library’s funding has already been reduced 25% since 2000.

Cuts already made since 2000 because of reduced funding:

• More than 100 Library positions have been eliminated
• Hours have been cut by 241 per week
• Services have been reduced
• Capital projects have been cancelled and capital renovation postponed

If this proposed funding cut is enacted, consequences would be DEVASTATING regardless if a 1 mill levy on the November 3rd ballot is passed. This is what you would see in September 2009:

• 250 additional Library jobs will be lost
• 20 branch libraries will be PERMANENTLY closed
• Main Library hours will be dramatically cut
• Computer access will be reduced by more than 30%
• Fewer new books, CDs, DVDs and other materials will be available
• Diminished quality of service and less qualified staff to help

What can you do to ensure that Library services will be there when you need them?

Contact your legislators NOW to voice your strong opposition to further cutting Library funding!!!

The Governor’s proposed funding cuts come at a time when Ohio’s public libraries are experiencing unprecedented increases in demands for services. In every community throughout the state, Ohioans are turning to their public library for free high speed Internet to access information on employment opportunities, children and teens are beginning summer reading programs, and people of all ages are turning to the library for information and entertainment.

Ohio’s public libraries offer CRITICAL services to those looking for jobs and operating small businesses. Public libraries are an integral part of education, which Governor Strickland says is critical to the state’s economic recovery. But it is unlikely that many of Ohio’s public library systems, especially those without local levies, can remain open with these proposed cuts.

During the next nine days, the Ohio General Assembly will decide whether or not to accept the Governor’s proposal. We cannot allow that to happen, we cannot wait. Email or phone the Governor and our state legislators to voice your strong opposition to further cutting Library funding by moving money out of the general revenue fund. There is no time for letters. This is a drastic measure proposed by the Governor and it will require a dramatic and immediate response from library supporters. Contact information for legislators is available on our website.