[Michael Hoaster]

OK, so the new Tuxedo Damsels are in the display. I had them in the transition box for hours before releasing them. I had expected to keep them in it for days, but my mind was changed by their behavior.

Curiously, Papillon (the original tux damsel in the tank) kind of avoided confronting them while they were in it. He was curious, but never got too close. He showed no aggression whatsoever. This made me wonder if he was maybe happy to have the company. So I watched for a while. Everyone was being cool. Then the new ones had a few squabbles, while still in the box. Not good. This, combined with Papillon's low aggression, convinced me that I should release them into the tank, to give them more room and reduce stress. It just seemed like they were ready to get to know each other. So, I let them out…

Once released, they immediately gravitated towards Papillon. They all just kind of huddled together for a little while, like they were introducing themselves to each other. There was some tension, but it looked more sexual than territorial. Gradually, they started swimming about, getting to know the place.

This morning, they're spreading out more, eating well, and generally getting along great! Huge relief! I was worried that not adding them all at once would be disastrous. So far, it appears all three prefer the company of each other over solitude. Yay!

The fish watching for me is now way more interesting, having three of these black and white beauties swimming about. I can tell all three apart, with their size differences and their variation in coloring, so I should be able to name they new guys too. I'll watch them for a while, to see if any of them starts acting male or female, before settling on names.

I decided to remove the feather caulerpa. I figured it was now or never. It was a big picture call. Remembering how much work I had to do, pruning C. racemosa in v1, I decided not to keep this very fast grower. The big question is, will I be able to fully remove it?! The fern caulerpa grows slower, so it shouldn't be much of a pruning burden.

With tank temps climbing to over eighty degrees everyday, the Codium is dying back. I'm hoping with fall fast approaching, temps will drop soon enough for them to bounce back, from the little frags scattered about. It would be cool for a yearly cycle of growth and die back to happen in my tank, just as in Nature.

Next, I'm off to prep the QTs for new guests!