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Wendy,
Words cannot express the sorrow I feel for you and your family right now. What you did took a lot of courage and heart. Simon is in a better place now and his suffering has been replaced with joy and happiness. Just as your memories of him will replace your sorrow with happiness in time...
If you're house heater has been running more often lately that could be causing the increase in evaporation. Home heating systems are dry heat so it will pull the moisture from the tank.
Could also be a leak somewhere in the system causing the water loss.
Actually frequent water changes will lengthen the cycle. The water changes will remove the ammonia and nitrites which the bacteria need to feed on.
The coralline will grow back once the tank cycles and matures.
Sponges aren't bad.
The things in the second picture are aptasia anemones. Remove them as quickly as possible before they reach plague proportions.
Most folks will inject them with either kalk paste or Joe's Juice to get rid of them.
Try using the magnet vertically in the tank instead of horizontally. It won't have as much of a curve going up an down.
You could also use one of this sponge cleaners on a stick.
I just tossed a bunch of halimedia. Give me a few weeks and I should have more of it.
As for the others, I don't have those. Maybe someone else can help. Codium I will have when the weather warms up.