cleaning

Gave a rather thorough cleaning to my smaller aquarium with the routine water change today. I think it finally had good result. I wanted to get as much of the brown debris out as possible.

So first I carefully lifted the planted driftwood pieces out, just eased them off the surface to avoid stirring up the substrate. Put each in a fish bucket with a few inches of conditioned water. Gently rinsed out the sponge of the filter in same bucket. Then did some serious gravel vac, which was quick enough work as the gravel bed is not very deep in this tank. Renewed the tank with 4 gallons fresh conditioned water, and let the filter run to clear the water while I scrubbed off the broad anubias leaves with a toothbrush (new) in the buckets- I was surprised at how much came clean. I think a lot of that stuff on them was algae; tough enough I couldn't just rub it off with my fingers, but it gave in to the toothbrush. Then I vigorously scrubbed the driftwood with toothbrush as much as I could, in the buckets- the water went dark brown with debris quickly. I didn't put back them into the aquarium for at least an hour, after the filter had cleared the water. I didn't want sediment to settle on them again. Once it looked pretty clear, I rinsed the pieces, put the driftwood and plants back in. Gently rinsed the filter sponge out once more- it was covered in fine brown stuff again- not squeezing it much this time, just swishing it in the water.

Kept an eye on it all throughout the day. In spite of the relatively large water change, the fishes show no signs of stress, and the plants still look nice, fairly clear of the brown stuff that was all over them before. I'm pleased.

I also bought a new bulb for the lamp- this tank doesn't have a hood but I turn my desk lamp onto it for at least six hours a night, sometimes more. Noted that some of the narrower anubias leaves are starting to yellow. Gave liquid plant food again today, and replaced the bulb with a daylight-spectrum one.

Oliver by the way, is doing great so far. He gobbled down cooked pea on his second day, took and spit out a number of times betta bits on his third, but finally ate those too. Has also eaten regular flakes, cumbled up shrimp pellets and once a fruit fly I had caught a moment before. I think he likes his new home!

I'm still wondering why the driftwood has recently shed so much debris. Perhaps because during the weeks of high heat to treat ich, it decayed faster? Or maybe just that there's no miniature catfish or friendly algae eaters in there to scrape at the wood. I assume it is part of the reason this tank has a lower pH.