three!

My aloe giant has not two, but three pups!

richness for lemon balm

Not that the plant needs it (I don't think it's a heavy feeder), but I'm short on potting soil so I mixed some old tired soil from an empty planter with fresh, heavy vermicompost from the bin (worms are still migrating, but few enough in there now that I can start sifting them out). Rubbed between my palms until the moist clumps of compost worked into the dry, finer old soil becoming a nice-feeling crumbly mix.

I only found two worms in the compost when I first lifted handfuls from the old bin, and one more when I was mixing the soil. Used it for this bit of lemon balm that's been growing in the nearly-empty oregano planter (I'm not sure how the lemon balm got in there) and looking surprisingly healthy. I levered it out with an old butter knife that is one of my gardening tools, and put it into a pot with the new-mixed bit of soil and compost.

cleanup

I cut all the tall flower stalks off my nicotiana. It makes a pretty, if rather unkempt, bouquet.

Then tidied up outside, clearing out all the dead foliage, all the yellowing older leaves. They look a lot neater now.

And when I cut some tall scraggly stalks off, that were leaning over every which way, found lots of smaller new leaves growing at the base. So I've left those alone. Enough flowers went to seed I might get some seedlings in these pots in spring.

learn from myself

I have to admit, my aquarium plants are doing awful. And when I change things to try and make it better, then seem to do worse instead. I've done plenty of reading on fish-forums, asking advice, talking to the fish guy at the shop. Now looking back on my own blog here to see what I did and what effect it had. There's a lag, I keep looking for results too quick when the plants take two to three weeks to show a response to changes. Main thing is: I kept cutting the lights back. Giving less ferts. Because people told me with low-tech setup you don't need so much, you'll get algae. But you also need healthy plants, and mine are obviously not getting enough of something. I had moved my photoperiod from 12 to 10 to 8 to 6 hours, and things are worse than ever. I used to be feeding the micronutrients a half cap a week, then went to less, had put in root tabs, then vaccumed them out (looking for a snail, cleaning up ich).

So now I am going to try the opposite tack. Giving back the nutrients to the plants, that I had been trying to deprive algae of. Maybe it wasn't algae I was seeing on my plants at all, causing brown stems, but simply dying foliage. I have the original T8 17 watt full spectrum light back on there, I'm going to increase the photoperiod now- bumped to 8 hours today. I'm going to give the main tank 2 ml micronutrients, the small one 1ml once a week. Continue dosing the potassium once a week as well. If they start to look better, I'll increase the light period more, maybe up the micro dose or add more root tabs (I still only have half the recommended amount in there). Keep increasing light/nutrients until I see algae bloom again, and then I'll know to stop at that point or cut back a little.

Because right now there's no algae on any glass (yay MTS) and the splotches on leaves don't rub off either, so I'm pretty sure that's a sign of starving plants, not growing algae. I feel like I've been pretty stupid about this whole live-plant attempt, but hope its still salvageable and my aponos aren't going to die completely. Other thing I've realize is I did this low-tech approach wrong. And thus took the advice online wrong. The method for planted tanks that allows you to not feed ferts is to put a nutrient-rich substrate in first, then cap with sand or fine gravel- so the plants have macros to feed on in the substrate, and micros from the fish waste. Without that nutrient-rich bed, I do have to feed the water column and plant tabs, or my plants slowly starve. Bah.

reworking

the twenty-gallon again. I hate to put my hands in the tank again, but when I learn something new about what I may have been doing wrong, I immediately want to tweak stuff and make it right (or try, at least). I have asked some questions on the fish forums, I have looked up info about how to dose fertilizers. I was told that yes, my plants looks seriously deficient in potassium, but that once I start dosing that, the plants will show up deficient in something else so I should dose all the nutrients. That I should supplement with C02 as well. And that my tank, having the longer dimensions with shallower water, has a higher light level than I realized. It's actually medium light, not high. That triggers more growth, but then the plants can't keep up, lacking other nutrients to match the light, and succumbing to algae.

Groan. I don't want to deal with higher light, don't want to dose C02, don't want to get into a complicated regimen of nutrient dosing every week. I looked back at photos from when the tank was first set up, and realized that although the plants grew slowly (which is to be expected in a low light tank!) they also looked so lush and healthy compared to now after all my fiddling. My java fern used to look like this:

I miss that lush vivid green. So I'm going back to square one, as it were. I put the original light, a T8 17 watt bulb, back on the tank. If they were doing better before, maybe I was doing something right that time. Maybe with the root tabs, extra micronutrients in the plant food and potassium (dry dose) my plants will do ok... Today with the water change I gave the tank 6 drops of plant food (seachem comprehensive, which I might need to dose twice a week because it degrades so quickly in the tank, also I haven't been giving enough) and 1/16 tsp of potassium sulfate. Also 1 tsp of PraziPro against the parasites (they had a dose on wed, this is the second dose). And I cut thin strips of food-grade plastic (out of the sides of a rinsed milk jug) then bent then in half, to pin down the bits of watersprite that are floating and ragged.

One piece the stems rotted so much it detached from the plant last night, but on the upper end some new leaves with root hairs growing. The biggest piece had a twisty tie holding it down but I took that off and replaced with this plastic strip, as the small bit of metal inside those ties can still eventually rust, poisoning the fish. This biggest piece did have one nice white healthy root, the first I've seen, so I hope the root tabs are helping.

I also (last week) tugged up my smaller aponogetons so their crowns are definitely above the substrate, and a few are responding with new leaf growth, when I was afraid they were about to die.

On the ten-gallon, I gave 3 drops of micronutrients, and sprinkled in 1/32 tsp of potassium. I have this cute set of tiny measuring spoons marked "pinch" "dash" and "smidgen". The pinch equals an 8th teaspoon, and I used salt to see if the dash was half that, and smidgen a fourth, and it was.

Then sometime soon I will rehome the blue platies, move the two cherry barb and the lone kuhli from the ten gallon into the bigger aquarium. And after that I don't know what. Wait for the plants to grow. Think about giving Oliver new companions....

Once again, this blog is a litany of the things I have done wrong...

things I've been told

This is a "thinking post."

I made a fruitless trip to the pet stores the other day. Looking for meds to treat my tank again- I suspect some of the fish have internal parasites. One of the remaining platies has stringy white poo, like the one that got thin and died. I thought I saw the same symptoms on a female barb. Neither store has any medication for this. At the second place, my favorite fish guy was in working. He's a wealth of information and even though I failed to find meds, got a lot of my questions answered.

He said the restrictions on medicines sold for fish in stores is getting tighter; you can still get them online, but soon might only be able to acquire from a vet. I was surprised and dismayed. It's bad enough that I'm going to spend ten dollars on a bottle of medicine, plus the cost of shipping, to save a $3 pet! But I would hate it if the parasite got to my cherished betta or killed off my kuhli loaches.

The list I had in hand of meds advised to me on the fish forums where I posted queries about my tank symptoms, he said they are all excellent options and will work, if I can find them. I moved away to browse and showed my kids some of the fishes I really like the looks of- eventually back at the large tank near fish counter where the scalare are. "These are the fishies I want to get someday, when I'm a good fishkeeper. Right now I suck- my fish keep dying and my plants are doing terrible." Fish guy chimed in and said actually angels are easier to keep than my livebearers- platyfish in particular tend to get a wasting disease, tend to be inbred, tend to have problems because they are popular and breeders manipulate their genetics to get the pretty colors- like the very blue I admire. Whereas fishes closer to their wild origins, the barbs and silver angels, are heartier in general. Good thing I find the silver angels (wild-type) most attractive and not the veiled or fancy ones with different colors! Encouraging for my future fishkeeping dreams- that angels might not be so difficult- but I do want to solve my issues with balance in this tank first, getting the plants to grow nice and the fishes to stay healthy.

I was advised on that matter, too. That I need better light- more watts per gallon- contrary to some other info I've read online, more light does not necessarily mean more algae problem if it makes the plants healthy enough to outcompete the algae. That makes sense- but would mean I have to replace the hood (again) for a glass cover which can support any kind of light strip I choose. I would not have to buy more bulbs, I still have the original 17 watt full spectrum bulb the tank came with, I'd just need a new glass cover and new light fixture to hold two bulbs. Gah. More cost. Can't do it now....

At least I know- if the plants are responding to something I did (new light, root tabs) but aren't great yet, do more of that. So- plan is- get new cover lid and strip for two bulbs. Add more root tab. Maybe get ferts that just provide macronutrients; I think from seeing a diagram of plant symptoms that mine are deficient in potassium, and the liquid plant food I got doesn't supply that.

Also: maybe the cherry barbs were the best choice after all, if I want healthy fish. They do have a lot of good points- they seem to be tough (I haven't lost one yet), they eat anything, they clean up after themselves, they do have some interesting behavior, they don't aggravate the betta. I have seen Pinkie lunge at the platies a few times, and although one barb had an injury I never saw who did it... I'm sorely disappointed to not keep my pretty blue platies, but my end goal is angelfish after all.

Now I think I will see if I can cure these platies of parasites, and then perhaps rehome them. And move the lone kuhli Sammy and the two smaller cherry barb out of Oliver's tank into the twenty-gallon. Then leave it alone regarding fishies and focus on getting the plants healthy, the whole tank balanced. Not sure who would go into the tenner with Oliver if that's what I do. I don't want it to just be him and some snails. I would love get a little group of otocinclus again, but have had terrible luck keeping those alive....

Here it is almost a year later, and I'm still on a learning cuve. No wonder so many people give up fishkeeping!

~~
I added four more broken up root tabs, making it a total of five throughout the tank. Still a fourth the recommended application. Have identified the deficiency (I think) symptom of black marks on the leaves, yellowing and foliage bleaching out, then dying off. Potassium. Reading online articles on aquarium plants until my head hurts. It can get very complicated. I'm trying to keep it simple. This is what I understand now: the liquid plant food I've been buying is crap. It has a very short life in the tank, you'd have to dose every day or every other day to keep it in there, useful to the plants. It's all micronutrients which are usually provided by the fish waste anyways. What I need are macros- I think potassium in particular. On the forums highly recommend buying dry ferts- you can dose it very precisely and one purchase will last a lifetime. That's sure. I bought a pound of the stuff (the smallest quantity available) and I will probably use a fraction of a teaspoon per week...

The fish have made the decision for me. About who to keep. I was leaning towards the barbs, but they are the ones who are tearing up my water sprite! (or is it wisteria- still confused on that point) I saw them today, grabbing at the bits that are floating (which never grow, always disappear), nibbling and chewing and spitting out and eating again. Even if they're just going after algae they do it with enough force to tear the plant (suffering already) to pieces, and it's a plant I particularly want- I like the delicate lacey foliage in contrast to all the solid, oblong leaves in my tank (java fern, aponogeton, crypts... )

So yeah. The tough, stolid fishes will go so I can keep my pretty plant alive and get the striking blue platies which might not be as tough, but I think there's another benefit to having platies. They're not as thorough picking through the gravel for food bits, and will leave more for the kuhlis to eat. I won't have to try sticking food under the kuhli log (scaring them in the process, and the barbs always find it and go seeking in there anyways).

telling seasons

by the houseplants. A few of them are actually at their best during fall and winter here. The poinsettia is looking lovely, leaves growing fast, visibly larger every day.

Cyclamen continues to grow new foliage with vigor as well. I don't know if I should hope for flowers again in spring, but I do.

doing better

Another plant which has improved lately, but I'm still leery to bring indoors yet is the lemon balm. I moved it into a smaller pot, cut out all the dying foliage, gave it fresh soil with vermicompost a short while back. It's got bigger, healthier looking leaves now. Still a bit of the discolored pale splotches on leaves. I wonder if the new soil and pot has done it good, or perhaps it just likes cooler weather.

parsley status

My parsley plant is doing great inside. I've already eaten half of it, and it's sprung back with new fresh leaves from the center. The foliage shows no signs of that mottled disease it had when growing outside, and there's none spread to nearby plants yet either. As far as I can tell. Happy with it.

moving the worms

via their own crawling power. I figured it was high time to get them into a new bin- there's still bits of bedding in the old bin, but worms are starting to die- I see grey ones here and there, not moving. I got a funny surprise last time I opened the bin: all the material settled smooth and flat, one single seedling sprung up from hamster litter dead center

I've stacked the new bin atop the old, with fresh wetted cardboard bedding and thawed out food in there. Left it alone for two days, not wanting to disturb the worms too much. Checked on it yesterday- already there were worms in the new bedding, and when I looked through areas of the bin away from the food spot, found more worms coming up through the lower bin holes, just like they're supposed to. 

Not sure how long it will take them all to migrate, but I'll keep checking every few days. In the meantime, leacheate continues to drip into the tray a bit, I'm just wiping it up and squeezing out into the fishwater bucket for plants.

the plants

in my aquarium seem to be slowly improving. At least they are all still putting out new leaves at a steady rate. I went a little more conservative with the Flourish this week, after water change. Gave the 20 gallon aquarium four drops, the ten gallon two. There is not much hair algae now, but still black spots on the foliage that does not rub off. I don't know if this is a stubborn algae or marks on the leaves indicate deficiency. Since giving the plant food and root tabs, the yellow leaves have turned green again new foliage has better, healthy green color, so I still think I'm in the right direction. The rotala all is growing new pale green leaves, longer than before. When the tank lights are out, they look like stars in the dimness:

If the lower leaves on these stems never green up, eventually I think I will pin them down, cut when the tops root, trim off to grow anew from the original roots... I didn't realize I had a few pieces of vallisneria left in here- they are growing more now as well!

Still the aponogeton keeps putting out new shoots, but the foliage seems to loose vigor as soon as it gets a certain size. Either I need to just be patient and let it recover (all the smaller ones are slowly getting bigger) or gradually increase the plant food- or adjust the light so curb algae...

I keep looking back at old photos and thinking it was all looking better in the beginning. Before I moved fish and driftwood in and out, before I changed the light source and back again, before the ich and salt. I can't figure out if the plants would have declined and come back anyways, from adjusting to my tank, or if I've done things all wrong.

the worms

I have stopped feeding them. Once or twice a week now I open the bin, the contents are always settled down. I thought when I stopped feeding it would dry out, but no. It drips a bit into the tray but not stinky so I trust it is safe to use this leachate diluted into my old fish water for the plants. I dig my hands deep into the bin to loosen the material and turn what's in the bottom up to the top, to keep it aerate and from getting too soggy. Fluffed up again, it fills the bin completely. It's getting almost too heavy for me to lift now.

The worms still look great, good numbers of them, very squirmy.

I still see bits of bedding in there, once all signs of that are gone I plan to move the worms into clean bedding and harvest the vermicompost. In the meantime to prepare I am saving food bits for them in the freezer, and shredding more cardboard to restart the bin.

kuhlis

I'm happy with my kuhli loaches. They are looking better- nicer color, and I think they've grown! They're bolder too, coming out at feeding time when it's fresh veggies- I got some decent pictures today when they were looking for bits of peas fallen into the gravel.

Rooting around for bits:

Those in the big tank like to hang out in the stems of crypt near their log.

Two faces peeking out!

I keep thinking that Sammy in the ten-gallon looks larger than the other kuhlis. But the gravel in this tank is smaller size, so the appearance could be deceptive.

He's getting bolder too. But I still think eventually to move him...

parsley

I repotted my parsley yesterday. Want to try growing it inside through the winter. And to move it in before frost comes, before it starts going dormant or dying back from the cold. It had some nice roots, all through the planter:

To try and avoid bringing pests inside with it, I washed the leaves in a bowl of soapy water

before settling into its new pot

It has a place on the kitchen windowsill now.

pup!

My monster aloe has a baby- they're called pups I think. I wasn't expecting this at all. A nice surprise. I guess the summer outside really did it some good.

But now the plant is huge and I don't know where to put it. I want to bring it inside before the weather gets cold. The only place I could find where it would get decent light and not poke people when they walk by its long arms, is this space between my little desk and the ledge my smaller aquarium sits on.

It's rather narrow for the plant, forces the thick foliage into more upright position. I hope it will be ok there. My kids call it "the poky plant" as in "Mom- your plant hurted me!" and "Mooom, move your poky plant!" ha ha.

ich report 2

Now that it's for sure all gone- no signs of ich in three weeks, I'm putting record here of how the disease and treatment went. This time I did not loose any fish- well, not immediately. The thin platy died just a few days ago, could have been weakened by the ich. It only affected the twenty gallon aquarium this time, as follows:

8/26- Platy flashing
8/27- Temp ↑ 84° , barb flashing
8/28- Temp ↑ 86°, pinkie and barbs have spots. Added 5 tsp aquarium salt.
8/29- Temp 86°, 1 male barb spots on tail, 1 female barb injury? some clamped fins. Pinkie, Buster and 2 female barbs flashing, Pinkie crashed. Added 5 tsp aquarium salt + 2 1/4 for replacement wc
8/30- Temp 86°, 4 gal water change w/salt replacement
8/31- Temp ↑ 87°, 1 female barb glancing, 1 tail fin split, injury less red? wc 2.5 gal + salt
9/1  - Temp 87-88° No spots, only injured barb flashing. wc 3 gal + 1/2 tsp per gallon replacement
9/2  - Temp 87-88° No spots, one female barb flashing. wc 4 gal wc w/gravel vac + 1/4 tsp salt per gallon Injured cherry barb moved into QT (see below)
9/3  - Temp 87-88° glance/spots? NO  wc 3 1/2 gal + 1/4 tsp salt per replacement gallon
9/4  - Temp 87-88° 1 female spot on tail, wc 3 gal + 1/4 tsp salt per replacement, few drops plant food
9/5  - Temp 87-88° glance/spots? NO wc 4 gal + 1/4 tsp salt + drop plant food
9/6  - Temp 88-89° glance/spots? NO wc 4 gal + 1/4 tsp salt
9/7  - Temp 87-88° glance/spots? NO wc 3 gal + 1/8 heap tsp salt
9/8  - Temp 87-88° glance/spots? NO wc 5 gal + 1/8 tsp salt
9/9  - Temp 86-87° glance/spots? NO wc 4 gal no salt replacement
9/10- Temp 86° symptoms? NO wc 5 gal no salt
9/11- Temp 85-86° 1 or 2 platies flashing, 3 gal wc no salt Garlic in food (bloodworms)
9/12- Temp 86° 1 female barb flashing? wc 5 gal + 1/4 tsp salt per gal Garlic in food (betta bites) (4 tsp total)
9/13- Temp 86° glance/spots? NO wc 3 1/2 gal + 1/4 tsp salt plus 5 tsp salt gradual thru day = 10 tsp
9/14- Temp 84-86° (temp drop at night) glance/spots? NO, 3 gal wc w/ 1/2 tsp salt per gallon (5 more into main) Garlic shrimp pellets
9/15- Temp 85-86° female barbs flashing, 3 gal wc + 1/2 tsp salt replacement, Garlic in peas
9/16- Temp 86° glance/spots? NO, wc 8 gallons w/ gravel vac- clean out! no salt
9/17- Temp 84-85° glance/spots? NO wc 5 gal no salt Garlic bloodworms
9/18- Temp 83-84° glance/spots? NO wc 4 gal
9/19- Temp 82° symptoms? NO wc 3 gal (no more salt)
9/20- Temp 81° symptoms? NO wc 2 1/2 gal Garlic betta pellets, 5 drops Flourish (plant food)
9/27- Temp 78° symptoms? NO Fins regrowing, plants new growth. 5 drops Flourish, 1 root tab pieces (2 drops in 10 gal, no root tab there)

QT tank:
9/2 - Injured barb moved in w/ 1/2 tsp salt per gal + primafix (1 tsp dissolved into 10 capfuls of tank water, 4 capfuls into tank)
9/3- 82°, looks better, no bulge on side- 1/2 gal wc w/primafix dose
9/4- fins clamped, tail less fungus? wc 1/2 gal + 1/8 tsp salt per
9/5- fins clamped, red streak tail, eating. wc 1/2 gal + 1/8 tsp salt
9/6- hiding still, tail better, fins not as clamped/streaked. wc 1 gal + 1/8 tsp salt, primafix
9/7- hiding, still red streak tail fin, no fungus, eats fine. wc 1 gal + 1/8 tsp salt, prima dose
9/8- no spots, no clamping, tail still red streaks, deteriorating. wc 1/2 gal + prima dose
9/9- tail rot. wc 1 gal + melafix + 1/8 tsp salt
9/10- tail rot halted? wc 3/4 gal + melafix + 1/4 tsp salt
9/11- symptoms same, wc 3/4 gal + melafix, repeat in evening
9/12- wc 3/4 gal + 1/2 tsp salt + melafix, repeat in eve
9/13- wc 3/4 gal + 3/4 tsp salt + melafix, repeat in eve (3 dose melafix)
9/14- wc 1 gal + 1 tsp salt + 3 dose melafix (no evening wc/dose - not here)
9/15- wc 3/4 wc + 3/4 tsp salt + melafix, repeat in eve, tank wrapt in dark scarf
9/16- wc 1 gal, no meds, repeat in eve, tank kept dark
9/17- wc 1 gal, no meds, repeat in eve, tank kept dark
9/18- wc 1 gal, no meds, repeat in eve, tank kept dark
9/19- fish moved into home tank

As you can see, I still struggle sometimes to keep the temperature steady. Probably noted this in my fish reports earlier. Changed treatment halfway through because I had thought the symptoms were gone, but they reappeared so I added back the salt and kept going. Most water changes on the twenty-gallon included thorough gravel vac of one side of the tank, vac on the other side the next day. In the QT I quit using meds on 9/16 influenced by reading online: many people say melafix does no good, the best thing for the fish is calm (darkness) and very clean water. I was doing water changes twice a day for her, and she recovered- the fin is completely regrown now.

fewer

I lost my skinny platy. She has just been wasting away. I didn't have any medication on hand that would treat parasites. Gave her salt bath and she did respond to that- perked up a bit, fins alert, swimming around more. But that only helps with external parasites, not internal which is what I suspected she had. I was debating what kind of medication to try and find at the store, but she crashed, died the next day.

My youngest was "sad for the fishie is gone." She saw me giving it "medicine" in the bucket of salt water, tiptoed over to look at the fish carefully because I said be quiet, don't scare the fishie by running in here.

Everyone else looks fine. I don't know if this one was always unwell- perhaps it never recovered fully from the ich. I can't tell unless I do a little autopsy to see if there's internal parasites (some fishkeepers do!) and I don't quite have the stomach for that.

Goodbye another fish.

goodbye stripes

I've given away my last two zebra fish. (I actually did this quite a while ago, but forgot to finish this post).The danios really need others of their kind, and I didn't want to get any more of them to make a school. Things are calmer in the aquarium now. All the fishes seem to swim around more leisurely. For the first day  I could tell they were rearranging their pecking order, now that the danios weren't here to chase other fish around. Pinkie was darting at some of the platies, they were going after some of the barbs, the barbs were pushing each other around too. Now it is more tranquil.

Learned something here- it is embarrassing to chase fish around your tank with a net while someone is waiting for them. Not to mention damaging to the live plants and stressful for all the fishes. And now that I think about it, could have been the stress of that chasing that triggered the ich outbreak in my tank... I should have realized there's a better way, which I will do next time I need to move a fish- make a trap. Out of a water bottle. I've found several tutorials online...

(I actually did this quite a while ago, but forgot to finish this post)

quick aponogeton

These plants grow so fast when they are well! Two days before this first picture I saw the tiny green spear coming up in the center of the plant. Here you can barely see the little leaf beginning to form.

Frontal shot:

Under the horizontal leaves in this pic, just above the cherry barb's head:

Subsequent pictures are each taken a day apart:

A few days' gap here. I cut out the browning leaf seen above, but another is fading. Second new leaf on left growing up even quicker this time.