the main tank

Looking good since the one-day blackout for levamisol treatment. There was very little thread algae to pull out this week, no ratted elodea to remove, and minimal BBA.

I think the crypt wendtii is getting its nice olive-green color back, too.

Probably from the adjustment I made to the KN03 dose? I remember the moment at which I decided the tank did better without KN03 dosing, but can't recall why I started giving it a pinch every week again. It seems the sweet spot is actually in between- two weeks now it's been getting a smidgen and a half- hm.

Earlier this week I sat down one afternoon and made another subwassertang basket.

Took some time, but I did a tidier job of it- sewing on a circle of plastic netting just on the end part of the basket, it doesn't hang down over the edge. I sewed just one side of it, then threaded bits of subwassertang through the netting, then sewed down the rest of the edge, with fishing line. It was tricky work, but looks great right away, no waiting weeks for some greenery to grow up through the netting. One one piece came free after I placed the basket into the substrate.

I cut the rim off, so it will be easier to lift out again- the first one I made is pretty snug in its place, if I want to move it again it will disturb a lot of mulm. With the rim clipped off, it will lift free with less disturbance.

Right away the black kuhlis came over to inspect, when I put it in the tank.

I fed kuhlis in the trap again a few days ago- they got extra helping of spirulina wafer in the evening. Those black kuhlis are smart and eager- two of them entered the trap before I had even settled it onto the substrate! Albert approaches last, but within time to get his fair share.

I'm concerned to see that several of my black kuhlis have fine scratches on the top of the heads, or on the back. I think it's either from entering/exiting the food trap- I need to make the holes a little bigger or file down the edge, might be a sharp part there.

Either that, or they are harming themselves on fishing line, where it holds down watersprite behind the log. I may have to remove those and just plant them into the substrate again, pegged down with plastic v's. Which never held perfectly, but I'd rather have to re-peg plants occasionally than see my fishes get injured.

My bitten cherry barb on the other hand, her tail is growing back nicely.

She's on the left, here.