thirtyeight: happy

I was pretty happy with the main aquarium this week.

Trimming of algae-ridden and dead leaves was really minimal, and when I went to scrape dark algae spots off the inner glass didn't find as much as usual. I trimmed and replanted most of the bacopa stems and the tallest hygro- above pic was taken just before that.

After waiting so long, the crypt balansae- one of my favorites- is finally starting to grow taller and show up in the background. There's actually two back there- a baby one from piece of the rhizome I separated. I like how it's mixed in with the vallisneria foliage. Just to the left and base of that 'grassy' stuff, can see the java ferns regrowing- they look really healthy although still short.

One plant that rarely needs a trim got two leaves taken off this week- echinodorus in the front corner had some black algae spots on lower leaves. I do like this plant, it would be nice to have it more of a focal point but I don't want to move it, seems to grow slowly.

A while ago I took the rubber band off the base of aponogeton capuronii. I got the sense it didn't like that- foliage wasn't looking quite healthy and I think part of the reason was the constriction. I thought it would sprawl out and get in the way of everything but has taken to growing more upright- and rooting itself down off to the side of that huge bulb, which is beginning to shrink, too.

My aponogeton crispus have all 'hit the ceiling' and this time I am letting them trail across. Crypts stand more upright beneath them now. Other plants don't seem too shaded- in fact maybe it is helping against algae. I do believe my oto is starting to look a bit thin- considering moving him into the widow tank for a while... when that's all sorted out. (He ignores zucchini and wafers, so I don't know what to feed him if the algae is diminished. Maybe I need to pick out some snails and reduce the competition).

Photo of the 'apono wall' taken from low angle.

Left front of the tank- I love how it's starting to fill in. Compare to a year and half ago.

Short end- this side looks - cluttered. I think it would appear tidier, and the pretty bolbitis fern more easy to admire- if I moved the crypt retrospiralis. But I don't know where else to put those... unless I add them to the 'grassy' patch in the back.

Other short end is nice and neat by comparison- enchinodorus front corner, clump of bacopa centerpiece, elodea thicket in the back (getting thin because I keep putting cuttings of it in the window tank instead of replanting here).