16 September 2018

45 plants

Starting at top- I like how my frogbit looks- and it always gathers around the roots of pothos- probably caught there by the current- so it kind of looks like these long, trailing roots are from the frogbit
but they're from the pothos- which are doing pretty well, although a few leaves look pale
Frogbit seems healthier than it was in my prior setup- at least, it's not melting and dying as much. But a lot of the leaves look anemic. So I wonder if it lacks some nutrients. Maybe will do better when I step back to once-a-week water changes.
I've started cutting older, ragged-edged leaves off the largest anubias
Smaller one appreciates its shade
Narrow-leaved ones are growing new foliage- although hard to tell, in that thicket.
I'm getting rather tired of seeing the debris around the tank- although I don't think water quality is poor, and my angels look fantastic. So I'm not replenishing the leaf litter this time around, but allowing it to decay away. Tank edges are becoming visible now along the floor. I want to see if the breakdown of leaves is causing so much of the mulm, or if its just my fishes. Also considering switching the type of sponge I use- one with finer pores might trap and 'hold' more of the mulm for cleanout.
I know the kuhlis will miss the leaves, but I'm planning on introducing a lot more bucephalandra- to cover the floor on individual stone anchors, as it were, and they can still shelter and hide among the plants. It won't be as fun as watching them dive in and out of leaf litter though.... The buces all seem to be doing well in here. Here's 'brownie ghost'-
'Green wavy' - hard to get a good photo of it in the background, but it looks nice-
'Selena'. The apple snail seems to be slowing down. I don't see it move around the tank as much, and it often stays in the same spot for a day or two at a time. When it does crawl around, it keeps the feelers tucked in- so I think the angels have probably nipped at it.
Java ferns are still doing great in here. They look so good compared to all the java ferns in my other tanks, I'm thinking of moving every single one into here.
Here's the younger ones on driftwood. I have a few babies floating around that are just about big enough to fasten down, too.
Elodea appears to have all died out in here- or maybe the pieces are snagged on a root among the frogbit and I just can't see them easily. I removed the few vallisneria and planted them in the paradise fish tank.

No comments: