tank updates

Big news is that a week ago I pulled my aponogeton capuroni out of the window tank- and split its bulb in half- yikes.

I planted it into a plastic tray with slotted sides near the bottom and extra pinholes, and fed with a root tab.

Moved it to the back of my 45, next to the other tray that holds the crypts balansae.

after a week it's settling in: new leaf already! It's just to the left of stick in this picture

Just behind/under the foreground anubias leaf, in this one:

Hard to see, but from top view, the other apono is also sprouting a new leaf- it's just to the right of that central pale anubias leaf in this pic. I was worried how well the plant would take being split- if the bulb would rot. But it seems to be responding to the division and change really well. (I cut all the older, largest leaves off that anubias so I could have a better view of the apono and keep an eye on it)

The other question is what does my fish think. I thought I would see him (her?) gliding between the narrow ruffled plant leaves, but for now Mr. Beautiful just swims above all the plant foliage to get around to the opposite corner.

Fish has still been shy- pale and hiding sometimes- but more often colored up with stripes now. I made a few changes to try and avoid startling it so much. I shifted the light strip back on the lid, so it sits just behind the hinge and I don't have to move it every time I open the top. I think the light moving (and sliding sound) used to scare the angels a lot. Also when I come downstairs if I remember, I pause before walking through the hallway, so the fish can see and recognize me. If Mr. Beautiful notices me first, swims to the front glass with an eager tail wiggle. If I walk in suddenly, used to panic and dash all around. It seems to be helping- this week only once did I see the angelfish panic (it was the day my teenager ran down the stairs in a hurry to do her laundry).

My husband asked me why the fish turns to us at the tank front, instead of keeping its body sideways, are the eyes actually on the front of its head? he said. I pointed out how the fish can rotate them, so if its eyes are rotated front, it has binocular vision (I'm guessing) after all, it is a predator. Here's a funny pic of that front view.

The other angel, Skye, is doing better and better. Can move its lips now to suck in food, eats very eagerly, comes up to see people. Mr. Beautiful is consistently a bit stout, wider in body that Skye, even though I've cut back on his/her food a bit. I keep seeing the fish nibble at plant and stick surfaces- I really wonder if Beautiful is gravid and wanted to spawn and Skye wasn't responding. After all, Skye has been the smaller fish- maybe not mature yet. I wonder if I wait for Skye to grow larger, if it would be worth attempting to re-introduce them...

In other tanks, my tenner got another trim of rotalas this week. I cut back a few of the rotala indica and replanted tops, pulled more of the smaller-leaved rotala rotundifolia. Most of those I moved to the far left rear corner, around the heater- some went into the 20H.

And the temporary 10g with the serpaes finally finished cycling, so I don't have to do daily water changes on that one any more (whew!) I noticed suddenly one morning that the tetras were showing off to each other, and some chasing behavior which I hadn't seen since they were in here. Tested the water and yep, nitrites finally zero. Did a 50% wc and relaxed about it.