angel reunion!

The separation has been three months. This morning I did a water change, completely rescaped the large tank (while M. Beautiful was in a bucket with some plant cover) and then reintroduced both angels at the same time. With the lights off, then later set dim, so the photos aren't great but I am so happy- watched them for hours and no fighting at all.

I only had one net just barely large enough to use for them- one angel I caught in a large plastic bag, the other I netted back into the tank- M. Beautiful- and it thrashed- surprising how strong they are!- and got stuck a bit and injured- its right pectoral fin very red where it meets the body and it held it clamped for a while. I think it will be okay, an hour later it was using the fin again and the redness mostly gone.

Here's what the tank looks like now. All rearranged. Crypt balansae and apono capuroni are behind the mopani chunks with anubias- not visible now but I hope they grow taller. Vals are now on the left, and I've added new leaf litter. I will get better photos when the light is at normal strength, tomorrow or in a few days.

I added this plant, too. Can you believe it's all that's left of my two largest crypt wendtii. They have gradually been melting away in the 20H- some new leaves grew but doesn't look nearly as good as it used to. I put them in my last plastic canvas planter, and acclimated to temp to avoid too much shock.

M. Beautiful and Skye:

The angels have more or less been hanging out side by side all day- some posturing and gill flaring but not a single sign of aggression. Great color the entire time- they didn't go pale once.

I tried to get individual closeups but the only ones that came out well are of M. Beautiful. Who looks a bit roughed up from the netting- dinged on the top of nose, and the edge of caudal fin is black- dang, I think it got too cold in the bucket.

I feel confident should recover, though. This is a better pic of the anubias plants than the fish!

I'm very glad the angels are acting companionable and confident again, but dismayed when later today I saw that Skye tended to stay in the back of the tank, going to and fro, or in corners- and then I saw one of the older tetras is nipping at Skye's trailing fins- which are quite a bit longer than M. Beautiful's. A few times the angelfish lunged back at the tetra, who darted away. If that one tetra keeps pestering maybe I will put it in the 20H with the shrimps for a while! I thought ten was a good number to keep the tetras preoccupied with each other, but maybe I need a dozen? or fifteen?