window tank added ground

Yesterday was just supposed to be regular maintenance and tank cleanings

but I decided if I'm going to do it, I need to do it- move everything out of the 20H so the betta tank can go in this spot upstairs. So it was an extra hour of work, but now my 20H is empty.

I moved out the plants- the nicer anubias into Laddie's corner over the terra cotta cave (in the window tank)- it looks really different now-

After moving out the other plants, shrimps (see next post) and fishes, I scooped out the substrate by hand, rinsed in bucket of tank water as well as I could, and put it in the window tank. Mostly around the base of the crinum

and large crypt Moehlmanii, which need more hold for their roots. Extra elodea got planted behind the crypt M-

I also scattered it into the stands of crypt undulata and lutea, and the still-unhappy vallisneria. Put the dragon stone pieces from the 20H in here, too- situated behind clumps of plants- they blend in with the substrate. I'm thinking of planting them with moss at some point- try that again.

more substrate scattered thicker under other crypts, too- though eventually it will level out across the tank again

Full tank shot- unfortunately due to the backlighting of window, most of the plants washed out- someday soon I'll set up a background panel and take more photos properly

Laddie's side-

Perry's side-

Usually Perry holds his tail fin shut as in the above picture- but here can see how uneven it looks now the upper fin extension broke off. I don't know if it will grow back-

After everything settled yesterday, of course the tank got very murky and Perry looked distressed- I did another water change before nightfall. This morning tested for ammonia- zero, and the fishes look alert again, Laddie especially wriggling and begging for food. I'm glad I was able to beef up the substrate, but still disappointed I won't be able to take the dividing wall down until I am back to one fish in here...