festivum update-

I need a new lid for my 20H. I have a makeshift array of plastic panels as cover, but it's awkward and untidy. I didn't care before because I use this tank so seldom, but twice in one day now I accidentally knocked one of the panels into the tank- of course that terrified the new fishes- then they're hiding when I come to open the top, instead of happily anticipating food. I couldn't find one to buy. The size that would fit my tank is out of stock at all the local stores, and online. I even looked on places where people sell their stuff secondhand, for a random glass lid, but no luck. Sigh. 

So I made a temporary lid of two cardboard panels, hinged and completely covered both sides with overlapping packing tape to make it last longer against the condensation. We have lots of cardboard scrap around, and plenty of packing tape- so I can remake this several times if I need to, while the QT is in use. Two days now, and so far the cardboard is holding up fine- not bowing as much as I expected, either. It sure looks silly, but already the fishes are getting calmer, and now zip out to see what's on offer when I drop food in.

They are very eager to eat flake, have also taken garlic-soaked betta pellets, NLS pellets and bug bites. I read that festivums need a lot of greens especially when young, so have been giving them that as midday feeding- this will work well when they go into the angelfish tank too, I think. Miss Beautiful doesn't care for greens anymore (except spirulina) she spits it out leaving most for the guppies and kuhli loaches. As the festivums are little, I'll want to give them multiple feedings per day, but the angelfish being grown doesn't need that. So the new fishes will get their extra greens without Miss Beautiful pigging out on extra food.

So far they've eaten dandelion leaf, spirulina and peas. They didn't care much for young beet leaves, ate it but rather reluctantly and left some behind. I've also got on hand to offer them carrot, leaf lettuce, collards, kale, broccoli leaves, pea shoots, turnip greens . . . Maybe they will like purple dead nettle! Silly how such a simple thing is fun- dropping a different fresh veggie in the tank each day to see what they like. I have been blanching it- put a bit of leaf or whatever in a tiny espresso cup, pour hot water over and just let sit for a few minutes.

The little severum eats it all, too.

I spot-cleaned the tank bottom yesterday, to remove some mulm and uneaten food. I've seen both festivums dropping normal-colored poop, but there's still some fragments of white feces in the tank- so either I didn't clean it all out, or the severum also and still has parasites. On friday I'll do a proper tank cleaning with water change, then wait twenty-four hours to see if anyone drops white feces again, and decide if the tank needs a repeat dose of prazipro. Smaller festivum rarely has pinched caudal fin, now- so it's obviously feeling better. It's bolder than the larger fish- hides less and comes out first- even though once the bigger one is out in the open it pushes the smaller one around!

Side note: think I lost another male guppy in the tenner. It hasn't showed up for feeding, yesterday or today. I've had them all for just about two years now, so not surprised. I did look at bettas when I was at the LFS recently- only one caught my eye and it had those thicker 'dragon scales' which are striking but I've read so many stories of them going blind from scales growing over the eyes. . . so I didn't get one, sigh.