Losses

First I will say of a recovery. I thought my boston fern, which has been sitting ignored under the deck for months, had got fried in the heat. Walking past it the other day I just stopped and started pulling out dead fronds and stems, and then gave it a big drink of water. Now it's perking up again, but the center is all brown and the few fronds still green are pushing outside edge of the pot. I'm tempted to upend it, cut out and discard the dead center, repot the living sections. But all the times I've tried to divide a boston fern and repot in the past, I killed it. So I'm hesitant . . .

I had two parlor palms. One finally died, and I also gave up on the madagascar palm and tossed it out. So disappointing I couldn't keep that one happy.

But my other parlor palm is doing okay- though a bit dry and pale at close inspection.

And now the sad news. Which I'm feeling rather miserable about, as it must be my fault. I lost most of my fishes yesterday. I was doing a water change, larger than usual- thirty percent when usually I do fifteen to twenty percent. I think it had been two weeks, and I know that before that I had long neglected the tank, so I thought: more clean water is better! Except it wasn't. 

It started out fine- the fishes were acting perky, flitting around the siphon hose- one even got sucked into the bucket and bruised up, I put him back in the tank with regret, not sure if he'd survive that physical trauma. Last time I did a wc I had dosed some plant ferts, even though they're old and probably expired- and I was admiring how the plants look better- I hadn't noticed they were doing poorly, but now some of the crypts have redder stems, and stand up taller

-I tried to get a picture of a minnow by the crypt undulata-

Some anubias leaves had melted, and lots of vals, so I spent time cutting out the dead bits. But the green leaves still there on the vals looked healthier than before, so I think those plants were just ditching the old leaves and growing new in response to the changed conditions. Even my bolbitis fern looked greener and more upright.

Large anubias

Attempt at a quick full tank shot-

Then I noticed the water line wasn't quite up to the lower edge of the rim yet, so I went in the kitchen to fill another gallon. I poured it into the tank, and things went bad immediately. The minnows started looking super stressed, bending their heads and tails up, gaping at the surface, or crashed on the bottom not moving. Only one was swimming with normal posture. Their bellies bloated white (burst swim bladders?) and then some started spinning, randomly darting into corners and running their heads into the substrate. Disoriented? Starved of oxygen? I could only think that something was bad in the water, so my immediate reaction was to do another water change in hopes of diluting whatever it was. 

I changed another ten gallons. One fish died. Several of the others relaxed a bit, and the paradise fish- who'd been hiding under the bolbitis driftwood- came out to breathe at the surface. His fins clamped, but he wasn't writhing or swimming erratically like the others. I tried to figure out what went wrong. My first thought was the old ferts were gone toxic, but I'd put a bit in the shrimp bowl, and those guys were fine. And aren't shrimp more sensitive. Then I thought maybe something wrong with the tap water- the test showed very little nitrate (5ppm or less), zero nitrite but some ammonia (barely green in the tube). But again: the shrimps and snails in the bowls were fine.

Then I happened to smell my fingers. Strong sulfur odor. Realize if the prime had dripped on/from the cap, I got some on my hands. I thought I'd wiped or rinsed it off, but not good enough. And maybe I miscounted and that last gallon had an extra drop of prime in it, three instead of two. I didn't think one extra drop would matter in a thirty gallon tank. In fact I used to double dose prime in my first tank a long time ago- and while that wasn't the best thing to do, none of the fishes died suddenly like this. 

Because the minnows were dying, one after the other. While Tucker hid alternately in corners and under the driftwood. However much prime was on my skin could have been extra concentrated. (I know I didn't have any sunscreen, insect repellent or lotion on my hands). The other factor is that earlier in the week we had a power outage. It lasted hours. I was about to pull out the battery-operated air pump to run the filters overnight, when it kicked back on. So I thought the tank was fine. But maybe it was out long enough that some of the good bacteria colony died off, and it hadn't recovered all the way yet? Also, I hadn't vacuumed the substrate in a long time, and a few stems got disturbed, releasing some mulm into the water column. Any one of these factors don't seem like disaster on their own, but altogether I think it's what sent my little fishes into shock. Low bacteria strength, sudden release of ammonia from the substrate, accidental overdose of dechlor . . . 

The minnows all died by nightfall. 

Tucker was not looking good. Every time he went up to breathe, there was an odd raspy sound. Injury to his gills? I don't know. I thought this would be my last picture of him alive.

Surprised and relieved to find him still here in the morning. Even came to greet me at the glass, fins alert.

And his color looks good. 

And he's relaxed- more than I've seen in ages. I suddenly wonder if he found the minnows bothersome- all their quick activity. I'm inclined to think he's just happy to be alive, but it's probably that he finds the tank environment more calm now.

He even wanted to eat this morning. This past week I'd been giving him small crickets out of the garden- which I figured was safe- but he looked a bit overfull. So I gave him half a chopped up cooked pea. He snapped those bites up. I'm so glad.

window tank rescape

I redid some stuff in here, too. Full tank shot (a tad blurry, so hard to get a good photo of this):

On one end, I pulled some crypt moehlmannii that was growing into areas it wouldn't have space (into the anubias thicket, under the log). The original parent plant in center has lost all its leaves, but there's a row of younger plants off runners up against the glass now. Thinned out the vals too- mostly pulling out leaves that had decay. Added a small piece of hardscape with buces and subwassertang on it (just in front of the large anubias there)

Most of the work I did was central- pulling out crypts from the back wall and moving them into the center, shifting smaller crypts from the center to further back, and pulling up most of the dwarf sag (which didn't end up staying tank height after all) moving them to the foreground. They're doing okay after all- I found lots of new baby ones!

Tucker the paradise fish kept getting in the pictures

Also trimmed and replanted more rotalas to make a further wall of them against the rear glass. Which is hard to see as it's backlit from the window-

Moved a few more plants around on this side, too- but mostly noticable is just the addition of another buce clump from the angel tank.

The leaves on my madagascar lace come and go. Never seem to have more than two or three really healthy ones at a time- sigh.

Here's Tucker who kept getting in front of the camera, but never held still of course!

His tail fin has got short again, lost its filaments, and he's been kind of pale lately. So I'm concerned for his health, too. (White clouds look totally fine. In fact, they're still breeding. The first two fry I saw this year are half-grown already, swimming in the open with adults now. There's one smaller fry half their size- probably two months old, and another much smaller fry several weeks old I'm guessing. So at least four!)

Angle shot-

I do like seeing the sun come through the plant leaves, like here- but found it was too much this time. Or my faulty maintenance. Found some cyanobacteria (aka blue-green alage) behind the bolbitis driftwood, against the window side glass. Icky stuff. Dismayed because that means definitely my tank has too much mulm buildup, and I'm afraid it will be hard to get rid of.

I've done another water change, cleaned filter sponge (found the housing of one was cracked, so I did a little repair with fishing line) and temporarily blocked out some of the window light. Tomorrow going to do another water change with thorough gravel vac in that problem area. Felt like I was on my feet nearly all day working on this tank- far longer than I expected to!

So that's my big update for now.

glory fish

Tucker has eaten nearly all the snails in his tank. A few trumpet snails escape him because they burrow during the day- but now a lot of plants are getting too much algae on them. I've put up background again. Makes it easier to take photos, so I tried for a few good ones of Tucker- but he moves so quickly it's difficult as ever!

He's grown a lot. Tip of anal fin reaches half the length of his tail!

I've started feeding him one earthworm (red wiggler) a few times a week- he really likes that.

tank news

I'm glad in the angelfish tank, to see the pothos roots all extending down branching, healthy and fast-growing. Nitrates are remaining below 10 every time I test, now. Still doing the twice-weekly wc.

Sad that I lost one of the minnow fry- I only had two, in the ten gallon. Was doing a partial wc today and one accidentally got sucked up by the hose. Not a problem- small enough it didn't get any injury in trip to the bucket, but when I went to catch it, the little fish darted at last minute and got pinched against bucket side by frame of the net. Looked okay, but couldn't swim straight. Hanging at the surface, or spinning in circles head up. I think either its swim bladder or its brain got injured. 

Also sad that the best, close-up photos I ever get of these fish is when they're sick or hurt.

I watched it struggle for a while, (and the other one immediately hid, probably alarmed by the unusual movements). Then feeling very morose and guilty, I netted it (far too easy this time) and dropped in the big tank. Miss Beautiful had a quick snap. 

So now just one. It's only a few months old and I'm still leery to put it in the 33L with the adults. Sometimes, particularly when he hasn't eaten in a while (although I feel like I feed him well), Tucker now doggedly pursues a white cloud around and around the tank.

I'm pretty sure he's trying to catch and eat one. They're too quick and agile, but I don't know if this younger one could evade him.

Miss Beautiful?

Not sure what's going on in my tank. I thought things were getting better- Shirley's lip continues to gradually improve. I did a 40% wc today. I've kept the temp at 76-77° thinking the cooler temp will help get rid of what looks like fungus on her lip and faintly on a few of their fins still. But I think the cooler temp is stressing Miss Beautiful. Or she is getting bullied now. She's been hiding behind the plants under the heater all day. Came out for breakfast- after all the other fishes- but not for midday feeding. Last night I'd noticed she was only moving one gill plate- I guess from the same injury that caused the scratch on her side? did she bang into something again? 

Also alarming, all the fishes were acting twitchy after the water change today. Jerking their fins around as if to shake something off, the angels swinging their heads too. I only did one thing different- which was to pour the new water into the tank through a water bottle that has many holes punched in it (my fish trap for kuhlis) because I thought as it breaks up the water flow, less stressful for them, than how I usually to do it (pouring from a pitcher into a cup held at water surface). Was it something about that? Rascal showing stripes:

I tested the water parameters again- Ammonia zero, Nitrites zero, Nitrates just below10 ppm, pH 7.8 (normal for here). I can't think what could be wrong- I feel like I should continue to do the large wc every other day until Shirley's lip fungus is all gone- but don't want Miss Beautiful to keep acting stressed or in shock.

On the other hand, the golden sisters sure are feeling fine. Came home from an errand- several hours after the wc- to find Shirley alternately cleaning and fanning an aponogeton leaf- she looked a lot slimmer- and I watched her lay one egg, which Precious behind her promptly ate. Precious herself looks very plump so I expect to see her laying eggs soon. Or it's just because she ate them all!

Shirley worked at cleaning, chasing other fish away, fanning, even when there wasn't an egg on the leaf at all- as if she knows all the proper actions but doesn't have them in the right sequence. Useless, anyway. 

Miss Beautiful meanwhile, under the heater very close to their apono leaf, wasn't bothered at all. In fact several times I saw one or the other gold angel slide under the heater into the space with her- but not pick at her or threaten, just rest by her side companionably. Miss Beautiful's color would come back when they were next to her. The gold angel would move off and she'd go dark and washed-out again.

So I think if she's stressed from being harassed, it's by Foxface. I still really like that fish, but am starting to think I shouldn't have bought him. Some plants are showing tears and holes- he might be trying to eat them, too. I gave him a good amount of seaweed today- the younger angels will eat a bit of it, Miss Beautiful ignores it entirely, Foxface gets most. Thought it would help for him to have more greens . . . The smaller festivum doesn't pester anyone- I wonder if it turns out Foxface is male and Rascal is female, would it work better to just keep the female. But I don't know how to tell unless they pair off, and also not sure if one would do well alone w/just the angels . . . 

On another note, there's a new val americana coming up in the middle of that planter basket!

loss and gain in the 33

First the good: madagascar lace is sending up a new leaf shoot:

White cloud fry! There's more than I thought. I counted at least ten yesterday. A few are large enough I can make out red color starting on the tail fin, and a sparkle of the bright blue streak. Here's one- left of center in the middle of the leopard vals. So tiny!

My two of the third generation, are almost as big as the other adults, now. They're only slightly smaller and I have to look close to tell them apart. But I lost one of the grown males. Yesterday saw he had an odd swelling low in the belly, directly over the pelvic fins. Few hours later found him floating listlessly in the plants, breathing but not moving otherwise.

I scooped him out of the tank- way too easily- a very bad sign. Looks like something ruptured- internal bleeding. I don't know why or how it happened, but it's not curable. I ended his suffering under a brick in the garden, where his body will now feed my pink clematis. 

I'm sorry, little fish. Your brightness will now merge with the flowers.

crazy minnow

One of my white clouds ate a snail. I don't know if it was alive when he first grabbed it, or one that was ailing and he was dashing all over the tank to keep other fish from taking it. That's him in the back- it's not a snail on the glass, it's in his mouth. 

I was worried he'd choke! but later, the snail body sticking out of his mouth is smaller, so he must be getting it down.

angel tank rearranged

slightly- put java ferns up on top of the large driftwood pieces,

and tied anubias on the smaller pieces down on the tank floor-

Brought in here more bits of bolbitis fern- they already have new tiny fronds unfurling- 

and of course the biggest change is all these twisty vallisneria I got- Miss Beautiful seems to like the addition of a lot more vertical plants!

I pulled out some discontented crypts and planted their space fully with the new vals. In another spot I simply sunk the vals down between two larger driftwood pieces, their roots are still clinging to some substrate from prior tank, so they stay in place without actually being planted. While I put together another mesh planter box.