33L a bit of new

I never thought I would have this plant: Madagascar lace.

It naturally has these gaps in the tissue cells that make it look so pretty and delicate. I've read it can be a bit tricky to keep- if not good water circulation, the gaps tend to get clogged with detritus. Also it does better in cooler water but then naturally goes through a dormant period every year with dieback. Also it might all die back from the transplant shock so must have patience to see if it will live for me.

It was a total surprise, in this box packed with plants that a friend in the fish club gave me- from someone who is moving to another state and was thus taking down her tanks. Most of the package was some kind of spiral vallisneria- that's all gone into other tanks because need stable temperatures- but also this one madagascar lace, and one I can't identify. I think it's some kind of sword- it has a familiar rosette growth. Narrow leaves, though.

There were lots of snails. Brown ramshorns- like the one in pic above- and plenty of pond snails, with their cute little 'horns'.

I moved a few things last maintenance day. My dwarf sword isn't doing well. I think it does poorly every winter and then revives with warmer months- but also maybe it needs better light. I moved it from the front back to the center of the tank.

I cut and replanted tops of a few buces. Also moved some small ones into the shrimp bowl. And pulled out two small pale anemic-looking plants- this one that's been growing up against the front glass, and another I found a bit further back. The runners I slowly tugged out of the substrate led straight back to the first crypt moehlmanii- I think they're doing so poorly because too much competition from other plants nearby.

Here's quick attempt at a full tank shot- 

The white clouds are spawning again. Lots of excited activity low among the plants, quivering fins and males rising through the water column displaying side-by-side. I am not making any effort to raise fry this time with fine foods and frequent water changes. Found one week-old fry the other day, and promptly caught it to feed my angelfish. Simply because a dozen white clouds already pushes the limit of stocking for this tank. 

My second generation of the minnows are all adult size now, I can't tell them apart from the original three parents. The two from the third generation are quickly maturing. They are both out regularly feeding with the adults in the main part of water column, now. The larger of the two is already half adult size, and the smaller one is a third of adult size. I tried for a few pics- young fish to the left here, adult male displaying lower right

Young fish in the center, adults blur above

Laddie alert

I started feeding the fishes garlic, because suspect at least one white cloud and the paradise fish, and maybe one of the female guppies that's thinner, have parasites. Soaked betta pellets in garlic juice one day, crushed bits of shrimp pellets another, and am going to spot-feed the paradise fish flake dipped in garlic tomorrow. He's more alert!

For a long time again now has been listless, uninterested in food, and often makes a snapping sound while jerking his head, as if chewing, then darts to the surface to breathe. I wondered did he have something stuck in his throat? Then I saw white stringy poo. Siphoned it out of the tank the minute he finished going, and considered using meds again. He also had a hint of white patch behind one pectoral fin, and on his head. But after I fed garlic-soaked food that went away, and he started showing interest in things again, snatching at snails, looking at me through the glass, even cruising across the front of the tank and waggling his tail again. I'm going to keep up the garlic food and extra water changes for a while, before trying another round of medication. I ran out of levamisole so it would have to be prazipro or general cure right now.

A few pics of the plants- vals still looking nicer, I can't wait for one to reach surface height.

Crypt moehlmanii. It's all brighter lit because I took the backdrop off again. There's five grown female guppies and two fry in here, they spend a lot of time plucking algae off the rear glass and it's actually staying relatively clean.

Dwarf sword

Buce 'Selena'

Bolbitis thicket- I'm sure this is where the fry hid, to evade Laddie.

The largest one is out and about now, smaller one I only see seldom. Here's the fry facing forward, above anubias

and just left of center near the crypt leaf that's broadside

So small! I'm surprised I don't see Laddie going after them, but maybe he hasn't felt the energy. He's really into going for snails right now.

window tank light

One day the winter sun exposure was just right for taking photographs- so I did. (That's Laddie top just off center, he likes to hang in the middle of the tank and look out).

Overall the tank needs more plants with height- my vals have just never grown up. Some of the elodea are starting to get there- behind the 'hill' of bolbitis fern.

The younger crypt moehlmanii is just as big as its parent now. In front of that, is the group of little crypts I moved out of the front left corner a while back

They'd been looking peaky for a long time, always having a leaf here or there turning pale and dropping off. I finally decided to shift them all to a spot that gets more light- and now they're doing great!

The dimmer corner is now with buces.

Two buce in the tenner were getting tall enough to need a trim- one 'selena' and one 'isabella' so I clipped their tops and planted in here. Near the dwarf sword, which continues to do fine even when the temp drops to 64° nights.

Other side of the tank everything is nearly the same height- because I trimmed the stems and replanted a few weeks ago, and they grow slow or not at all in winter. Oh well.

window tank plants

Some belated pictures. Hygro or whatever-it-is looking golden in the sunlight- recently cut and replanted some of those stems.

I'm glad I moved the moss rock back a bit, put the crypt becketti behind it, and planted a row of buce 'green wavy' in front. It's one of the nicer spots in the tank now.

Fissidens on the rock is finally big enough to get a decent photo-

Anubias 'pangolino' on the other rock-

I just cut out all these brown stems of the parrot's feather, leaving a bit trailing in on top from above, and a short piece sticking out of the substrate on a few, that are already growing out ferny wisps.

Still have some stems of mermaid weed and ludwigia arcuata (on left). Wish there was more of those, but it grows rather slowly.

Buces still do pretty well for me in here:

The dwarf echinodorus continues to look better in this tank, it doesn't seem to mind the chill so far.

moved some bits

I was thinning out duckweed in the tenner last maintenance day, and found a few pieces of salvinia looking much healthier than those in the window tank. Better conditions for it. So I promptly thinned out more duckweed, and moved in more salvinia.

Dwarf sword looks happier in the window tank after a week. Just don't know if it will survive the cold.

the tenner

It looks rather empty without a betta. Needs plants with more height- I'm hoping the rotalas will grow enough I can trim and replant again soon. Have thought about getting guppy grass (as I have guppies now). The females are both getting very fat and squarish, little blue male flirts with them constantly. Still haven't seen any actual mating, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

Left side- I added a few more oak leaves in the back.

buce 'isabella' starting to leaf out again on the skull-

More round leaves sprouting from that anubias rhizome in front corner-

Round buce from the angel tank is definitely looking paler than the others-

This patch of buces front center always looks nice-

I cut some older leaves out of the windelov fern:

Subwassertang filling in- has its best shape in this tank

Right side. Snails keep uprooting the tiny plants in front corner. That pale stem leaning diagonally is a piece of elodea that sank- I'm waiting to see if it grows more or not.I dropped it in there because there was thread or hair algae. To see if the guppies ate it. They sure did- and pooped bright green for two days.

Crypt grows, but slowly

These stems are nice, but slow too-

Rotalas-

Short end view- hm

I pulled out the small enchinodorus- dwarf amazon sword- and moved it into the window tank. It just never looked happy so I'm trying a new location for it.

And newest bit is this plant growing out of the top-

more on that, next post!