more tank pics

Details, because I did stuff in the 33L during most recent water change. Regrouped a few of the buces in this corner to be closer together- and planted in their midst some that I trimmed out of the 10g.

Added a buce 'selena' trimming to this group in center:

Moved a small one over to join two next to the dwarf sword (which I'd like to get a few more of...)

I always have to replant a few of the buce 'green wavy' in this line-

Trying to get another of the anubias 'pangolino' to grow on this rock but it keeps floating free. Pinned it down w/a pebble again. Don't want to lift the rock out to tie it on yet, because I know it will kick a lot of mulm up into the water column. 

Vallisneria still here. Not great, but slowly growing a bit taller I think

Behind them- I've trimmed and replanted one top of the temple compacta, and a few of elodea-

When I put a background panel up, can see a bit better the fine tufts of parrot's feather- and mermaid weed next to it is still a single stem

Hornwort still dominates the center. But as summer winds down into fall, it's getting less light, so I'm slowly thinning it out. Just tossing the stems as they come loose of their own accord.

My other favorite spot in this tank is the bolbitis fern clump-

This corner is starting to look a bit nicer too-

and the subwassertang clumps on this side of the tank have a different growing habit which I never saw in my tanks before- not light and fluffy but kind of layered-

Two mature crypt moehlmanii on the other side of the tank- 

and looks like now there will be a third. I almost didn't see it among the anubias- it's coming up under and just in front of the bolbitis driftwood arch- where I don't think there's room!

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.

small fish update

My two guppy moms are about to have their third batch of fry. Here's the last one from the previous batch- you can just see it middle of the photo below the broader fake stem plant leaf:

They're getting very square in the belly again, but dart around excited when I'm close to the tank so all my photo attempts came out a blur:

I did some cleanup in the window tank recently. Took the last sheet of plastic film off, to let more light in now it's winter. I hadn't realized how dim the tank was getting until I saw how much brighter it looks now. My six white clouds still look well- one is always very plump (front top of photo) I kept hoping they'd spawn and I'd get fry but now I just think this one is a pig or bully and eats more than its fair share.

I started adding floaters back in. Topside has been very bare lately- especially since I decided to plant the elodea stems against the rear glass. Salvinia minima suddenly took off in the guppy tank and completely covered the surface, so I thinned that out and dumped a bunch back in here, hoping that whatever killed it off before is no longer a problem. Also started thinning out hornwort weekly from the angelfish tank, likewise put those trimmings in here. I thought the hornwort would melt or shed a lot (large temperature difference) but needle drop was minimal. And what do you know, my paradise fish quit sitting on the substrate and is now moving about the tank again, or hanging near the surface under some floaters. I think maybe he was feeling exposed and thus hanging low, rather than being sick all this time. If that's the case, glad I didn't put him through the stress of a needless medication dose.

shrimp bowl rearranged

Twice again now. First I redid it like this:

The centerpiece rock with buce was sitting on top of two pieces of sponge. Elodea- started to grow out of stem bits I had dropped in to feed the shrimps, so I stuck them in the substrate.

Still had some pieces of mermaid weed and parrot's feather (faltering):

Rotalas more visible now-

Buce 'selena' on the rock looks better in here than in my other tanks

Week or so ago I trimmed back the lower part of arrowhead stems - they've been living in a jar of water for a long time- and cut a hole in a strip of plastic, and put it over the shrimp jar.

Then today I rearranged stuff again. Prepped ten pounds of safe-t-sorb to refresh substrates; after I used it in the aquariums the small amount left over went in here. I lifted out everything, caught the shrimps put them in a glass box with their sponges and leaf litter and loose things, scattered in the substrate, replanted a few stems, resituated everything and returned the shrimps.

I mostly wanted to put the buce rock on top of a few other rocks, instead of on the sponges. It stays higher in the jar, and makes a little cave space underneath. I think the shrimps appreciate- they were fighting over the cave soon as I returned them to the jar! At least, I saw two go under, then a flurry of little shrimp legs in the shadow, then one scurried out and crept under a leaf. I've taken out the parrot's feather but there are still a few pieces of mermaid weed doing okay:

I can see my shrimps better now! The substrate was lower than the upper curve of the base before, so usually walking around on the bottom they were kinda hidden. Now the substrate is a bit higher, just at the curve, so I can see them poking around-

Although my camera tends to focus on the glass surface instead

or I get reflections from the room-

My kid came in and saw the tray of stuff I hadn't put away yet, and I showed her the new rock cave in the shrimp jar. She said "nooo, the shrimps need their spongie! You have to give them back their spongies! It's so funny to see them crawl on it floating and fall down." I laughed and shrugged and showed her how they can still cling to duckweed or stem bits at surface and float down- they do that a lot with the smaller pieces of elodea still floating.

shrimps moved

Relocated my shrimp bowl upstairs to the bedroom. Its spot was needed by QT tank, and I kind of  miss having a tank in my room. Easiest tank move ever- I just picked the whole thing up, and carried it. Didn't need to remove any water or livestock!

Upstairs is a few degrees warmer in winter, which will be good for the shrimps too. It's always fun to see them crawling around upsidedown on the duckweed root hairs! I think this jar must be rather old- the glass is thick and a bit hazy.

Not sure how the light exposure here compares to the spot it was in before- it's indirect bright light as well but could be different enough- have to wait and see how the plants do.

For a while it was completely no tech (the miniature sponge filter being used in QT). Everything was still alive, however the shrimps very lethargic. They'd wave a feeler, pick at food- but as if in slow motion. So I put in an airstone, with a valve to keep the flow gentle (and it's quiet enough doesn't disturb my sleep).

Immediately the shrimps became lively and active again. Here's one under an anubias leaf!

Another on the pink buce rock-

Both in the same shot-

Another benefit of moving the shrimp jar- all the other tanks are on the same floor but this one, so I'm less likely to overfeed, more likely to leave them to pick at algae and debris. Which is better overall for the jar, I think.

shrimp bowl rescape

I took the tiny sponge filter out of my shrimp bowl to drop in the tetras' QT which is unfortunately still in mini-cycle. And then while I was at it took all the plants out (dropping the shrimps in a container with all the floaters and some subwassertang meanwhile) and rearranged everything.

My idea was to have the largest plants grouped center on and around rocks, with subwassertang tucked in a ring around the edges, so that which ever way I rotate the bowl (to keep the plants in there from leaning all one direction towards the window) there's something interesting as focal point.

One side has the mermaid weed and parrot's feather

The biggest rock has buce on it-

Some new tiny leaves grew! but look a bit pale. I need to cut off that lower leaf- looks like BBA started to edge

I think the anubias has grown quite a lot-

Replanting the rotala stems made them so short they kinda got lost in the subwassertang-

Final touch was tucking a few leaves in

Topside:

I was a bit concerned how the shrimps would do without a filter running- and they hid for the first few hours after reintroduction so it's hard to tell. But now are out and about again, look just fine. Some of the plants were even pearling.

I feel like the jar has a more wild look to it now

I'm not perfectly happy with it though. I'd rather see the smaller stems more, and I think the extra rock and sponge pieces take up too much space- I kept them in there to avoid loosing bacteria and drop into a cycle. Might rescape again and pull more things out, but I'll wait and see how the parrot's feather and mermaid weed do long term, first . . .