my 55

Is faltering. I just don't feel able to keep up with it right now, and fear the angelfishes will suffer. Slacking off on water changes is not at all good for them. Disheartened still since the death of Miss Beautiful, I decided it would be best to rehome the golden sisters and sell this tank. So far have sold some of the plants- anubias and bolbitis that were in here, plus a half dozen hornwort stems. Moved some buces into my window tank. Still hoping the fish will go with the tank, or at least one of them will find a new home. I could keep the other in the 20H, frequent water changes on that would be much easier to do.

My ankle still gets stiff, sore and swollen with any work that requires me to be on my feet for much time, especially if I carry something heavy around (like gallons of water). I've done better of late with performing two five or ten gallon wc's on the tank per week, instead one 20 or 30 gal wc. But it's not enough.

golden sisters

I didn't write about this before, because it just made me too sad. A few weeks ago, my favorite angelfish Miss Beautiful died. I hadn't even noticed she was unwell but that morning she was hiding low in plants when I fed the tank, didn't come out. I saw her down there looking as if struggling to swim, but going nowhere. Crashed. Looked closer saw her fins were ragged too. I tested the water- nitrates between ten and twenty. Did a partial water change. But that night she died. It happened when we were watching television in the same room. I looked in during a break, and she was unmoving. Lifted her out into a paper towel and buried under a hydrangea. 

I don't think I could have saved her. She'd been unhealthy for so long, these last few weeks of neglect were just the end. Now only the two gold angels in there, and three kuhli loaches still. I'm feeling very despondent about the tank. Some of my plants are doing poorly too (but the hornwort is really thriving!)

I am undecided what to do about the other fishes. In the past three months, my maintenance has slid to water changes once every other week, or once every ten, twelve days at best. It's not enough. I do ask for help but the response is "do we have to do that today?" or "can't it wait until the weekend" and then it ends up being two weeks again. I just got re-evaluated by the doctor and have to take it easy, do physical therapy for the next six weeks, for my ankle. I want to keep up with tank care like my usual standard, but I have a feeling of dread that in spite of best intentions, I simply won't be able to.

The white clouds in my window tank seem to be much tougher- they're even still breeding and there's two half-grown fry, one much smaller a few weeks old now, and several more just little specks with tails in there. I am sure Tucker my paradise fish is suffering from the lack of steady water changes, too- his color is fading again and tail fin lost its filament.

But I feel worse to see the angelfishes suffer. My gold sisters both have missing filments now, too- Shirley has a small fungal patch on her caudal fin and maybe some white showing on the lips. One of them has ragged edges on the pectoral fins- and they both have that ominous flush of inflammation near the spine behind dorsal which makes me think they're ill the same way Miss Beautiful was. (Also makes me think now that Miss Beautiful's broken pectoral fins weren't from crashing into tank walls after all - I've never seen these golden angels dash across the tank in fright like she used to- but probably from bad condition)

I was thinking to just sell the tank and re-home the fishes, hoping someone else can give them better care- but I feel guilty to dump my problem on someone else. Now considering to transfer the two angels in my spare 20H, strip and disinfect the 55. The 20 is a lot smaller, but will be easier for me to keep up on the water changes, maybe I can get them back into good enough health to re-home confidently.

Crazy thing is that, even though they look ill to me, they've finally settled their differences (there was lots of angry rushes at each other lately) and are in breeding mood. Just yesterday Shirley was laying eggs (and Precious eating them immediately). So I tell myself- they can't be doing too badly?

Kuhlis look just fine. Fat and active as ever. And I still think some of the plants are beautiful.

angel tank cleanup

I've noticed the hornwort continues to struggle- not that it's my favorite plant, but I do miss the plumes filling up that side wall. I suspect it's because the pothos roots are growing and growing- taking up yet more nutrients. I missed the midweek water change both last week and this- yikes- and only did 36% wc on the usual day, but shouldn't have worried much, the nitrates were below ten (tested before the wc) in each instance. I like the pothos roots. Instead of cutting them back, or removing some of the vine, I decided to remove a few of the other plants. 

I pulled out the three medium-sized driftwood chunks (about as big as my two fists together). One had java fern on it, the others anubias- which did kinda poorly at the higher level to the light anyway- the ones on the tank floor fare better. Kept them in a bucket with tank water (refreshed daily) for a week, both so I could be sure I didn't miss having them in the tank before sold, also so I could pick off snails (most people don't want to get snails). I found I didn't miss them at all. A bit more open space for the angels to swim now. 

Tried to get a few fulltank shots after that, but my camera didn't cooperate well. This picture is too green/blue 

and this one too yellow! (photoshop has issues on my computer lately so I can't adjust) 

These closeups of the areas are better: far left, 

middle (where I still hope the crypt boliviana and aponogeton capuronii will eventually grow to fill in)

and right

I have other plans in the making- for subtle changes. To make a new planter basket for my vals americana, a slightly deeper one. And maybe a slightly shorter one for the crypt boliviana and aponogeton- so they are more or less all the same height.

Shirley's turn

Saw all three angelfish fussing in one corner the other day, but not actually chasing each other-

I stepped closer to see what was up. 

Shirley was attempting to lay eggs on the crypt balansae leaves. 

Without much success. She had no help, of course. She often missed the leaf edge, and the other two crowded close behind her to snatch and eat the eggs as they fell. Sometimes so close behind her, it looked as if they were eating the eggs immediately emerged, or actually biting her protruding breeding tube. 

I felt kinda bad for her. At least the disruption in their normal calm routine doesn't even last a day when it's Shirley laying, as there's nobody to defend her and chase the third angelfish from the area, no aggression happens.

angel update 7

Nitrates are still 10 or below. Did another 40% wc. Keep thinking the white on Shirley's lip is diminishing, until I compare my photos side by side and then I am not encouraged. It seems to stubbornly hang on the center of her lower lip. More little white patches on pectoral fins. Rinsing the other sponge filter today, what else can I do to keep it cleaner. Ammonia is zero all this time (I've been testing for that, too) yet the angels still have faintly reddish streaks under their skin.

Foxface (the larger festivum) almost ate from my hand the other day, but today he shies away when I open the lid and won't approach. I'm dismayed to see what looks like a scale on his side lifting, maybe a lump forming under it. I can't get a good picture of it because he moves quickly, but it look just like what my last betta had that turned into a larger lump then became an open sore, then the fish died within a month. I'm appalled this might be the same thing. 

 On the other hand, the angelfishes amuse me. Precious still has a few eggs on the uplift tube, and Miss Beautiful is helping her protect and fan them.

I'm concerned these white patches, especially Shirley's lip, aren't going away. I'm thinking of giving her a salt dip, if that would help. I know it would stress her to be caught and taken out of the tank for it, though. Feeling discouraged today. 

I felt I had to do something drastic when I first saw this, having read accounts that fish with mouth fungus end up their jaw falling off and starve to death. That's why I tried using meds. Going back to just water changes feels like a better move, but it's really dragging on.

I looked back at my records and realized it's been 8 months since I bought fresh food, so today I dumped most of my opened packets/cans and got new foods. Since they've been having pellets and flake past few days, all the waste I see looks normal. I decided not to give them the frozen beefheart again though.

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.

tanks update

The good first- crypt moehlmanii I moved a little while ago, has done just fine. I took some photos of it unfurling the leaf a few days in succession,

now it's fully open and sprouting another one!

Not much else to say about this tank, except that there's more white cloud minnow fry! I've counted six or seven, but they're still so small hard to see. Fed the last of the guppy fry in the 10g to my angelfish tank yesterday- I think Foxface ate it. The two adult females that are holding the QT cycled look well, a lot more relaxed, too- I think being in the large tank the only small fish with a big predator made them nervous. 

Front corner of that tank now has a loose clump of moss that came with the new angels- and most of the subwassertang that's gotten inadvertently pulled out with water changes, I've dropped into a windowsill jar with a single tiny snail. Again. Don't even remember noting when I took the last one down.

My two new golden angels look well-settled into the 55- in fact, last night Shirley and Precious were both cleaning leaves on the crypt balansae, and the airlift tube. Precious was particularly energetic about it, this time. And she looks a tad plump, and her breeding tube is more prominent. 

But the tank is having heater issues, which is aggravating. Yesterday I plugged in the new replacement heater, but left the older one that was faltering, and the spare, in place, in case I needed to still use them. Good thing I did.

(Foxface liked resting between them, against the wall)

New heater doesn't seem to be working. Indicator light never came on. Temp in the tank started dropping again. I worried because yesterday two of the fish had white on their lips- it could be the start of a mouth fungus, due to the unstable temperatures. I did a partial water change and they seem better- these photos are from the next day, which I took to compare if it keeps improving or gets worse again. Shirley had a white blob on her upper lip twice this size when I first saw it:

and Foxface had the entire upper lip was white before-

But can also see that the thing on Foxface's chin hasn't gone away, it got bigger again. Sigh.

So I unplugged the new heater, and plugged back in the old one and the spare. Temp went back up to normal- 78° is where I have it set now. Then an hour later, I suddenly heard a noise in the tank, like extra air running. Saw a stream of bubbles, much stronger than from a broken leaf. It was coming from the older, failing heater. I promptly unplugged it and pulled it out. Seam cracked on the bottom of it. So that one's done for. Got out my other spare heater and put that one in the tank. I have no more heaters. These two small ones are okay for emergency use but I really do need a larger one for long-term in here!

Went back and read the instruction leaflet, read some on forums about heater malfunctions. Supposedly this heater brand is known to have problems with the indicator light. Argh. Also it's supposed to be left set to run for a whole twenty-four hours before adjusting the temperature knob. Well, I decided to try that before driving to the store for replacement. Maybe it's not calibrated properly and will kick on at a lower temp and then I just have to adjust it up higher than you'd think, to hold the temp where I want it.

Plugged back in the new heater, unplugged the two spares. Set my house thermostat to let the room get warmer, 74-75°, so at least if the heater fails to kick on, the fish won't die outright from cold. It made sleeping uncomfortable, so I woke up middle of night to check on them! It's only fallen to 76° so far. I'm giving it another few hours then I'll try adjusting then I'll start making some complaints. 

On another note, I bought new frozen food, with the younger angels in mind. Haven't used frozen foods in a long time and I remember why now. It's messy! but the fishes do love it. Also tried feeding dried seaweed (nori with no added salt or preservatives or anything) for more greens. Guppies, minnows, shrimps and kuhlis loved it. In the large tank I was giving it for the festivums, but I think only Rascal actually ate it. The young angels were game to try and spit it out (no surprise). Frozen foods I got were beef heart, brine shrimp and a mysis shrimp mix with greens in it (spirulina, romaine, etc). I really wanted to get daphnia that's supposed to be better than peas for giving fish a source of fiber, but haven't ever seen any for sale.

fish notes!

Did a large wc and re-dosed the QT with Prazipro. Everyone looks great. Not keen on broccoli leaves, it turns out. They do like carrot, though. I tried clipping a leaf and letting it hang in the water, thinking they'd enjoy pulling it apart. They went all over the tank looking for food they could smell, but never nipped at the leaf. When I unhooked the clip and snipped the leaf into little bits, then they darted over to taste it. Although it makes feeding them fresh greenery a bit of a chore, I'm actually glad. If they think complete leaves are inedible or prickly like the fake plants and hornwort in their QT, maybe they won't even sample my live plants in the 55.

What happened last night? This morning I found most of the hornwort off its pegs, 

floating at the surface. 

A leaf of crypt balansae was bent down to the floor, too. I think either Miss Beautiful startled and crashed through the corner, or she was trying to ambush guppies in the dark. I spent a good five minutes re-pegging down all the stems. Found a funny thing- two little corkscrew vals on a runner that rooted onto a piece of sponge. 

Looks like soon enough I'll be thinning vals out of this tank.

angel tank is beautiful

I feel it's finally reached a balance, with the new(ish) light. Last week I cleaned out lots of dead foliage from the giant vals americana, and trimmed browned tips off the twisty vals. Love seeing the cell structure in the big vals, but sad the two I clipped off runners and replanted, died. Next time I will just bend the runner into the place I want it.

Angelfish remains calm- no more startling, running into walls, twitching. I think I've actually got rid of the parasite this time. 

Hornworts got a trim- I'm still pretty happy with this system, of keeping them pegged down on ceramic rings. I don't mind the task of refastening a few each week on maintenance day.

Trying not to be excited about this, because what if it doesn't last- but my apnogeton capuronii seems to be finally growing again! There's a leaf visible in the middle. I've been pulling baby leopard vals out of the aponogeton's planter basket when they show up on runners, to avoid it having competition. 

Seems it was a good move to swap positions with the java ferns and anubias- all the patches of java ferns have new little fiddleheads now 

More new shoots on the anubias rhizomes, too (I didn't move them all). 

Kind of an overhead shot- from high angle outside the tank- of the driftwood side with java ferns, and twisty vals behind- 

the other driftwood chunk- mostly with anubias- and more vals. Still have this bunch of them just  weighed down in a gap. Every water change, whatever bits of substrate my siphon picks up off the tank floor, I drop back into this thicket. So far (weeks now) the vals are staying in place, and staying green. 

Miss Beautiful among the plants- 

I took this picture to highlight the lovely crypt balansae, but she got in the shot, too.

Now I just need to get a good current fulltank shot to show. I sit and stare at it sometimes and can't believe I have this tank. I'm really itching to get a second angelfish again, but dreading the likelihood of failure . . .