leaves of buces

Just because I think they are so lovely.

Here's my favorite buce, front and center (I think it is the one called 'emerald green'). Unfolding a new leaf, pics a day or two apart.

When the new leaf first emerges, it comes out all tightly rolled up:

Here's one starting to unfold- two days apart, on another buce 'selena':

The row on left side of tank, all the new leaves are open now.

Funny thing, one of the buces in the front row came uprooted (again!) and floating got stuck in the windelov fingers. Just to the right behind it you can see a new baby windelov fern sprouting on a leaf tip. Tiny.

Here it is from the side.

pictures of Perry

Over five months now. I still wonder if Perry will develop a long gorgeous tail and prove himself to be male. It does seem like the lower lobe of the caudal fin is growing an extension. Maybe a late developer?

Plants in the background: vallisneria, subwassertang, windelov fern.

Edit later in the day to add: I did a test. I held up a mirror to the side of the tank, to see Perry's reaction. The fish noticed right away.

And started displaying, fins fully spread and ventrals out straight, broadside to the mirror image. So it was hard to get a photo because usually tail or head was pointed at me! So I think Perry is a male- do females display this way. Sure acted like thought it was a rival fish.

I noticed for the first time pretty blue colors in the tail. I'm a bit disappointed how pale and washed-out Perry's colors still seem, to pictures of other paradise fish I look at. Is it because not yet matured? Or do I need to feed different food, or perhaps mine is unhealthy and not showing any other symptoms?

It was evening when I did this so put a lamp in front of the tank, it bounced off the scales some. I'll have to do it again during broad daylight for more natural color. Maybe Perry just needs more stimulation. I did notice lately he's got kind of thick lips. That's another trait of the male.

coleus report

My lime colored coleus, the orange portions have all turned red.

Some more than others.

These were all starting to get very top-heavy on the window ledges, and I don't have space to put them in bigger pots. So I cut their heads off. And put those cuttings in jars, I can't help it. I want a big swathe of these plants across my front yard this year.

The one plant that had rounded leaves, is finally changing back to normal. It's in the front of this cuttings jar- new leaves on top are pointy again. Too bad, I liked the different round ones.

Pink-centered ones on the windowsill behind our huge schefflera plant, are looking glorious.

Down in the basement window, the other pink-centered coleus looks very sad and stunted by comparison. Either because it's colder or gets less light, or both.

But at least it's still alive. One of my larger pots of cut-down 'kiwi fern' coleus, suddenly wilted this past week. Not sure what happened- the other cut-down pot next to it gets exactly the same treatment, and is fine (if a bit leggy).

All my red-and-purple 'kiwi fern' coleus are in the kitchen windowsill now, regrouped. Most of them have darker stems, like this:

But there's one that is much paler, green. I'm not sure why.

better

Last night I peeked in the dim tank, a few hours after dosing the medication. Fry much more active- and it was twitching a lot less frequently. This morning I got a better look at it. Acting normal again- I haven't seen it flash once today, and it has good color. Still a bit pinched, though. Adults look great. I don't see them twitching, and guess what they are spawning again. I suppose they were a bit pale before, too- because today I notice their color looks much better. So I hope they all do good by prazi.

How about some happy plant stuff? Largest anubias has new leaf emerging- pointing at that pale java leaf I'm probably going to cut out. (Why is my java fern in here slightly unhappy when all the other plants look really good? I think it's going thru another adjustment period)

Leaf on medium-sized anubias congensis is all the way open now, and there's another new leaf on plant to the right.

You have to look very careful to see it, but the anubias lanceolata I cut, the bare rhizome piece is definitely growing new foliage out now. Tiny sprout of green. And rotalas I trimmed have young leaves coming in with lovely reddish stem color.

The brightness of rotalas in a corner still makes me feel cheerful.

Full tank shot, hadn't done one in a little while. Thinking of taking the trouble to get full overheads again soon.

fry in trouble

My little Lucky hasn't been looking good. I saw his eye winking the other day for the first time, which was cool. But also, the pupil looks a very small pinpoint- like the light is too bright for it?

He seemed pale yesterday after the water change, and later in the day had pinched tail fin. Laying around very still for long periods of time, letting current push him.

I think maybe the cories have gill flukes. They have been swimming with sudden jerks. I thought it was just spawning excitement, but yesterday I thought I saw the fry suddenly dart up from the bottom when no other fish was near to displace it, and it looked pale then too. Just now I definitely saw it flashing, rolling in quick jerks, and the other fish are swimming with sudden starts, too. The oto is breathing fast. Felix' barbels no longer have bulbous tips and are definitely growing out, but. I thought perhaps something disturbed from the substrate was bothering them, so waited a day to do anything. Today the adults look better but the oto is still breathing fast and the fry listless. I dosed the tank with Prazipro.

I also made a mistake- I fasted the tank as usual on wc day. It wasn't until evening I realized I had barely seen the fry all day, and it had never yet gone without three good meals a day (since I started feeding extra on purpose)- probably I weakened it by skipping the food. I dropped some in right away and eventually it came out to eat, but wasn't moving as energetically as usual. I could kick myself.

 While I'm mentioning fish health- Punk in the main tank still has that cyst on the nose. It's gotten larger, but hasn't broken open, or spread to others. Seems Punk's position in the heirarchy is slipping- dorsal fin nipped and tail bitten this week. The cyst is close to reaching its eye...

From the other side can see it bulging over the top of the face, like a bubble. (I did research "gas-bubble disease" and conclusion to not do wc with drastically colder water. But nobody else ever got this).

Totally unrelated picture, because the funny kuhlis cheer me up. Here's Curly in the bolbitis fern- the black kuhlis seem to really like this spot in the tank lately. You can see the long, curved barbels that made me name him Curly.

I saw some different behavior among them today. The black kuhlis would wriggle up against each other, and one would kind of lie sideways on the substrate and shimmy its tail. (Made me think of a dolphin beating a circle to stir up mud). It looks like Sluggy is starting to get a thicker area on top of his head. I seem to remember reading somewhere that mature males develop a lump on their nose? but now I can't recall the name of that feature- nuchal hump?

plant spa!

Happy in a steamy bathroom. My boston fern and spider plants were noticeable perked up afterwards. Participant list: Avocado, parlor palm, pothos, asparagus fern, arrowhead, sansevieria, boston fern, schefflera, spider plants.

If you look close, can see my parlor palm is making those funny bead-shaped seeds again. I am probably just going to cut them off this year. I still have a packet of last years' in the fridge and never tried planting them yet.

foliage mix on the bathtub edge: arrowhead and pothos vines

Asparagus fern, spider plant, in front of the foggy mirror

Older leaves on my avocado plant are looking kinda awful

But there is new, young growth

how the oto is doing

I am not sure. It seems to sit listlessly breathing hard sometimes (I can't figure out why- none of the other fishes look distressed) and other times dashes around the tank as if frantic, from spot to spot can't sit still. Yet it looks plump and the fins are usually perky.

I thought it would feed off the micro organisms on leaf litter, but I can't tell if it does. Or cleaned it off quickly and needs more?

It usually comes to substrate when the cories are feeding, now. Even when it is food I don't think appropriate for an oto. Today it was moving around as if feeding when I gave the cories betta flake, and the other day did this with hikari loach wafers. I hope it's not going to get sick from eating the wrong kind of food. If it's actually eating it.

spring prep

I keep reminding myself it's too early to start seed (the young plants would outgrow my windowsill/coldhouse space before it's warm enough to set them out). My coldframe house doesn't need rewrapping or a new paint job this year- it seems to have held up very well. So when I feel antsy I browse through the seed catalogs, always find more things I want to try than I have room for! Repot a few of my houseplants. And then organize and clean my gardening stuff.

Here's a stack of re-purposed plastic trays. Deeper food containers with a lid are the best for starting seed. I cleaned them up and tossed a few that had cracked, were made of weak plastic, were too shallow to be really useful or had lost their lids.

I really like the lids from those triple-layered egg containers as a drip tray for rows of small pots, and I use the small square slotted containers that held fresh berries last summer, for extra support under folded newspaper pots of larger seedlings (usually tomato, coleus or borage).

Waiting for spring!

peppered cories propagating

The cories were especially energetic this morning. Momma going around sticking eggs on the glass, on plants, even on the underside of leaf litter. There's one egg on the front glass that is still there after three days. I peek at it with the loop now and then, but won't be surprised if someone eats it before it hatches. Here she's carrying one egg in the fins under her belly.

The fry is getting even bolder at staying out in open areas to feed among the adults. From a short distance away watching the tank, I can see it easily now instead of having to peer close and look for its small wiggling motions. Here overhead view of it in the windelov fronds.

You can really tell how much it's grown if compare this picture to ones from here and here where it was also in windelov.

Or these photos I just took, to those 12 days ago when it was also perched on biggest anubias leaves.

Grow, Lucky, grow!

main tank side

It looks a lot more open from this view, now that I've started cutting out the older bolbitis fronds.

On the side, small jar is full up of moss now. I trimmed it from the cageful in Perry's tank. It sits on the windowsill in daytime, and at night I put it on top of the main tank, to stay warm.