tenner conditions

I doubled up my filtration. Added a second sponge- on the same airline, so it's not really more flow (further disruption of the surface could lower C02 levels for the plants). I used a splitter and put a valve on one line, to adjust the amount of air going to each filter, otherwise it all went thru one.

I don't really like the look of two rows of bubbles going in the background, but oh well. (One of the uplift tubes is white because I boiled it to sterilize after use in QT tank once).

The water column is a lot clearer now, and the plants are doing better too, especially since I went back to my regular fert schedule (note to self: don't change things!) Java ferns had been getting very pale, especially later in the day. Now they seem to have recovered, without going through leaf drop.

That new leaf on the buce 'isabella' in background is full size now-

To its left, water wisteria stem grew a lot taller. Looks better than ever.

Funny thing, if you look at the base, stem isn't actually in the substrate. Some of the lower end decayed but as long as the roots continue to hold it down, I don't mind.

one less, one more

My serpae tetra with the lump on its face, Punk, took a turn for the worse this week. Lump had not quite reached the eye and I thought if it did, well the fish can probably function okay with one eye and its lateral line sense. But it started acting as if in pain, feeling irritation, or maybe it was having some kind of seizure? Head jerking rapidly, mouth held agape. Pale with its shoulder mark washed out, and keeping itself separated from the group. Didn't come to eat with the others. I didn't want to watch it linger on for who-knows how long in decline.... so I put a net in the water. The fish sure was spry enough when it knew it was singled out, and even though I followed it slowly to be gentle on the plants, it dashed around in a panic and wedged itself in the one spot that the fishes themselves always have trouble accessing- down among the bolbitis roots where I spot-feed the kuhlis. Smart to the end.

It turns into a very bad day, when I bury one of my favorite tetras under the forsythia. (Which is not blooming yet, so none of that to cheer me).

Later I was at the box home improvement store for air filters and I bought a plant... I was looking for a new african violet but didn't find one I liked (I'm not fond of extra frilly ruffled petals or white flowers either) Instead picked up this interesting plant, a kind I've never seen before.

Unhelpfully, the tag just says "foliage plant." I'm frustrated again to not have an identity. Some larger specimens nearby looked very similar, but the leaves longer, narrower and darker in hue. Also looking close, on mine the leaves grow in groups of three, on the other plant they were in sixes. The other one was called False Aralia but it doesn't help me if it's not the same one. However when I look it up online by name, pictures look like both. One site told me that as the plant matures the leaves grow longer and darken. I just don't know why the leaf arrangement would be different- does that also change as it grows?

Anyhow, I liked it because the foliage reminds of hygro pinnatifida, an aquarium plant I really wanted to keep that died on me. Now I have a houseplant that looks a bit like it.

Lucky inch

I am feeding Perry a bit more now- regularly two times a day, sometimes three. And a bit less the cories, only twice. I feel like that tank is getting too heavy a bioload, the filter can't keep up with it- I have to vacuum the substrate regularly and I just lightly rinsed the sponge filter midweek as well, and still there is fine debris in the water column. Maybe cutting back on feeding will help- or fewer fish would...

I think Lucky is okay with that now because the young fish is bigger than I thought! I eyeballed a buce leaf against the glass that was the same length as the little catfish, and then used a ruler. He's one inch long now.

Not yet socializing with the adults, but joins them at feeding time and doesn't let himself get pushed aside anymore.

He still occasionally looks pale and I don't know what's up with the white speck under the eyes. Maybe its normal?

~
Um, yeah: I wrote this a few days ago and since have plugged current specs of my tank into AqAdvisor (online aquarium stocking calculator). The little sponge filter I had was previously ok for one betta and some snails, but with these catfishes it's definitely overloaded. I'm doubling the filter capacity- adding a second sponge- running on split airline- that's already seeded from the 38's canister. That keeps things just out of trouble for now, but it's still too many fish. If I move out the oto it would be better- if it was warmer I could put him back in the 20H with Perry, but then he'd get lonely... I could relinquish him to the pet store, but I hate to feel like I gave up on this one fish. Like I have a duty to it for life- and it can live a good ten years... but without its own kind now. Sigh.

tenner

ambient light

ludwigia proof

The plant itself is answering my question: ludwigia or hygro? The far right, smaller one in this picture is the same plant featured in this previous shot. Now that ferts have been adjusted (root tabs added again) it's finally growing more, and looks to be changing shape. Foliage is getting noticably longer, narrow and brighter green.

I absolutely know this was this stem of ludwigia repens that came out of my tenner months ago- it had the rounder leaf shape and darker olive green with purplish undersides. Well, I don't have to wait for chance flowers now to identify.

foliage cuttings

A while ago my daughter bought herself a plant. I don't know what it is, and the tag only said "foliage plant". Not real helpful. It has a trailing, viny habit (came in a hanging container) and looks a bit like wandering jew (which I am going to start calling by its scientific name Tradescantia zebrina because every time I say 'wandering jew' my husband remarks unfavorably on the common name. Says it's racist). The leaves are different, darker green without a vivid stripe. Undersides purplish. Maybe it's related.

Anyhow, I took a few cuttings of it to grow out. Here they are:

baby violet

My tiny new african violet is just big enough to discern a leaf shape

Several days later. Taking this second set of pictures I saw there's more tiny shoots coming up on other side of the petiole! So it looks like I'll have two or three plantlets, or at least one with multiple crowns easy to divide when mature. Makes up for the fact that the second planted leaf doesn't seem to be germinating anything.

fin rays

I was looking closely at a cory egg on the glass, and took the opportunity for a closeup photo of my otocinclus, on wisteria leaf.

air in a hornwort jar

I noticed something in my jar of hornwort last week. Two rather large bubbles, they really caught my eye. Stuck in the needles of the plant. I guess last time I topped off the jar, some oxygen introduced via the turbulence of water tumbling in through my fingers, trapped the bubbles. They stayed there all week! Like clear beads or jewels, in foliage.

Another thing I've noticed is that for once, the pegged hornwort stems don't weaken at the base and need to be re-tied. I have left this thing pretty much alone since it was set up, just clipping tops when it gets close to the surface, wiping off below the jar rim and topping off with tank water. There's two very small trumpet snails in there now, they seem to keep the algae cleared up. I think the lower parts of the stems stayed healthy because the jar gets light broadside from the window, not just strongest from above. Maybe I will keep this thing going. I kind of like it, and I often get comments on it from visitors to the house.

basement lemons

The lemon verbena plant is still putting out new leaves! Bright sharp scent if I rub with my fingers. It doesn't seem to mind the dim, cooler location as much as its neighbors the coleus and pepper plant.

main tank

The other week I put root tabs again- and quite a few of the plants are responding. I had totally forgotten there were a few fragments of crypt parva rhizome left in here- and two of them sprouted new leaves. (They could be bits of crypt willisii, but I think it's parva).

I am still a bit confused if these plants in the center of my tank are ludwigia repens or hygro something. Because so long ago everything was melting and dying and I never really knew which ones grew back. I'm guessing it's really the ludwigia, though- because the hygro corymbosa I put in here is pretty much all dead now. That last bit in this pic just melted away this week. I'm letting some of these stems grow tall enough to hit the surface- if one flowers maybe then I can tell.

Some of my crypts put root hairs up from the substrate. Not sure why. I sold in that batch a few of the babies, pulled up those that were growing very close to the parents or against the glass.

Full tank shot:

In ambient light (and before hornwort was trimmed for the week):

Lucky update

I think my catfish fry is about a month and a half old now. He's starting to look like a proper little catfish. After this week's water change (removing the last of prazipro medication) it is looking a lot more perky, although still pale sometimes. It's about the size of one adult's caudal fin lobe, now.

I looked back at previous photos and seems he's always had that white line/marking under the eye. I wonder if it will disappear into the pattern in time? Pics:

Hides from me a lot now. Under the buces:

Not a fish pic: one of my buce 'isabella' has a new leaf sprouting and I admire its fresh, paler green and ruffled edges.

recovery

Schefflera, on the other hand, is doing much better now.

This is the little one (which I once hoped to prune into a kind of bonsai tree shape) grown from a cutting someone gave me. Last week I repotted it. Moved into a pot that wasn't much deeper, but an inch or so wider. Really I wanted to get a look down in there. When I upended it, found the roots were nice and healthy, but the base of the stem had been buried last time I repotted it. Not by much- just 1/4"- but I made sure to plant it back at the previous depth. It responded well. No more leaf drop, color seems improved too (although that might just be from the humidity treatments I'm giving it as well).

decline

My last 'butt plant' isn't doing so good. It is still too leggy, leaning slightly no matter what spot I shift it too, seeking the brightest winter sun. It is starting to look puckered, shrively- which means, finally, water! I gave it a little, anxious not to overdo it, but it seems to be going downhill .

baby cacti?

I have found more of these tiny prickly things sprouting in the depths of my boston fern:

There's six or seven of them now. Funny because you think a fern needs damp soil, and cactus totally dry. The fern is looking crowded. I ought to divide and repot it, clean out excess dry crowns. But several times in the past have killed all the divisions, so reluctant to upend it now.

graceful

The other day I moved my asparagus fern aside to get into the worm bin. I set it in the opposite room where it could get some light meanwhile. And it looked so pretty there I had to take a picture.

(Normally my photos of it look somewhat cramped, like this)

One of my gardening books notes that to keep asparagus fern bushy, it should be pinched back. I guess I ought to do that since the trailing foliage is about to touch the ground. I like it long, though.

what's wrong, tarragon?

My plant is sad.

I cleaned out all its dead stuff- lots- and gave it a new home. Succulent soil mix with a bit of richer potting soil and crushed eggshells stirred in. Inch layer of potting shards in the bottom for good drainage, and this pot sits inside another (the white decorative one doesn't have a drain hole).

At least what's left of the foliage looks healthy. I can't tell if the dried leaves/stems were from poor conditions- too much, too little water? or an insect pest. It seemed to have little spiderwebs stuck in the leaves but could be dust.

I broke off some tiny new shoots while stripping the dead leaves off, and tucked them into soil in case they can root and grow.

It's in a tall narrow pot because quite a bit had got leggy and hung down. Kind of pretty, but I don't know if that's normal, healthy growth habit for this plant, to have trailing stems.

I'm eating it again. Lovely in scrambled eggs.

not sure, sweet potato

I'm a bit sad I only have three small pieces of sweet potato vine left. And only one variety. I will probably just have to buy some more come spring.

It is happier in this brighter spot, but still looks a bit anemic to me. The other day I inspected close and found a few of the small white bugs. Checking early in the morning they are slow enough I can squish. Looking very close I found some tiny oval orange eggs on the leaf undersides. Scraped them off with fingernail- I bet it's the same bug. Hoping for improvement now.

I checked all the surrounding plants- especially the big jade, the coleus and tarragon. They look okay, insect hasn't spread yet. Except something is ailing tarragon- see next post.

Perry's tank

I recently sold (locally) a batch of trimmings and extra plants. Most from this tank. Doesn't look much different. I moved out twenty pieces of hornwort, a dozen vallisneria that had come loose from the substrate (so pulling them didn't kick any mulm into the water), a few clumps of subwassertang, and most of the moss- which I'm still growing out in a jar. Here's what I have left of that:

Perry's tank got a bit more leaf litter added this past week. I'm not adding it as frequently as with the other tanks- the leaves seem to break down slower in the colder water. Pothos vines sure are taking a long time to grow out- either that or sweet potato was crazy quick in comparison. Only just now are new roots starting to sprout at the base of the stem cuttings. There was a bit of brown algae on the front and side glass near the window, its soft enough I can just wipe off with my fingers. I don't vacuum the gravel in here but just kind of stir near the substrate with the hose when removing old water, to kick stuff up and siphon it out.