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.

in the sunny sideyard

Milkweed is blooming!

But some also fell over, after heavy rain.

I propped them up with a bit of fencing. And see the row of celosia.

Upslope the daylilies are flowering!

and the blue salvia

The 'autumn joy' sedum I transplanted is budding

So are tithonia, though not yet quite knee-high

I should have watered the lambs ears more often, early on. They've looked rather pathetic until now, after several days of rainstorms, suddenly are looking great.

The new joe pye weed is doing nicely too

centers of new leaves are darker-

45 reassess

My 45 has been struggling a bit again. I try to feed the tetras lean and give the angelfish her own food -she's good at following my hand above the water and will even leap a bit to snatch a bite from my fingers- but the tetras are so quick to dart in and take food right in front of her nose. Sometimes this seems to make her angry- after feeding time she will plane around the tank making vicious dashes at the tetras. They always evade her.

Vals have grown more and more- the longest reach all the way across the surface now. I trimmed out some older leaves. To my surprise hornwort stems I weighed down haven't deteriorated- they're thriving. I trim them back when they get too tall, and have tied down some more. Angelfish doesn't really like those thickets of stiff needles and stays on the side where the vals are.

The tank had lots of unsightly black spot algae, especially on anubias. Newer leaves look fine so I trimmed off older ones, cut one rhizome back and tied the piece onto a new spot. I accidentally spilled my bottle of prime a week ago, and kept putting off going to the store to buy more, so the tank missed a water change. I did two partial wc this week, and made sure to rinse out one of the sponge filters too. 

But the angelfish has another fin edge deteriorating- the anal fin this time. All the tetras look totally fine, but any drop in water quality she seems to start to get fin rot, which concerns me.

white clouds

I have been watching my three white clouds for a long time wondering why the fat one never gets thinner. Even when I feed them less- letting them subsist off algae and aufwuchs most days of the week (the guppies are totally fine with this and I spot-feed the paradise fish)- this one doesn't slim down. The other two flare their fins and dance broadside to each other so I think those are males and the fat one a gravid female. I was reading up on it the other day, info says white clouds breed as easy as guppies, but need soft plants to spawn in, like java moss. I wondered if subwassertang would do. So I transferred the two mature female guppies into my 33L, and moved the white clouds into the half-filled 20H- swapped 'em.

After a partial wc. Did another large water change on a day of thunderstorms, and then added some new leaf litter too (because the white clouds were dashing around displaying to their reflections in the bottom glass). I saw lots of display and chasing, and thought the third fish started to look a bit less fat? but can't be sure.

They certainly have nice colors

Caught one male with his fins spread

but it's been days now, the fat fish is still fatter than the others, and there's no sign of fry. So I think this individual is just a glutton, or has a parasite load. Thinking of dosing the tank with prazipro or general cure.

catmint cuttings

Dainty flowers on catmint cuttings in the window so pretty.

Then it started not doing so well. Been changing the water frequently, no sign of roots yet. Looked stuff up- most recommendations are for starting cuttings in moist growing medium, not water. So I moved them to a small pot.

how things are doing in the back

This bunch of turtlehead never does well later in the summer- I rarely see blooms on it. It looks nice and lush now, but someday I will dig up and move the plants to a better spot.

Echinacea turned out just fine in spite of the caterpillars

Some of the young ones are growing up between the stepping stones. I really need to get back here and do some weeding!

Rhubarb, and to the right of it the funny seed stalks of the arum

I like the contrast of bright liriope and muted heartleaf brunnera

But this one is getting overwhelmed by the hellebores, so will have to dig and move come spring

I'm pleasantly surprised how long into the heat bleeding hearts have lasted, this year. Nice brightness, the sun through their paler leaves (lower left).

Monarda thicket seen from the rear, with echinacea and astilbe if you look close.

flowers and things

First Nasturtium bloom:

I had one tiny bit of sweet potato vine left alive after winter, and never posted pics because it looked so awful. But now out in a planter box in the heat, it's revived and looking fine!

Chives are blooming so pretty

Closeups

Marigold in a pot. Funny- see the little dots on ends of some petals? Those are color on the petal. Likes the seedling leaves had.

This one on the deck grew differently- longer foliage and no flowers. I kept it anyways, the ferny look is kinda pretty.

Hyssop next to it in rough planter, is getting bigger

When I set out all my nicotiana into the yard, this one I kept in a pot- it seemed large then

Now it's doubled in size and has a bud. 

First sweet pea!

Lavender in bloom. Camera doesn't quite capture it.

Other side

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