an end, and some shuffling

Finally gave up on my second paradise fish, Laddie. He's continually pale, listless, hanging at the surface, mostly clamped fins- now also looks like fungal infection starting on his skin. 

Is it still gill flukes? I don't know. Didn't see any flashing. And the other fishes in the tank are so active, flaring and dancing around each other in spawning mood. Yesterday I turned my worm bin and fed a few red wigglers to Miss Beautiful, also one to Laddie. He was eager, but still didn't color up and right after went back to hanging still. If my guess on his age is correct, he's probably four and a half years old, maybe close to five. I had to move my tetras, so very unhappily I dug a hole under the hydrangea today, and Laddie met a brick. With his head. This is my last photo of him.

So I moved all my young white clouds into the window tank. 

The slightly larger, orangish fish among them is the mother, and the one with brighter red on fins is one of the adult males.

It is very lively now. Lots of displaying and chasing. It's nice to see them so exuberant, but not the same as having a fish that seems to recognize you, drift over waggling fins and tail, eyeing you sideways through the glass expectantly. My smaller fishes pretty much only pay attention to each other. I feel the same about the tenner- it's nice to look at, the small blue guppies are attractive, but I don't feel engaged with it the same way as when a betta lived there. 

Now the only tank with a fish in it I really care for is the 45, and my angelfish isn't at her best. Fins slowly growing back, but I saw the black skirt tetras nipping at her yesterday. I sat in the room with the angel tank longer than usual (reading) and had time to really notice what was going on in there.

Thus today I caught all my tetras and moved them into the 20H. Again, sigh. I really do like them, but I like my angelfish better- and I don't want to run a fifth tank just to keep them. Going to have to re-home once more. Unhappy about that.

They were hard to catch. No way I can net them with all the hiding spots under and around driftwood. My bottle fish trap is too small. I submerged a large plastic bag and dropped food halfway in. The guppies went in and out for hours, gorging themselves. The angelfish eyed it sideways and never approached. Tetras were wary but eventually one would go in, and then I'd net it out, wait for the rest to settle down and approach once more. Took half the day, going back and forth. I really hope my angel is okay now without them as dither fish- maybe the five female guppies can take that role. Have to find better tank companions perhaps. The last tetra of course got way more skittish and I had to lift out a lot of smaller plants on their anchors, block off part of the tank with piece of plexiglass, and deploy two nets. So stuff got rearranged a little. Miss Beautiful didn't freak out while I did all that work- I think she realized I was catching and removing the bothersome tetras.

Angelfish seems a lot more at ease now. I'm glad to see the white clouds all enjoying the 33L. And tetras will probably get re-homed (disappointingly this is a total repeat for me).

new vals

Last week when I re-homed my young white clouds with a ton of subwassertang, also did a small plant swap. Fellow fishkeeper brought me his val trimmings a few days later. Loads of leopard vals also what looks like two small corkscrew vals in the bucket, and one small crypt. I sorted them by size, even though know will grow. Tallest went into the angelfish tank- and it looks so much more balanced now!

I planted the shortest vals in the tenner- 

Not so striking with the camera as in-person, but I do like how the narrow val leaves intermingle with the crypt undulata at rear- 

vals behind anubias and java fern windelov

ambient light pic from during the work-

one corkscrew val in the center.

Most happy with how they look in the window tank- tall in the lefthand filter corner

I did something different with acclimating these plants. They were dropped off late in the evening so I floated them ten minutes to equalize the temperature, then poured a cup or two of water into each bag so it was about half original water/half my tank water. Left them floating like that all night. The next day when I had time, went about planting. For each set of vals, poured the bag into small bucket, added more tank water to rinse them off, then lifted out to plant. I wonder if the long adjustment time will result in less melting. It would be nice. Have to wait and see a bit.

few houseplant

notes- the madagascar palm looks better- I think there's even some new leaves, but it's also got burnt tips. Maybe I need to ease off on the watering again, or avoid tapwater and/or tank water? rainwater perhaps. 

My plain spider plant has not only sent out a runner, it's also flowering-

coleus pots

The ones outside are all still alive, so yeah I did this earlier than neccessary again this year, but already my coleus cuttings have grown roots- potted them up this week!

Took more cuttings of the 'watermelon' variety than I'd planned-

once again intrigued that a few stems had rounded leaves, but as soon as they're inside start changing back to pointed tips

Also the sweet potato vine got a pot:

tenner trims

Cleaned up some dead leaves, pulled out a bunch of subwassertang to thin it out, and trimmed some of the buces. A few tops I replanted in here, others went into the 33L. 

Here's how it looks now- full tank shot

and from slightly above

33L full tank shots

Put a backdrop on to take these (click to view larger)

the center:

more of the room in view:

with the usual light behind it:

Short end with large anubias

Other short end with smaller anubias

Angle down from same end-

How I see it when I come down the stairs:

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!