When the sleeper wakes...

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Just for @noobfish

 

[noobfish]

Just for @noobfish

I remember when I used to get to watch the shrimp

 

[noobfish]

In all seriousness, looks great!

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Back to Tank No.1: South America-ish.

A Glowlight Tetra, being all glowlighty

I confess...I do like a Black Neon

And a couple of what I'm growing to believe may be my female Bristlenose, growing fast and enjoying a Spirula algae wafer.

And a Yellow Fire Shrimp;

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

And now for my Cockatoo Apistogramma...

The nest'...hollowed out sand and eggs glued to the filter compartment side. Close enough to the heater for extra warmth? Close to the aeration of the bubbler and its current. Close to Java Moss and a corner of the tank that would be relatively easy to defend.

Mother's busy fanning...

Father aware of me and the camera...

A separate shot of mother, all coloured up...

And father...

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

So the eggs more than doubled in size and, when I was looking last night, I noticed there were markedly fewer of them...then a little fish popped out of one and disappeared.
I then noticed Mother was pecking at the remaining eggs and disappearing around the corner of the filter box, out of sight.
So, she's either moving them to somewhere she deems safer, or she got peckish.
Given that this is in an active community tank, I'd be surprised if any fry survive, no matter how determined the parents.

To try and help out, I added some more 'feathery' plants and have put some liquid fry-food in the tank, to provide for any little ones and, at the very least, to facilitate growth of infusoria.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Just so's I can sort-of keep track of overall plant growth...
Tank 1

Tank 2

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Testing out Dennerle shrimp foods.
Whilst effective for the shrimp, kuhli loach in particular are keen, as well as the Panda Garra and Cherry Barbs.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Looking great! Really lovely natural looking scape.

I have been taking a lot more full tank shots with my new tank. It really does help to show what kind of growth you are getting and see the differences any changes make.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

So I'm grabbing a handful of floating vegetation, (Salvinia) and I've got a Kuhli in my hand!
I'm well used to checking for shrimp nowadays, but not a kuhli loach. Given just how tricky these are to catch normally, perhaps I'm on to something?

Back in the tank, I got down onto the floor, so that I could look up into the roots of the floaters and, sure enough, alongside a shrimp or two, there was another kuhli, apparently just chillin' up there.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Lol never seen them do that before. They do like to get in the oddest of places though so doesn't surprise me

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Lol never seen them do that before. They do like to get in the oddest of places though so doesn't surprise me

They are rather active and they even seem to arrive in pairs, which is odd. Makes it easy to do a head count, that's for sure.

 

[AquaBarb]

Just so's I can sort-of keep track of overall plant growth...
Tank 1
View attachment 144541

Tank 2
View attachment 144542

Plants are looking beautiful

Very nice

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Plants are looking beautiful

Very nice

Ta muchly.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

A focus on some plants...

Tank No.1

• Right at the front, to the right, is Bacopa caroliniana. NOTE the stems are planted separately into the sand. Growth of this has been slow, but steady.
• Extreme front right, attached to the wood, is a growth of Vesicularia dubyana, or Java moss. This is relatively slowly growing, but I do have lots of fresher, greener shoots, stretching out towards the bubbler at the far right of the tank. This particular bit of th moss is also now attached to the side of the filter box and is slowly climbing up that.
• Left at the front, in comparative darkness at the moment, is Echinodorus tenellus, a Pygmy chain swordplant. This is still in it's pot and has only recently, after a couple of months, started to send out runners.
• The taller reddish plant is Alternanthera reineckii, or rosaefolia. Originally planted in small bunches, trimmed and the cuttings planted individually. This has been a great grower in this tank and adds a nice contrast to the greens.
• The feathery plant at the back is Myriophyllum aquaticum, or Milfoil. This has only been in for 10 days and has gone absolutely nuts. I'll be trimming it soon and planting the cuttings alongside the 'mother' stems. NOTE that this plant is prone to collecting bits and algae and, fortunately, mine appears to have been spared that fate.

A clearer view of that Pygmy chain swordplant and, dominating the left foreground, a clump of Microssrium pteropus, or ava fern. Whilst the main plants have grown very little, since their installation back in June, they have produced 'babies', which have since been attached to wood which is now in Tank No.2.
More of the A. reineckii is behind, with a couple of large Echinodorus bleheri, or broadleafed Amazon swordplants, filling up a background corner.

A better shot of the swords and Java ferns.

EDIT: Plant names in bold.