Well.
For Christmas this year I treated myself to 4 days in bed with the plague.
And as with all prolonged periods spent in one location you start to be less satisfied with its decor.
Looking at the tanks, for 2 weeks with no water changes and only minor algae here and there. Glass needs cleaning etc. The window for trimming of the elantine was missed and it’s floated but not much to be done there.
The 45p is looking more and more overgrown and I think it’s either time for a very hard trim, almost a pseudo rescape, or a whole new scape.
If I do go for option a, it will mainly be to get the sense of scale back and to simplify the stem planting. I like the rotala Ceylon, it’s a very blousy, pretty plant but it doesn’t do topiary very well. I have ‘standard’ rotala rotundifolia in the cube, that will probably take its place.
I’m actually tempted to take all but the orange juice out and replant the back with only hm, orange juice and waynard.
If option b, the tank is earmarked for an iwagumi, my 55scapers tank is going to be stem heavy so I’ll go for grasses/grass like planting.
Other observations - the celestials have spawned and I often see fry. I also see the fry predated on, I have never seen on bigger than a mouth.
Spending time with the tanks the celestials are real predators, shrimp safe they ain’t.
The cube keeps on keeping’ on. Still haven’t gotten to the bottom of the necrosis, I’m starting to think it’s actually snail damage.
I missed the window to trim the elantine on this one too and my amanos helpfully buried it as they want to do.
I planted some polygonum but it’s done nothing.
The prospinca is just too damn big a plant for such a small tank but as it’s a farm and not an aquascape it ain’t such a thing. But long term it’s going to get pulled and I’ll move onto something else…
I started to pull down the 45f before the pestilence with the intention of having the Christmas break to swap to the 55, so nothing to report there, ug can suck it.
The 55 I shouldn’t need to buy plants for, the plan is to replicate the transition from the cube, steal buces and rotalas from everywhere and see what comes out the other side with a bowl type aquascape. I think that will get bumped to February now but let’s see. I need more wood and rocks.