Hi Chuck & Helen,
Last year we had a new kitchen and decided to take the chosen stone floor through to the
dining room. The tank had to be moved around the room to allow the stone to set. I
decided at that point to change the decor, but still sticking with bogwood & live plants. The
large wood to the right was rotated and basically flipped on its back, the attached plant has
grown better since being a little deeper and I take it, further away from the lights too (I'm guessing). Other plants have not fared so well, the red one wilted and died after being
repositioned, others have taken quite a while to re-establish themselves but now show good
signs of regular new shoot growth.
I love the colour of the bogwood as it gradually changes colour caused by catfish grazing and
general ageing I suppose.
The LED's certainly enhance the colour of both wood and fish, the ripples caused by the water movement cast shadows on anything that is solid. Moving from left to right (where water enters the tank) the shadows gradually move slower as the ripple (water) speed drops, very effective.
The number of fish in the tank hasn't increased, I did make a decision not to replenish the
smaller fish shoals as they naturally shrunk. Replaced with Discus, however only two out
of the six purchased have survived. Cobalt & Pigeon both died, the remaining 2 Blue Diamond have both thrived. Golden Wonder Panchax have reduced from 6 to 2, I am waiting
for this to become zero before getting either Halfbeak or Gar. 6 x Torpedo Barbs are doing very well all at 5" plus now, the BN are now 4, 2 male, 2 female, I disturbed them breeding
when moving the tank, poor timing I know. So joining the Plec's which also included (L014)
Sunny Plec, we now have a Blue Spotted Phantom Plec, currently making himself at home
underneath the bogwood and disturbing the JBL Manadoo (yes correct Chuck). We still
see the Kuhli Loaches at feeding time, I introduced a Violet Dragon Goby, he has fitted in
really well, so many mixed reports on what conditions they should be kept in, so not sure
wether right or wrong to have him, seems very happy currently, consistently moves the
plecs from their under bogwood resting places and then moves the JBL around to suit
Columbians, Lemon Tetra & an odd amount of suring Silver Tips/Copper Harlequins make up the tank numbers.
Changes happen in the natural world and so changes happen in my tank world too. It will stay as is throughout the winter and with only minimum pruning and planting we will se what happens.
To finish on, a question - Has anyone had a BN go to sleep on its back for an hour and
then just swim off and latch itself to bogwood for a bit of a graze? Whilst typing thats
what one of my female BN's has just done
Laters