General Update

Haven't posted much recently so here's a general update on everything:

The silvertip tetra (hasemania nana) finished their month in solitary without any problems on the 19th of last month.  They spent the whole time tightly shoaling but as soon as they were added to my Amazon setup spread out and cease to shoal anymore.  Which is a good thing as it means they're very relaxed there.  These are great little fish and I would have had them sooner if I'd known what they're like, although those horn dogs are chasing the ladies constantly.  No losses to report in this tank.  I'm fighting snail outbreaks (pond and malayasian trumpets) in the Amazonian tank.  The tank's too large and too well filtered to bomb them with gastropex effectively so I've cut back on food and I'm manually picking them off.  Plants are all doing well though the greenfire bloodfin tetra (aphyocharax rathbuni) like to nibble on them.  The tank seemed a bit empty at the top so I added some limnobium laevigatum inside a couple of circular pond feeders to limit their spread.  I've attached feeders to the rain bar using fishing line so they can handle the water level going up and down during water changes.

To add to that I have fifteen marbled hatchetfish (carnegiella strigata) currently in the quarantine tank.  Sadly one died within 24 hrs but the remaining ones are looking great and show no signs of disease or stress with quarantine meds.  I'm worried that some may go Amelia Earhart on me so I always have a spotter watch out while I do tank maintenance.  Pictures of these fish don't do them justice.  I have a variety that have a red iridescence to them making them look like white tiger print disco divas covered in glitter.  Very Ziggy Stardust after a ton of kebabs.

In the volcano tank there haven't been many changes.  The two fry I had in there are now sulking adolescents.  I haven't cracked the cyanobacteria issue in this tank despite dialling down light settings and reducing feeding.  Regular cleaning has at least stopped it looking as if the bacopa has hulked out.

In contrast I've beat the cyanobacteria in the Papua New Guinea tank.  Plants and fish are all good and healthy.  Now if I could only work out where the ****king duck weed (what?  I said quacking...) came from.  Seriously, I've not added anything to the tank in at least two months.  My current theory is that it was carried in by an angry moth.  So now I get to have duck weed.  Go me.

Darkness is doing well in his aquarium.  He caught his tail on something but maintaining the water quality has meant it healed up within days.  The hygrophila polysperma and limnophila sessiliflora in the tank grew too quick for the tank size.  Crinum calamistratum also turned out to be a bad choice as when the leaves grew longer they exited the water and began to rot.  I've taken all of those out and replaced it with a java fern which my betta buddy is enjoying far more.

I have a new camera tripod which should hopefully add stability to my vids.  Next week with my girls back in school (and my new job doesn't start until the 18th) I should get some quiet time to do some filming.  I'll stick the vids on youtube and post the links.

I've always been in two minds about hatchets as aquariums are generally at a height where you look down onto them and I worry about not being able to see them through the lid... am I being silly?

One point of note about assassin snails, sounds obvious but I know some have been disappointed with the number of snail shells left in the tank when they have assassin snails. I personally quite like them...

@Matt With hatchets it depends where your tank is, from a seated position they are a nice addition to the normally empty tank surface. They are worryingly fond of jumping though and a lid is essential, so my top view is restricted to watching them like a hawk while cleaning

  sorry Littlefish for any resurrection of tank chaos I might have created...

Enjoyed reading your interesting update, MM - thanks (and feel relieved that normality / tank chaos reigns, LF - I like it that way too as it makes for very interesting updates too .

Post anyway!

Nice vids @MarquisMirage 

Not sure why you would be disappointed with them!?

I like the clean/simple looks your tank have. Probably because mine are the total opposite crammed with multiple different types of plants and rocks and wood!!

The "grey stone" made me laugh, and is adorable.

Great tanks. 

Nice set up. 

@MarquisMirage I thought I saw influences of Cecil BettaMille. What is the floating plant with the long root please?