Jared Andrews

Did a 1 gallon water change after testing. I still haven't been concerned about any parameter changes related to increased feeding. I decided to do a small water change just in case, as I will be away from home for a few days this week and not as actively monitoring the tank.

I tried using Shrimp Lollies again this week. Initially I tried to keep the fish away from them as outlined on June 23. But I gave up on that and just stuck the lollies straight into the tank this time. The fish definitely took things over but all the shrimp came out underneath it and I think got some of the scraps. I was able to count over 30 of them, the most I have ever seen at once.

Some brave shrimp would go feed on the lolli directly. I didn't see any fish on shrimp violence. Curiously, I did observe one of the larger mollies chasing away medium sized mollies.

I have spotted at least 3 different berried shrimps in the tank, which is pretty exciting.

Did a little plant trimming this week. The Lily Bulbs continue to do great, the one on the left especially looks full after trimming. The Cryptocoryne Lutea, which I haven't mentioned at all since planting it is doing great too. It has actually spawned a smaller plant which you can se to the right of it on the bottom center of the tank.

The Monte Carlo is spreading, slowly but surly, I have also begun transplanting the Monte Carlo in the pot to the ground. I'm hoping to get the pot out to the tank soon. I put 2 root tabs on the outer edges of the Monte Carlo after testing today.

If you look closely at the left side sponge filter, you can see that some of the substrate bag is exposed from beneath the sand.

I plan on getting the rest of the potted Monte Carlo into the ground and then adding more sand to cover up the substrate bag completely and cover up the growing Monte Carlo a bit. I have found lightly covering the Monte Carlo, seems to protect it and help it grow.

I have found when adding additional sand to the tank, it can be very annoying because it is not water logged and floats away. It is also hard to place precisely. I am currently water logging a bunch of sand. In a few weeks I will pour it end and attemp to cover up the substrate bag for good.

Since I am planning on messing with that corner, I am also going to change out the sponge filter. I have always wanted to get a skinnier one in place, there is nothing wrong with the current one. The new one has a similar surface area. I could probably get away with a much smaller one, which I may try in the future. I am somewhat nervous about switching out the filter. There is a second very small one, on the back right side of the tank. But I'm worried about removing all the material in the larger left one, so I will be soaking the new sponge filter in the tank for the next few weeks.

One other update, I now have a Spider Plant and Pothos in the tank. The Pothos has been in for a few weeks now. It seems to be doing well and I can see roots making their way into the water. The Spider Plant seems to be doing well. I ended out making the container quite tall to get the plant above the light. I have read that these can be challenging to keep alive in tanks. The plant I used was suffering and neglected and already looks way better, we'll see how it goes.