On a Side Note...

[zesty_pinto]

I went to the old Rutgers Library to clean up the fish tank. Loads of nitrates helped breed a new race of wisteria that invaded the tank, turning it into a jungle, including a very large and beautiful centerpiece that I had to weigh down with pebbles just to keep from floating off (rooting it was impossible). Also, ramshorns, but considering how much crap was in there since my last changing, I decided to let them live so they can eat most of the leftover gunk that must be left from overfeeding. At least, until they overpopulate the tank and I have to get some sort of invertebrate killing agent or donate a temporary loach.


The photo was done on a phone cam, so... there you go.

They didn't think it looked that great. I guess I can't blame them since the wisteria looks fairly pale, though I can't say whether it's because of malnourishment or not (it's a pale green, not a whitish color with faint green). Still though, it's amazing how verdant the tank looks now, especially with a plant that's large enough to hide the angels. I also put in a small patch of java moss that now has begun to carpet the corner of the tank and fringed the edges where I planted them.

Most of the top wisteria I took for the sake of more lighting. Maybe I'll see if there's an LFS that will want them. They make for excellent shade for more cowardly fish.

Comments

[delennamachoo.livejournal.com]

I'm still fighting hair algae. I think I'll try adding some low light plants and seeing if they help restore the balance.

Your blurry tank looks nice ;).

[zesty-pinto.livejournal.com]

It might as well be since the staff admit that I'm the one the does most/all of the work on that tank anyway. They ended up asking me to do four hour weekend shifts after I graduated just so I could come in and clean the tank and give it a bimonthly water change (normally more would be better, but since it's a planted tank that is fed water from a Poland Spring bottle...).

Otherwise, it's a nice little 10 gallon with 2 albino cories, 2 golden angels (one albino), and a bristlenose pleco. It's a very pale tank, so the greenery helps. They want some neons too, but apparently neons are a rare fish in Central Jersey for some odd reason.