Tomorrow marks 11 months with these Stendkers. As you can see... the plants that Tom keeps sending me just don't make it in my discus tank. This time it was not the discus, it was my "sanitation" which I have done before without problems. But it nuked these plants. The ones Tom shipped and also some of my own. I don't understand because the process was no different. It's called "reverse respiration" where you submerge the plants in seltzer water for 12 hours in the dark. For whatever reason the plants were utterly destroyed when I put them in. Really disappointing.
The big sponge filters have migrated to my new Apistogramma hongsloi tank. The discus are enjoyed the added floor space and I am enjoying the fact that their food doesn't end up under the filters where they can't get it half the time. It does still get under the driftwood, but that's expected.
20230114_192853.jpg
20230114_192841.jpg
The blue diamond continues to eat, thankfully. It seems to be eating more than the others. I am hoping it starts gaining some weight and size. It's the only one I'm really disappointed in other than the two that I lost, but I understand you "can't win them all". It is the most aggressive discus in the tank, but I hesitate to even use that word. He ONLY chases the other blue discus. The solid turq and the dark angel. I have never once seem him chase any of the red ones, full stop. But he will blast across the tank to scare the dark angel off the beef heart. I think it's hilarious.
I remain unsure of what I will do with the 125. Part of me wants to put the discus in there and add two the rummy school and the lemon tetra school. Keeping it bare bottom. Probably add a bristlenose or two or maybe some sterbai. That would free up the current discus tank to do something planted so my wife would get off my back about "WHY ARE THE PRETTIEST TANKS IN THE BASEMENT?!?"
The prettiest fish are absolutely not in the basement, though!
Thanks for looking!