09-05-2016—Walstad Tank

The two glass shrimp that were added disappeared by the next day. They were replaced by zebra nerite snail, which helps keep algae in check. A few weeks later, I was cleaning out the filter and saw a shrimp go down the drain. It was clear, not opaque, alive and eking out an existence in the filter chamber. Unfortunately no more. I moved the light farther away. Anubias leaves were being consumed by black algae. They looked horrible; I wish I had taken a photo. Once the lamp was moved, the algae disappeared within a few days. I've tried a few times to leave the filter off, but the water seems to get scummier. On the hunt for a cheap microscope, so I can view the water under magnification to compare filter and no filter.

Lilaeopsis brasiliensis (micro sword) has seen better days. The rhizomes that root in the soil are green, but the unrooted blades are yellow. Looking at past photos, I can see that it's thinned significantly. Due to lower light levels maybe?

Today, after water change, Bud had this alien-like parasite sticking out of his head. Turns out it's a normal appendage, called a siphon, for getting more oxygen. Sure enough he was rushing over to the filter outlet, where he sat with his antennae flowing in the current. A few minutes later the siphon had retracted, and he was on his way.