Fish have been in for a full week now and appear to be well settled. Today there was a lot of displaying and squabbles over supremacy as top dog (or fish).
I've been amazed at all the different fascinating behaviours that the fish are presenting. I thought the fish would swim peacefully around the tank and be relaxing to watch but it's more like a soap opera
They each have their own distinct personalities and behaviour patterns and far more interesting than I expected.
Mickey has finally grasped that he is the only male in a tank of females and he has been puffed up like a balloon all day, showing off to the girls and displaying his finnage. He does put on a magnificent display, it's fascinating to watch! He seems to have forgotten that he was the least brave and last one to come out of hiding!
Poppy, the wagtail, is twice the size of any of the other fish and I was worried she might bully them. It turns out she totally ignores them as if they are beneath her attention, doesn't interact socially and spends her entire time swimming up and down the glass as if she's desperate to escape into the empty space beyond. Perhaps she's lonely for fish of her own size? I'm keeping an eye on her left gill which seems to be sticking out slightly.
Annie is the largest of the mickey mouse females and easily the most dominant. She and Mickey have been dancing circles around each other in a battle of who has the most impressive finnage, she's a feisty one and determined not to be cowed. Go girl!
Beatrice is the most submissive and least confident of all the fish, probably because she is so pregnant she looks like she's swallowed a double decker bus. These last two days she has mostly been hovering in one place with fins clamped and her birthing tube open. I was sure she was going to pop last night but she's been the same again today.
Clarabel is the smallest fish, neither dominant nor submissive but very active and a keen explorer. She seems to be the only female who wasn't pregnant on arrival and Mickey is bonking her mercilessly at every opportunity
I would have gone and bought a sunset platy from the LFS today if I'd stuck to my original plan but the arrival of fry have put plans for new stock on hold. I also noticed that the sunsets I was going to purchase were showing signs of damage to their tails. Not sure if it's a disease or more likely the betta sharing their tank nipping fins but I'm not risking it. Getting the quarantine tank in service is becoming more of a priority the more I think about it, I don't want to add any fish unless I can quarantine them.
All my plants seem to be doing well, better than I hoped for. The dreaded great melt hasn't happened, at least not yet.
Elodea - seems very happy, has grown several inches and reached the top of the tank already.
Vallis - a few leaves have melted but not as badly as I feared. There are lots of runners and new plants popping up already. I fear I may have a dense forest of the stuff before long!
Java Fern - arrived with a few blackened leaves and I half-expected it would get worse since I've heard several stories of java fern browning and dying. On the contrary, it seems no worse for wear and there is even a small plantlet forming on one of the blackened leaves.
Java Moss - seems to be thriving and is growing faster than I expected.
Crypts - have suffered slightly from lack of light initially, all the leaves were turned to the front glass to catch what little light they could and starting to show defects. With the addition of my new light they're now turning upwards again so I'm hoping they will recover.
Limnophila - not had it so long but this is a fascinating plant! The fronds are almost animal in the way they turn to the light and the tips even seem to close up at night like daisies. I'm concerned that my low-tech tank won't allow it to thrive in the long run but it seems to be happy so far.
That's my soap-opera update for the week
