Things are doing well in the 150. I have removed all calciferous rocks/shells and the KH is coming down a bit. I took down and rinsed out both the monster filters and I believe I was drawing air from somewhere, because now the filters are almost silent and there are no free bubbles in the water column.
The fish are all happy as can be. I have added another species, M. festivus, to the mix, though I lost one of the two not long after adding them. I am not sure what happened there - the fish simply stopped eating and was less active, then turned up dead. I examined it carefully and could find no evidence of ailment of any kind. I would have liked three for the tank (I don't like singletons or even numbers!) but the LFS had only three, and one died in quarantine not too long after I got them home . The other two spent about 3 weeks in Q so they seemed fine, only to lose the second one shortly after being moved.
The one that remains is a fabulous fish, however! He blends in very well with the school of angels, and his behavior is comparable. He has a similar look to the leopoldi, as Mesonauta are a relative of angelfish, with a somewhat blunt head, and the telltale trailing ventral fins. This is a species very commonly found with angels, though I am told that the portion of the Rio Negro where the leopoldi are found does not generally have Mesonauta species. They get along great, however, and that is the main thing. I am very fond of festivus and I would not mind getting a few more, though I hope NOT to get a breeding pair, since that will complicate the social structure in this tank, and I do not wish to do that - everyone gets along fabulously now.
I am not as concerned with the pH in this tank as I have been in the past. The fish have tolerated a period of wild fluctuations in pH, while I had issues with CO2 leakage (fittings were not tightened properly) and what I thought was an issue with my regulator, so there was no CO2 running at all for a couple of weeks, followed by re-instituting its use, and once again dropping the pH. At no time did the wild-caught angels appear stressed or in any way bothered by these pH changes. It made me feel a little less urgency about keeping them in extremely acidic water.
I know I ought to be using RO water (as I have mentioned) and mixing it with my tap to try to recreate their natural conditions, but the fish are happy and so am I. If they don't need me to jump through hoops I'm not gonna. I still like to use CO2 because the plants grow better with it (I noticed the difference when I was not using it) so I will continue to do so, but I am not using as much, since the amount of gas I need to get the pH down to under 6 requires very frequent bottle refills and becomes a bit of a pain.
Right now I am very pleased with how this tank is doing, and am enjoying it very much. This is a rare time for me as an aquarist, since most of my tanks have something that needs to be done, or changes that need to be made, or some sort of goal in mind. I do have changes in mind for the 150, but I am going to wait until I become dissatisfied with the status of the tank. This won't take too long, likely as not! There is nothing static - plants overgrow their location, other plants fade, sands shift, etc.
The next phase will involve abandoning the aquascaping technique utilizing the open central area, and create a central branchy structure, since the Corydoras and angels all would feel more comfortable. I currently utilize almond leaf extract, and may go back to putting the leaves directly in the tank for leaf litter, as this is something the corys will like, as will any future Apistogramma species that I introduce. As for the plants, I will eliminate the Hygrophila species, and keep Anubias, Cryptocorine, Echinodoras, and "the javas" as I like to call them (fern and moss). That will be it for plants, though knowing myself I am sure there will continue to be plenty.
I am currently on the lookout for branchy driftwood, which I will probably collect myself. Most driftwood available commercially for the aquarium is blocky, and I have plenty of that already. I will be looking for pieces that have multiple thin, reaching, branches, and may even wind up collecting sticks and tying them together. The Mopani driftwood I have in the 150 now is very attractive, but it does not "go" with the SA theme at all, though I do plan to keep it. The Ancistrus enjoy scraping in and out of the nooks and crannies created by the curlicue shapes of the wood.
All of these plans must, I'm afraid, involve taking down the tank to bare bones. I am loath to do this currently, but at some point I'm going to get annoyed with the tank, unable to create a visual balance, and in my frustration be ready to do things over. The fish will all have to be collected and placed in tubs. I have had the angels long enough now, and they have handled themselves very well in the past when I have disrupted their environs, that I think they will tolerate being moved out in this way. When I first got them they seemed to be incredibly delicate and sensitive, but I don't think they really are - they are like any P. scalare - one of the hardier SA cichlids.
This is a big tank and for me, at 5' tall, it is a chore to 'scape. I need to be ready and have a plan in mind before I redo things. I am torn between my desire for aesthetics and a comfortable, healthy environment for my fish. Currently the tank is attractive, but it has a Willy Wonka or Dr. Seuss feel to me than what a SA setup should be, with overly bright light, too bright green in the plants, and wood that is almost a caricature of itself.
As I've said before, an attractive planted tank is pretty far from anything a fish would encounter in the wild, and I'm trying to have it both ways. The effort continues....
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