The newer tanks in the morning light. I’m gobsmacked by how fast and well the little one by the window has established. I’m pulling handfuls of plants out every week just so the fish have some space left to swim. The one on the floor is taking a slower time, probably because it gets very little light.

Spotty babies in the jungle tank.

I moved some of the X. helleri ‘rio atoyac’ culls to an unlit tank (right pic), and they actually look better now than the more colorful ones. I think the brightness of the discus tank washes this subspecies out.

2 X. Helleri ‘Rio Otapa’ males that I like a little more than the rest. They’re still not as nice as the original male that I had, but they at least have some spots and a decent red stripe. They still have a little bit of growing to do too, and may brighten up more. I might keep these 2 and cross the one that matures better to the spottiest female. All the rest I went to sell though.

My baby fish are finally big enough to be visible. Their larger sibling in the back is about 2 weeks older than the small guys. They've lots of places to hide and their parents aren't in this tank anymore. Just love these tiny things wow so smol i made life <3

Nerite snail must have some algae on its shell.

I may be in over my head with all these swordtails babies. 😂 There's been 3 batches of fry already and I've only had the originals like a month. Originally I was catching all that I could and putting them in my guppy tank to grow out in, but honestly those that remained have been holding their own in the big tank so now I'm just leaving the new ones. I have very benevolent and placid discus. Oh, and the male Ameca splenden that was killing his own fry has chilled out. He got fat on discus food and no longer has interest in being a predator. So yeah nothing seems to be eating them; the slightly older fry aren't even hiding among the plants anymore.

I'm nevertheless going to try and catch some tonight and move them to the nano tanks because I want to dose the whole tank with API general cure. The little Heckel cross is more active than he was before the Bactocide treatment and is showing some interest in food, but he's still not actually eating it (or at least not a lot - he's maybe picked at something or else he'd be dead by now). The coloration is also awful, with the stress stripes very prominent and eyes black instead of orange. So he needs further treatment for parasites. The most effective treatment for hexamita is metronidazole in medicated flakes, but since he won't eat I'll have to dissolve it in the water. The fry are so small that the dose might be too strong for them.