a gem

Unboxing A New Plant Haul For My Planted Betta Tank!

Here's a quick look at my latest aquatic plant haul and the setup of a brand-new betta aquarium.

I ordered these plants from ProShrimp for £38.33 including UK shipping, which is a pretty reasonable price compared to many other aquatic plant retailers. Everything arrived in excellent condition with healthy roots and plenty of plant mass, which is always a good sign when buying plants online.

The order included Cryptocoryne 'Mi Oya', two pots of Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan', and three pots of Hydrocotyle tripartita. The Cryptocoryne is actually destined for another aquarium because I've grown it before and know it's a fantastic species. The other two plants are completely new to me, so it'll be interesting to see how they perform over the coming months.

The aquarium itself was already fully cycled before anything was added, meaning the beneficial bacteria were established and the water parameters were safe for livestock from day one. It's a 30-litre (8 US gallon) aquarium running a Nicrew Slim hang-on-back filter, a Fluval T Series heater, and a Chihiros A Series LED light. While the Chihiros is a great light, this layout would also grow perfectly well under many cheaper aquarium lights.

For the aquascape, I used Hydrocotyle tripartita throughout the foreground and along both sides of the aquarium to naturally draw your eye towards the centre. The Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan' was planted across the back to create a dense green background that should only look better as it grows in.

A few days later I finally managed to buy the plant I'd been waiting for: Nymphaea 'Peru Puerto Maldonado'. It had been out of stock for quite a while and sold out again within just 48 hours, so I was lucky to get one. It's already beginning to develop the deep red colouration that makes it such a stunning centrepiece.

pro wasp propaganda to

spite my phobia

They semi-cancelled Timothee Chalamet for simply saying he found opera and ballet boring, by the way.

How does Hollywood work these days?

Being a bit of a naive, foolish young man and (wrongfully) calling opera and ballet irrelevant?

“You must apologise immediately! No Oscar for you.”

Acknowledging you stole terrified teenage girls from their bedrooms?

Embarrassing as it is, this other man admitted to war crimes.

A little bit for Monica, she's my wife

A little bit for Erica, for her strife

My books all go to Rita, cause she reads

My greenhouse goes to Tina, she plants trees

The furniture is Sandra's, on my lawn

Jewelry for Mary, she can pawn

Ashes go to Jessica, that's my plan

Saying it would be nice for her cat Joplin to have some company during the day, realtor Christie Marie Wolfe, 34, adopted a second cat Tuesday for Joplin to terrorize while she is at work. “I hate to leave the poor guy alone all day, so I figured it’d be nice for him to have a companion cat to stalk across the dining room and corner in the pantry,” said Wolfe, whose busy schedule means she often leaves Joplin at home to shred his toys and the household furniture.

am begging you on bended

knee, paragraph breaks.