For Christmas ’09 Adam gave/paid for/let me upgrade my 55 gallon tank to 75 gallons. I got more space, a new homemade stand that was more my style and, most importantly, a clean slate. Aquascaping is pretty sweet, and the look and behaviors of the livestock are part of the composition. Here is my process to to this point, in a nutshell.

January 17. Plastic plants (and cloudy water from the initial set-up) and several pieces of rocks and driftwood.

January 17. Close-up. You can see a Green Terror (GT), Firemouth, Green cory, Rainbow cichlid (H. Multispinosa) and a Head and Tail Light tetra.

April 11. Partial conversion to live plants. An attempt to create more vertical interest with some of the driftwood.

Aprill 11. Close-up. Firemouth, Varden the GT and both the male and female Multispinosa.

August 12. New, big ‘n’ tall driftwood (got a killer deal through the AAAA forum) and all live plants. They need to grow out, but it’s a step in the right direction. Huzzah!

The shift to living plants seemed like a natural progression. I got to the point where I knew a certain amount (above average, I’d hazard) about my livestock, their interactions and how to get them to breed (or stop… please stop breeding). Plants (and algae) are much more challenging. There are more elements to the balance in the water chemistry. It’s a work in progress!