While I love how this tank looks. the piece of wood really does take up a great deal of space and impede water flow. While the shrimp living in this tank are quite active and healthy looking, they still haven’t taken to breeding. Thus, I will probably be making some significant changes in the near future that might allow me to begin a shrimp breeding colony in this tank.

Sadly, a large portion of the lace leaf java fern plant became discolored. After some research, I found that such browning of the leaves in java ferns can be caused by nutrient deficiency, or, more commonly, by lack of water flow around the plant’s rhizome (the meaty part at the base of the leaves that isn’t just fine, hairlike roots. Some of my java fern had been weighted down with pebbles or under a piece of wood. Having my filter near the rear of the tank compounded with the anchoring method, created little flow around the rhizome, resulting in browning leaves. I removed the browned portions to a recovery tank, and didn’t have much remaining to weave between the jutting wooden pieces near the front.

I also changed the filter intake to be fully in front of the large piece of wood (though it was pushed back when taking photos here) while the outflow was behind the wood. With less java fern obstructing flow, I’m pretty sure that all of the dead flow areas have finally been removed.

I’ll really miss this tank, but I’m excited to create a whole new world in this tiny little shrimp tank!