Well over a year ago, I built the (just under) 20g tank that has occupied so many postings below. Today, for the first time in months, I'm posting photos so you can see how a tank matures and remains happy without major topographical revisions.

Older photos show moss tied to the central log in the tank. I removed that moss months ago because I wasn't happy with how dominating it was visually in the center of the tank. I then tied three very small clumps of moss to the driftwood log and let it simmer for weeks. The tank went through a period where nothing would grow (but nothing would die). Most peculiar. Instead of changing my nutrient, lighting, and water-change routine, I simply kept doing what I'd been doing since the tank became established. This patience and meticulous persistence paid off.

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Today, I spent nearly 2 hours with my hands in my tank. My shoulders and back ache from bending over for so long. Despite the aches, I had a terrific time. This is the first time -- in this tank -- I've had to dramatically cut back on plant growth. It took a long time. I cut a fist sized clump of moss away from the driftwood, whacked away at dead leaves, carefully plucked opportunistic moss from grass beds, and removed large amounts of tall grass. Now, much more light streams to the substrate, which should help with the overall health of the tank.

Lindernia slowly expelling oxygen in a CO2 rich tank.

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Monotetrus travancoricus, who moves around so much that photo opportunities like this are rare.

Siamensis and Boraras brigittae socializing in the shadow of a moss-covered driftwood log.

I rarely see Siamensis facing the camera.

A Cherry shrimp well articulated by bright light and contrast with moss.

The rock layers at the top of the Little Malawi 10g tank (my cichlid conserve) are about 4 inches from the water's surface and 6 inches from strong fluorescent bulbs. Light algae forms every few weeks on these plateaus, where they photosynthesize their little butts off, with no other plant life to compete for their minimal nutrients. I'm amazed that algae grows in an unplanted tank into which I deliver no nutrients. Just fish.

I'm gearing up to make my tank suitable for competition. I'm finally happy with how the (slooooow growing) grasses are maturing. The moss has reached an impressive but manageable mass on its driftwood roost, fulfilling the centerpiece aspirations I had for it. I'm pleased with how the Blyxa japonica dominates but doesn't try to escape its rocky quarter in the right rear of the tank.

What remains to meet my satisfaction is how the tall grasses in the back center/left merge with the left side, curling around to the foreground. The Polygonum I had there was simply too weedy.

My aesthetic challenge is this: how do I complement the grassy spirit of the tank with a stroke of character or color on the left side? I think I focused too hard on color, wanting to introduce brown or red to contrast the overwhelmingly lime green hue of the vegetation.

Today, I managed to find a solution in balance. Instead of a red stem plant, I used a gorgeous specimen of Cryptocoryne spiralis, which is very tall, grass-like, and just red/brown enough to represent warmth and shadow. Directly in front of that, I planted a single specimen of Cyperus helferi, to augment the tank with yet another tall grass. In front of that I planted two young specimens of an unidentified grass that is about half the height of the Cyperus and tall crypto. I bought all of these plants from Steven and George at Aqua Forest Aquarium.

For a little Seuss-like playfulness, I nestled two single stalks of Lindernia in the new tall plants. I also planted four stalks of Hydrocotyle verticillata in some of the foreground grass on the tank's right side. I like the idea of this plant, I'm just not sure yet whether it adds anything to a conserve dedicated to fragility.

Below is a succession of photos, with today's shots following shots of the tank's earlier stages.

12.17.05
Establishing period, lots of stem plants that would be later discarded.
01.16.06
Tank about 2 months old, stem plants gutted and planned design installed.
02.09.06
Tank fully mature, rife with fish and shrimp.
03.12.06
The lush period. Three new varieties of tall grass-like plants replace Polygonum on the left.
03.12.06
03.12.06
The new plants bring out the algae squad: Otocinclus and Crystal Red shrimp
03.12.06
The very clever Lindernia; I'm eager to see how it flourishes as an accent plant.
03.12.06
Hydrocotyle verticillata fascinates me, but it draws a lot of attention to itself. I'm waiting to see how it fits in a grassy environment.
03.12.06
Gorgeous Cryptocoryne spiralis, with its long, elegant stems and lazy leaves are attractive to the Otos.

Streaming video of my new cichlids. After five weeks, Little Malawi is established. A couple of days ago, I brought home three beautiful Melanochromis maingano, one male and three females. They immediately took to the towering caves, where they like to lurk out of view of the bright clear waters in the foreground. At 3-4 inches, they're the biggest fish I've ever created homes for.

I'm so happy that I followed common advice regarding the cichlid's power and enthusiasm for digging in the sand. If I had not epoxied all the large rocks in the cave tower and settled their bases deeply in the sand, the entire landscape would have fallen within 24 hours of these cichlids' arrival. They are relentless in their attacks on the sandy substrate. This worried me at first. I thought that not even my carefully secured structures would survive, but everything is holding together wonderfully. Some of the smaller round rocks I used in the foreground have disappeared under whole new dunes.

I was lucky enough to capture on video the reason for all this digging activity: spawning.

My tank differs dramatically from the tank in which Justin of Ocean Aquarium cultivated them. My water is significantly harder and more alkaline (acclimating the cichilds with a drip system took over two hours), in keeping with Lake Malawi conditions. My tank also offers much more variety in the landscape, more places for territorial respite. All factors that contribute to a spawning.

You'll notice in the video that the female is basically relocating a 2"-3" parcel of sand -- with her mouth! She creates a deep pocket between rocks. Notice toward the end of the video that while in the hole, she uses the power of her tail to shovel out a large wave of sand, causing small rocks in the foreground to collapse.

A day after I took this video, the male moved into the sand burrow and, I can only assume, spent the several seconds needed to fertilize eggs the digging cichlid had laid. Fascinating stuff! And all visible, front and center, mere feet from where I am typing.

The tank is now established and happy. My algae problems have all but disappeared. The fish and shrimp are playful and active, and the grasses are beginning to thicken to my satisfaction. I'm still not sure if I like the foreground far left plant arrangement. The tall grass in the back is so lovely, it seems a shame to put in a competing stem plant. I'm going to look at something a little more shrubby before I start pruning and planning for competition. Also, I'll be adding an adhesive black background, but only during the photography for the aquatic contest.

There's a very small opportunistic plant growing out of cracks in the lava rock of the Little Malawi tank. Only two instances, but they are remarkable. The leaves in this photo, shot from a distance of about two inches, are less than a millimeter long. Calciferous algae glows on other rocks; I don't know if their brightly-colored stains will remain once the tank is established. And what other vermins lurk in this otherwise barren conserve?