Today, as I was changing water and pruning plants in Asgard, it struck me how happy I am with the balance of life in the tank. The algae problem I've been aggressively tackling is abating, though not quite beaten. The bright-red lotus is compact and healthy, a crown atop a driftwood mound of Riccia, Java Moss, and Christmas Moss.

The centerpiece of the tank, which was once its plants, is now its fish. A pair of miniature Rasboras, a pair of miniature Rocket killifish, and a pair of Otocinclus co-exist happily in their respective layers in the water column. The killies spend most of their time at the surface, the Rasboras in the middle, and the Otos either near the bottom or attached to the tank's sides. Rounding out this mini conserve are, of course, the remaining offspring of my original Tiger shrimp, three or four small specimens, and the lone Crystal Red shrimp, who just laid eggs. The low-watt T5 bulb I'm using while the algae dies back casts a faint pinkish hue, which causes the Rasboras and killies to glow.