I haven't posted in a while. The original 10G is very satisfying with its 8 cardinal and neon tetras. I'm going to start using that tank as a cultivator for low-light plants I can transfer to shadier areas in the 6g (Asgard).

Here are the latest pics of Asgard. It's denser and healthier than it's been in a long time. I find that wholesale removal of thinning stem plants, replacing them with tight clumps of new stem plants, provides the greatest stability and keeps all algae in check. I haven't had an algae problem in a long time, I'm happy to report. More than a year after establishing Asgard, I finally feel like I know what I'm doing...and am ready to graduate to a much larger freshwater tank, with more challenging landscapes and livestock.









There are about a dozen shrimps in the tank now. I've had to euthanize nearly 2 whole generations of shrimp from the original Norns and Lif and Lifthrasir. For a time, the Crystal Red and a young tiger shrimp were yielding new broods every month. It was nearly a cataclysmic infestation since the shrimp are so hardy and there are so many mosses and caves conducive to breeding. I'll be removing several of the current Asgard shrimp to the original 10G tank. Once the shrimp population of Asgard reaches zero, I will not introduce new Tigers. They are too (pro)creative for my tastes.

The most important lessons I've learned after 13 months with Asgard?

Aggressive CO2 is your friend

Ample but not excessive iron

Never work with Tiger shrimp again

At the slightest sign of substrate algae, remove thinning stem plants and pack in new clusters of them

Regular moderate trimmings are more stabilizing than intermittent dramatic prunings (in other words, don't be lazy)