(This is the last in a series of posts related to the startup of a new aquarium. It continues from here.)

This will update you on the status of things as of the end of May, at which time I would say that things are very stable and enjoyable. I will certainly continue to post on changes and issues I come across (most notably my next post, which will deal with a major technical adjustment to the setup!).

First, on the "red plague". The Otos have done a bang-up job cleaning the tank. There is very little red algae that I can see, although they continue to beaver away at something. One more passed away, however, leaving me with three apparently healthy cleaners. Also on the algae front, I have noticed a small amount of "brush algae" on the Anubias, and some on the slate. It seems to be very contained, so I am not going to do anything about it at the moment. I hope that is not a mistake. Apparently, the classic solution to this is the Siamese Algae Eater, but I am reluctant to introduce more stock at the moment.

The reason for the "more stock" statement above is that I have introduced one new fish, a companion for my platy, a girl companion. When I first got the platies for the fish bowl, I deliberately got a boy and a girl because (a) you can tell them apart, and (b) you never know what might happen. The girl did not survive, however, so the one platy has been living alone, only to be tormented by the two danio "toughs". So, I have finally paired him up again. The funny thing is that the platies at Big Al's are substantially larger than where I got the original, so seeing the two together really makes you wonder if, and how, they are going to "do it". Nonetheless, he appears very, very happy to see her, and more often than not they are swimming together in very close formation, almost holding fins, if you will.

The loaches are some pretty cool cats. They just hang around, eat, and hide. They appear very healthy and, with the platies, provide the only real colour. Two interesting behavioural things I have noticed. First, when they eat, they make this clicking sound. I have not had time to research this, but I know I am not imagining it. Second (and I had read about this on Loaches Online) they sometimes like to lie down on their side. This is very disturbing at first, because they kind of look dead, but apparently they do this. So if your loach is lying on its side, do freak out (but do look closely to make sure he is breathing).

The zebra danios continue to be the hooligans of the tank...if they wore jackets they would probably have skulls on them. Despite what you might read around the web, danios are not exactly the most peaceful of fish. As I described earlier, they were the direct cause of at least one neon death, and they continue to prowl the upper levels of the tank and harass any fish that comes to the top. Needless to say, this can cause quite a frenzy at feeding time, for the platies mostly as the others tend to wait for food to fall down before going after it. But I do worry about putting another fish (like an angel) in that cannot withstand the harassment.

Lastly, one more neon died, making only two survivors there. Not too hardy a species, in my opinion, but pretty to look at. I would like to get a larger school of them going again.

So, two loaches, two platies, two danios, two neons, and three otos: a regular Noah's Ark.