Zoe Perez

What bugs me a little is how fast the rotala leans toward the light, I'm forever turning the tank around... Otherwise it's a calm one, the shrimp graze the moss all day and the java fern hasn't asked for much of anything. Small tank, easy to just sit and watch for a few minutes.

I rushed the first hardscape and it looked cluttered no matter how I turned the spiderwood... Pulled it all and started over with fewer pieces, which is the version that stuck. Apistogramma pair up in the sword leaves now and the embers stay mid tank, ignoring most of it.

This one replaced a bowl setup that never really worked out, no filtration to speak of and the plants just melted... The 60P has been a different story, the vals and monte carlo actually hold on and the shrimp seem happier for it.

The thing I like most is watching the corys work the substrate in the morning, all of them at once like they planned it... The moss has finally softened up the stone so it doesn't look so bare anymore. Danios stay up top, otos graze the glass, and somehow it all just settles into a quiet little routine by evening.