Jessie

Hi everyone. I disappeared for a while. Basically, my tank was "out of my possession" for a good month and a half because I ran screaming in the opposite direction of my now ex-boyfriend who turned out to be....bad news. I moved out on a whim and the tank stayed. I was actually resigned to the notion that because it was potentially dangerous to go back and get it, then I would just have to cut my losses and kiss it goodbye.

BUT! I hired two guys from my favorite fish store and today, we went back into the house and got my tank back. Thanks to them, my tank was unplanted, drained and on the road in two hours. Disgustingly dirty, but back into my possession.

And now!
The fun stuff. Also known as the dreadful stuff.

Get the tank in the apartment, begin returning my kickass (/sarcasm) mix substrate of fluorite, pea gravel and playground sand. NICE and gunky. Also known as absolutely disgusting. Then, in the very front, I added two bags of AquaSoil Amazonia so that I can eventually grow a nice carpet of HC and downoi.

Also, start arranging my Manzanita wood that I soaked for about 3 weeks. So excited!



Working fast, trying to make every second count while I have the guys here to help me fill and plumb.



A friend comes over to help, and the photo shoot begins.

Since they need to get going, no dry planting. Just fill! Added about 40g of my old water and the rest new. Wait a second, I soaked that wood for 3 weeks, it sunk! But no. That's what happens when you run run run away from your house and leave everything behind, including an evaporating tub of buoyant wood:



It floats. We're sad.


Whatever. Start planting, very overwhelmed, check out my workspace! I am the cardboad box lady.


Looking at this mess was really intimidating:



Trying to unfurl a mess of tropica swords, crypts, anubias and more valls than I knew what to do with:



Kazoo says "my mother is crazy."


KNOCK ON WOOD, not a single death.


Planting, planting, glazing over, planting, planting. And I can't do any aquascaping, because the WOOD FLOATS and I can't see through all the crap!!!!!!!!! :< But... they're in there.


AND we're HAPPY WE HAVE AQUASOIL!



And we're done. Here is how it is now:


But that's ok, because I have my tank again and no one was punched and no confrontations, we're good!

So basically, now that I've been reunited, I can restart my journalling process and do big exciting things