For the first time since bringing him home, I am noticing some improvement in Auberon's tattered anal fin and damaged fin rays. And, while photographs may not reflect this, I do believe his color is increasingly pink in tone, though he is just as iridescent as he has ever been (may he always be so!).
He continues to be active, curious, and voracious and still spends a good deal of time hunting for copepods, whose continued existence I am surprised at considering Auberon's aptitude for hunting. I have added a new food (Hikari Betta Bio-Gold) to his diet and I am finding that they are a better size for his tiny mouth than the New Life Spectrum, though the ingredients appear to be of lesser quality.
In the last week, I've only performed one small water change, during which I added a Zoo-Med mermaid to the tank, hoping Auberon might enjoy swimming through her hoop. To my disappointment, he has barely acknowledged her existence. Perhaps in time, he might find her entertaining. Many reviews regarding this particular mermaid indicate that she may shed some paint, so that's something I must remember to monitor.
I approached this week's small water change a little differently-- instead of immediately pouring water from the bucket into the tank, I slowly added cups full of water to the tank, in hopes of not shocking Auberon with the slight temperature and pH difference between the new water and the water in the tank. Before adding the water, I was sure to test the pH this time-- it measured 8.2 compared to the tank's approximate 8.3.
Auberon had no adverse reaction to this new way of changing the water and I find that it does not disrupt the tank as much doing it this way.
Another change to the tank this week is the photo period for the tank. When I first started the tank up, the timer would pop the lights on around 8 AM and then turn them off in the early afternoon. I have now split the photo period so the tank is lit in the morning and evening, but dark during the middle of the day. Auberon is still quite active during this "siesta" period and I'm hoping the change will be beneficial for the plants and that it may decrease the amount of algae growing on leaves. Having the tank lit this way also allows me to enjoy it later in the day, which I was missing out on before.
