By Alan Montour with Kit & Ben Knotts - Photos by Alan Montour - Click to enlarge

No, not the one above. I took that picture at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2002. That's how all my interest in Victoria started.

My Victorias are telling me that it is getting very crowded in their 10 gallon home. It's time to prepare for a move to a larger home. I currently have two 100 gallon galvanized stock tanks (not heated) in a greenhouse that currently holds last year's tropical pond plants (that are not doing so well). My plans are to combine those plants in one tank and move the other one to my plastic enclosed porch that averages a low air temperature of 40 degrees F. I will use a setup similiar to Kit's outdoor setup. The only diffrence will be that I will use two submersible titanium aquarium heaters (just in case one fails), an airstone and will not have the option for a fresh water flow. I will have to provide some supplemental lighting. I do have a concern about the average room temperature that the leaves will be exposed to. I may be able to keep them warmer with a plastic tent enclosure over this complete setup.

We suggest that you tent your tank. Cold air does affect the pads, causing them to deteriorate more rapidly than when the air temperature is close to the water temp. Just be sure to make the tent high enough and with some openings to allow for good air circulation.

	A more mature leaf has formed on the 'Longwood Hybrid' above which now has 4 floating leaves and a 5th on the way. Of the three Longwood seedlings, this one is the strongest and the second is not far behind it. <The third has declined after "melt" and fish "leaf eating" attacks.

After the Columbia Shuttle tragedy and Kit and Ben's tribute, I finally realized how they named the hybrids. The 'Challenger' sprouts they sent me are proud specimens (5 of them) and honor the Challenger crew well with speedy growth and vigorious (down the center and below) leaf formation.
My only 'Atlantis' wants to do itself proud as well and continues to make a rebound after a decline. When all of my Atlantis seedlings where thought lost, this trooper survived and now has 2 floating leaves with a 3rd on its way. The thorns on the very small leaves are quite prominent and could be a result of nature protecting it from hungry fish.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK CAN MAKE!

'Columbia's' and 'Red Flare's' home has made a big turn towards balance. Nitrite levels are still too high but pH level has been balanced and clarity has returned. Columbia is rebounding. >