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Victoria home #1 has suddenly become very cloudy. I am not sure what has caused this or what caused a light film on the water's surface. I have seen an "oil slick" appear after injecting fish emulsion.

Fish emulsion is indeed oily but we have also seen an "oil slick" appear when new pads of adult Victoria plants first reach the surface. You may be seeing that in juveniles.

Many leaves have "aged" or "melted" recently. Perhaps this is the result of the cloudiness or perhaps, as Kit had mentioned, Victoria leaves do not like to touch each other or be touched by my hands. I have been working very hard to get the new tank ready so they have more room.

Leaves will deteriorate where they are overlapped by others. They don't seem to mind being handled by their people.

Some of the newer leaves --
I believe this 'Longwood Hybrid' needs to be repotted! It has a very vigorous root system and also needs to be planted a little deeper as the crown shows. >>>>
		'Red Flare' and Victoria home #2 remains balanced. I lost two goldfish due to previous high nitrite levels. The remaining fish seem to have lost their appetite for leaves. 'Columbia' and 'Red Flare' are trying to make a comeback after being eaten by the fish.

Now open! Victoria's NEW HOME! It is being tested by a 'Challenger' at this time.

I have moved this stock water tank from my greenhouse to my plastic-enclosed front porch. I have it sitting on plywood to keep it off the cold concrete floor. I have wrapped the sides in roofing tar paper to help with insulation and water heating. The bottom of the tank has been covered with Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil. The water is 9 inches deep and water temperature is stable at 84 degrees. Approximate 90 gallons of water will be circulated at 60 gal./hr with a Rio Aqua Pump 50. I am heating the water with a 350 watt Titanium Aquarium heater. Supplemental light will be provided by two GE Grow & Show Fluorescent Brightsticks.

Since the ambient air temperature fluctuates, I will be covering the top of this tank with a piece of a 4 mil PolyCarbonate side wall from a cold frame I purchased in the past. This will hopefully maintain a proper air temperature above the leaves and allow some circulation to hold off fungus attacks. You can actually see mist rising from the water's surface.