Tank's looking good these days, finally feels grown in.
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update
Swapped the heater out today, went with the Fluval E200 since my old one felt like it was cycling on and off too much. Install was more of a pain than I thought, had to redo some of the hardscape wedged around it to get the new one to sit right without blocking flow.
Took probably 40 minutes longer than it should have, kept knocking a rock loose every time I adjusted the cord. Fish didn't seem bothered at all, just kept doing their thing while I fumbled around in there.
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update
The java fern is doing really well lately, throwing out new leaves pretty steadily and a couple of the older leaves have baby plantlets forming on the tips. Everything else is filling in slower but the fern's just cruising along on its own, barely touched it since planting.
Crystal red shrimp seem happy grazing on it too, always a couple hanging out on the leaves.
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water change day
Did a water change and small trim today, took way longer than I expected. The rotala had gotten leggy in a couple spots so I cut it back, replanted some of the tops. Carpet's still patchy in places, bare spots between clumps, moss is thin still.
Water level's a bit low in the photo mid-change, had the hose and bucket out. Fish look a little small still but they're doing fine, no issues. My kid helped hold the bucket, spilled a little on the floor but no big deal.
After trim + water changePhoto Date
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first fish
Cycle finally read right so I added a small group of celestial pearl danios today. They were hiding behind the wood for the first hour, barely came out. By evening a few were poking around near the moss.
No losses so far. Tank feels so different with something actually moving around in it, way less boring to look at than empty water and plants. Holding off on the shrimp and corys for a bit still, want to make sure these guys settle in first.
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update
Two weeks into the cycle now. Been ghost feeding a small pinch every couple days to keep some ammonia going, also dosed a bit of bottled bacteria at setup to try to speed things along. Water's clear now at least, the cloudiness from filling cleared up fast.
No fish in yet, just testing every few days and waiting for it to read where I want. Plants still look rough but that's normal for this stage.
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filled it up
Water's in, filter's running. It's pretty hazy right now, Amazonia does that for the first bit, kicks up a bunch of dust when you fill. Not worried about it, seen this before, should clear up in a few days.
Plants are all in too but they look tiny and sad, just little clumps here and there with a ton of bare substrate showing. No fish yet, letting it settle first.
Just filledPhoto Date
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setup day
Got the stand leveled first before anything else went on it, learned that lesson the hard way on a past tank. Used a level on all four corners, had to shim one side with a little wood scrap since my floor isn't flat at all.
Hardscape is in, no water yet. Just rock and wood placed dry, substrate's down but I've still got half the bag sitting next to the tank. Kid was asking when the fish were coming, told her not yet, soon-ish.
