7 entries · Page 1 of 1
Pulled up the photo from right after the fish went in and it's a totally different tank now. Hairgrass has actually carpeted, no more bare patches. Hygrophila pinnatifida has that reddish tint coming through under the Kessil, wasn't expecting that so soon. Moss has covered most of the wood at this point, just a few bare spots left. Shrimp are everywhere now, way more visible than a month ago. Still a bit less dense than I want in the back corner but close.
Green dusting all over the sword leaves, dealing with it now.
Did the change and a light trim on the hygrophila (was starting to shade out the hairgrass). Params after: ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate around 15. Ph steady at 6.8. Happy with that. Fluval 307 flow felt a little weak so gave the intake a rinse too.
Added the pygmy corydoras today, bag's floating to acclimate. Probably overthinking this but I keep watching them dart around and second guessing whether the cycle is really done. Ammonia and nitrite both read zero on the test but I still went back and checked twice. Hairgrass has filled in most of the way, still a couple bare patches up front. Moss on the wood is thickening up nicely finally. Will feel better once I see them eating normally tomorrow.
Still cycling, no fish. Two weeks in now.
Water's in, filter's running. Nothing alive in there yet.
Hardscape is in. Spent the morning rinsing stratum (that stuff clouds if you look at it wrong) and rinsing the stones about four times each before I was happy with them. No water yet, just the dry scape sitting there. Wood is weighted down for now, hoping it stays put once flooded. Plan is stratum front to back, hairgrass up front, hygrophila and the sword filling the mid/back. Moss on the wood eventually. Bag of extra substrate still sitting next to the tank, might not even need it.
