Hello! This is my first tank. It’s a 36 gallon bow front (not my fav but it’s what I was gifted). Fluval AC70 if that matters.
I planted some Val that has started to grow a bit but then it melted so I’m trying to figure that out. Maybe not enough light because of the floaters? And I think I made my sand cap too deep. Fluval stratum under the sand. I forget all the other plants I have lol. Mopani wood. A resin thing my husband liked so I put i plant on it. The fish like it.
Stocked with:
11 rummy nose tetras (the newest, only been in a few days)
4 panda corys (I know the corys and kuhlis like 6+ but this is what they had and they all seem happy and active)
4 black kuhli loaches
3 male guppies my kids picked
1 clown pleco cutie
1 adorable honey gourami
Is this fair stocking? Too much? Am I missing something that would be nice or helpful? It feels like it’s missing something but idk what. And it may be full anyway.
This is a picture of it today. Water seems great as far as ammonia, nitrites. Water is soft but a bit more alkaline than I thought it should be with all the tannins from the wood (unless I’m misunderstanding that?). Like 7.4-7.6. How can I fix that? And nitrates keep being zero but I know some nitrates are supposed to be good. I took out the water lettuce after this pic because I saw that it can be a nitrate hogger. I just got some seachem flourish liquid. Should I also get root tabs to see if that helps my root plants? They’re growing slowly but idk what to expect really.
I’ve been wanting to get into this hobby for a long time so I’m happy to finally be here!