Hey all, been a while since I updated. I just did a huge water change, much larger than planned...will get to why down the post. My tank is doing great, I'll break it down in points.
Overall:
Arrived to my apartment for first time since July 5th to a very cloudy tank (it gets worse each week I come back). That's fine, since it is just due to the dirt, most likely. What makes me happy is that the unwanted inverts such as Hyrda are greatly lowered in number after each water change, so their demise is near. The annoying, chunky, brown algae has also
declined massively...much less on the glass each week, and a lot less on my wood and substrate. Good signs!
The Italian Vals:
Overall, they are very healthy, producing runners and new growth all over the left side of the tank. They are growing tall as well. Every week, however, I notice yellowed tips on one or two leaves, with the very oldest leaves turning yellow and eventually rotting. The healthy growth outnumbers the death, so I think that this will most likely be ongoing with having to trim away dying leaves. Not too concerned, so long as 95% of them are healthy.
*While writing this post, I just noticed that they have put their runners out right into the Diverifolia, and they are pretty tall leaves (photo below). Will have to trim these eventually because I don't want them pushing over too far to the right.
Dwarf Sag:
Doing great. Have run all the way into the Sword territory. One or two yellow tips, nothing serious. Mixing in with the bases of the Vals, looks cool.
Diversifolia:
To my surprise, growing incredibly! Lower leaves start to sag as they grow taller. I just trimmed the tallest one and planted it to the right of the three; a fourth plant has begun to grow from the base of one and it just propping up behind the wood. Liking these.
Swords:
Generally steady. Attract algae the most. No serious growth but no death either.
Anaerobic/Dirt smell:
None! After over a month of being set up, I am extremely pleased that this tank lets of no sent. It smells like plants and nothing more. Guessing that my sand layer has enough room to let the dirt breathe.
PWC Issue:
While siphoning water, I usually take a plastic cup and fill my filter back up with tank water so that nothing dries out. I couldn't find the plastic cup, I think my brother through it out since I probably left it on the table. Before doing the water change, I had a glass of tap water and I put the glass in the sink. Since I just used it for water, I went to the sink and brought it to my tank to fill my filter up. When dumping water from the glass into the filter, I noticed soap bubbles. Had remembered that I washed my hands with soap before doing the water change (after vigorously rinsing and drying with paper towels, habit before putting hands in tank). Soap must have gotten in the glass.
I suck, don't I? I dumped all the filter water out into a bucket, and while doing so the intake drained. Some soap probably got into the tank. I dumped the bucket water into the tub and refilled with tank water by using a plastic cup (should have done this in the first place!!). Rinsed the media vigorously and put it all back as normal. So, my bacteria is all probably dead. That's fine, I am not getting fish until the end of August. What I am more concerned about is soap in my actual tank. I did a 75% water change in hopes of removing anything that got in, and hoping that the new water will dilute it massively. Time will tell!
The pictures (directly after PWC):
Full Tank Shot
Swords:
Dwarf Field:
Vals:
Diversifolia, with Val Growth:
Newly clipped/planted Divers.:
Dwarf Runners:
Dwarf Sag Mixed with Swords: