Things are going rather swimmingly.

Nitrites have been consistently at 0 since last weekend. but I still have fairly high nitrates which is trending down, at least that’s what the test strip keeps telling me. And yes, I’m aware I’ll need to get the liquid test kit — will do soon.

Decided to mix things up by replanting some of the stem plants in the foreground. Also bought a bit too much moss, and I thought ehhh I’d make the sand path look like it is overrun with bushes. The moss also brought me a couple new hitchhiker snails, which is a nice addition. Always fun to watch those cute little oddballs swim upside down on the water surface.

Spider plants seem to grow really quick and has zero complaints about my water parameters. One day I see some cute little new shoots, forgot about them for a couple days, then bam they became new leaves shooting out and above the egg crate. Makes me wonder if they’re extraterrestrial in origin…

In addition to the spider plants, I’ve got a shipment of Calathea roseopicta coming my way. Based on what little research I did, they should be able to grow roots in water. They should become a nice addition on top of my tank; I just love the contrast of leaf shape, texture and colors.

Also decided to hollow out a block of filter foam and cover my filter’s intake; in case I wanna add critters later on. Might go with snails and neocaridinas; still unsure on what color neos to get.