I’ve cycled tanks in the past, but it has been over 10 years and this is my first time with plants.

set up:

18 days old. 5.5 gallons, lightly dirted, coarse sand and gravel mix for a cap. Added Root Tabs.

Bladder snails and sneggs up the wazoo… seriously, I’m about to be knee deep in snails I see so many gelatinous egg-nests.

LED plant lights that I admittedly have been running for way too many hours (12) and on the highest brightness.

I have only done one water change the past week (50%) and I don’t plan on doing another any time soon.

parameters: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate..HOW? pH 6.8

much to my chagrin, I am using test strips. My API liquid test kit won’t be here until next weekend.

Plants are growing, I’ve had to trim some already. But I feel like they are now starting to not look so good. Not horrible, but not great.

I also slammed some flame moss down not anchored to anything like a psychopath. Not sure how well that’s going to work as a carpet.

Is it time for liquid fertilizer or Should I add more Root Tabs? Should I pull up stems and cut off the bottoms and replant the better looking top halves?

Also, there is no way this tank is really triple 0s. The snails poop a lot and I was ghost feeding so much I had to do an almost 50% water change to get up the mess.

Should I do 0 water changes and just top off evaporation moving forward?

I need to know if I’m on the right track or if there is something more/less I should be doing.