Bsquared

That Caribsea Jungle River looks nice!

It’s probably just settling in still. My Java fern is a giant mass of rhizome all bunches together with no ill effects.

These are on my list too. I want to try to do an automatic egg collection setup for these and some CPDs someday!

I would continue with your current dosing of easy green and try adding some root tabs around your sword to help it out. Java ferns always have small black dots on the underside of the leaves so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Your tank looks great!

I like watersprite as another good floating plant that can really suck out nutrients. It can also be planted too if you want a different look

Great idea! A smaller version would be great for baffling flow in a growout/breeding tank to keep food from flying around and make it easier for smaller fish to eat

A pile of rocks is also an easy way to create a bunch of hiding spots for the shrimp. I medium size rock seems to work the best as it creates crevices that aren't super tiny but not so large the fish could get it. Combine that with all your guppy grass and pearlweed there should be plenty of spots for the shrimp to avoid predation

Pretty nice looking stands and very reasonable price! How was the wooden portions? Was it actual wood or just some particle board?

Sounds like he's doing great and should make it! I've had ramshorn snails get partially crushed and just keep on going for a long time.

Wow, your fish really are looking great! Love a white cloud!

Salt is good first step. It could just be some damage from being packed and shipped or in a crowded tank before you got them. Salt and clean water and “cure” a lot of problems!

I agree with the plant mass comment. Increasing plant mass can definitely help. I also would drop your light duration to 8hrs and leave it there for at least 2 weeks to see how your plants respond. They should be totally fine and it should help slow algae growth while the plants grow in

True, this is probably the best way in a 5 gallon. Just drop the tank level to 1/3 or so, make sure there is nothing in there that could smash the fish and put everything in the car. You can even bring the water you drained out in a bucket or something if the water chemistry of the new house is vastly different but you should be fine regardless

Haha truly one of the best methods. Just keep setting up "holding/quarantine" tanks. Before you know it you have quite the collection!

I agree with this statement. I have had corys on eco-complete which many consider sharp with no ill effects. I think water quality issues is one of the biggest factors in any cory issues

Second for the twin wall polycarbonate (greenhouse) sheets. They come in 2'x4' sections and can be customized however you want to cut them. I cut them to rough size using a circular saw and then used a utility knife to cut slots for cords and filters.

Small bubbles from a sponge filter should be fine. They are probably just settling in still and may need some more time to become established

How is the flow in your tank? Sometimes floating plants don't appreciate too much flow and not having a calm spot to establish. Also, some floating plants don't appreciate the tops of their leaves getting submerged and can melt away if they were underwater or wet for a while (like in a bag from the LFS)

You will probably end up with some type of bladder/ramshorn/pond snail at some point just by adding plants to your tank. As long as you are not overfeeding, their population will grow to a point and then level off. If you are looking for another easily identifiable/name worthy snail a nerite would be a good choice. They won't breed in freshwater but there are tons of different variations and colors to choose from. Their one downside is the eggs that get laid everywhere and can be tough to remove.

Definitely a peacock gudgeon. Very interesting fish and typically easy going although I have heard of the occasional aggressive gudgeon

I would just do the stratum and add root tabs around any heavy root feeders if you want to grow those. Otherwise, stratum with regular dosing of a liquid fert like easy green will work great for water column feeding plants Also, thinking about your first tank, if it is only a month old you probably haven't hit peak plant growth yet. They are likely still settling in but any day now they should start to put on significant growth. I usually start to see consistent growth begin to occur at about the 1.5-2month mark.

No need to worry, the white fungus that is developing is totally normal for new driftwood. Typically it will go away on its own as the wood becomes saturated but I have seen snails, shrimp and fish all pick at it. It will be gone in no time

It seems like you have all the necessary ingredients to get some great plant growth. I would use both those stingrays, hook up the 207 with inline co2 diffusion plant some more plants and then wait. I think time is the only thing you need. Once the plants settle in you should start to see some solid growth. Even as you trim and sell, your plants will be well established and should grow back quickly.

Watersprite is another good option that can be grown both floating and planted. Once it gets going though it can get large in a hurry!

Like everyone has said before, it really is up to personal taste. I have tanks that have a black substrate and some that have a lighter sand. With a black background, your guppies colors should pop either way. I find that the background color can have just as big an impact as the substrate, especially if the tank isn't completely full of plants.